2014 Honda VTR Type LD 250 in Japan – the naked beauty Japs V-Twin machine – JPY598,320 (RM18,743.26)

Honda Japan released this beautiful naked machine based on the V-Twin VTR-F 250. The style of the fairingless VTR shows the beautiful red Trellis frame that is usually associated with the Italian bikes. Considering this is a high performance 250cc with liquid-cooled V-Twin engine, the naked setup here really looks interesting and different that the most bike chassis/engine setup that usually uses diamond frame with 1 or 2-cylinder parallel engine only.

There are very few details about the engine other than the 250cc V-Twin that we already know, but luckily we know the power generated by the engine. It is measured at 30ps (29hp) which is a healthy power from a 250cc engine. As a comparison, the CBR250R 1-cylinder engine can provide 27hp at its crank.

This one in red might confuses you with popular Italian model, the Ducati Monster M600. It got all that Italian flair that relates to V-Twin engine, short and stubby look and also the red Trellis frame. There are one great benefit from the Japanese machine as we always knows that is reliability, low-maintainance and cheaper that its Italian counterpart. Anyway, this Honda VTR Type LD have no competition from the Italian since there are no 250cc naked bike with this kind of style from there! 

The meter cluster also has been totally redesigned to fit the Type LD naked street look with that dual round analog and digital meter. It is backlighted with red illumination with rev counter on the right and speedometer on the left. It is different that the VTR-F meter that features inverted triangle shape with big rev counter and digital speedo meter.

Seat height also has been lowered to 740mm from 755mm for better ground footing. For a comparison, Ducati Hyperstrada seat height is 810mm, so this bike really sits very low. This can provide much more confident riding and easier to handle on heavy traffic condition.

The powertrain comes from this 250cc V-Twin liquid-cooled 4-stroke engine that is very unusual setup in this decade. So far, I think only Honda does this in 2014 for 250cc engine. Fuel delivery are taken care by the PGM-FI which ensures fuel efficiency and accurate fuel metering at any riding condition. The ECU also detects the crank angle position to provide smooth acceleration and agile throttle responses. The air intake and throttle body adopts the IACV (Intake Air Control Valve) to pursue the combustion efficiency by controlling the amount of the air intake to the cylinder. The manifold are configured in 2-to-1 setup and chamberless to produce a pleasant exhaust note. Also included is the catalytic converter and two O2 sensor to enchance the catalysation effect and provide precise air-fuel ratio. It is also for environmental consideration.

The frame choosen is the Trellis frame that separates the pivots point of the rear swing to the main frame. The rear swing now connected to the engine. Lightweight alloy are used to make sure the chassis are strong and at same time low in weight.

The front brake are equipped with dual-piston caliper with 296mm floating disc brake and the rear 220mm disc brake with 1-piston caliper. The wheel are nice with the 5-spoke Z-shaped cross section in lightweight alloy metal.

Storage space are given a consideration here with ample space under the seat. Not much, but you can fit in glove, wallet and maybe your phone. There is also hook for you to hook up your travelling bag.

Overall, this is a nice bike in terms of specs, design and uniqueness. Japanese riders must be happy.

via: http://www.honda.co.jp/VTR/performance/