Automotive

Honda gets into side-by-sides with the new Talon 1000X and 1000R

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Honda jumps into the SxS game with the new Talon 1000X and 1000R
Honda jumps into the SxS game with the new Talon 1000X and 1000R
The Talon 1000X focuses on tight, gnarly work, where the 1000R is set up for high-speed desert banging
Honda Talon 1000R: Interior
Honda Talon 1000R: 68.4 inches wide
Honda Talon 1000R: 17.7 inches of suspension travel at the front, 20.1 inches at the rear
Honda Talon 1000R: 999cc parallel twin motor makes 104 horsepower
Honda Talon 1000R: Honda has assessed the SxS market and put out a machine it feels will compete well, particularly with Yamaha's YXZ series
Honda Talon 1000R: one on the rocks, please
Honda Talon 1000R: go-anywhere off-roading at serious pace
Honda Talon 1000R: Fox racing shocks
Honda Talon 1000R: with its clothes off
Honda Talon 1000R: long travel suspension and 13 inches of ground clearance
Honda Talon 1000R: minus the bodywork
Honda Talon 1000R: left side
Honda Talon 1000R: right front three quarter
Honda Talon 1000R: left front three-quarter
Honda Talon 1000R: simple dash console allows you to switch from 4WD to 2WD to get your drifting skills up
Honda Talon 1000X: narrower at 64 inches wide, for tight, quick work through the trees
Honda Talon 1000X: 14.6 inches of suspension travel at the front, 15.1 at the rear
Honda Talon 1000X: 12.7 inches of ground clearance
The new Honda Passport towing the equally new Talon 1000R at the 2018 LA Auto Show
C.C. Weiss/New Atlas
Honda debuts the Talon 1000R at the 2018 LA Auto Show
C.C. Weiss/New Atlas
Honda gets into the sport side-by-side market
C.C. Weiss/New Atlas
Honda Talon 1000R at the 2018 LA Auto Show
C.C. Weiss/New Atlas
Honda Talon 1000R at the 2018 LA Auto Show
C.C. Weiss/New Atlas
Honda debuts the new Passport, along with a Talon 1000R in tow
C.C. Weiss/New Atlas
Honda Talon 1000R
C.C. Weiss/New Atlas
View gallery - 27 images

Serious off-road four-wheeling is now on the menu at Honda with the release of its first side-by-side sand throwers. The Talon 1000X and 1000R share a 104-hp, twin-cylinder engine and six-speed dual clutch transmission, but take different approaches to hardcore off-roading.

The 1000X is all about the tight, gnarly stuff. At 64 in (1,626 mm) wide it's considerably narrower than the R model, and has less suspension travel and ground clearance as well, with 14.6 in (371 mm) of travel at the front, 12.7 in (323 mm) of clearance and 15.1 in (384 mm) of travel at the rear on adjustable Fox performance shocks. Its 3 Link trailing arm suspension on the rear prioritizes tight turning, agility and manoeuvrability over the super quick stuff.

Honda Talon 1000R: go-anywhere off-roading at serious pace

The 1000R, on the other hand, is all about high-speed thrills and rock crawling capability. it's 68.4 in (1,737 mm) wide, and offers longer travel suspension: 17.7 in (450 mm) up front, 20.1 in (511 mm) out back, and 13 in (330 mm) of overall ground clearance.

Honda Talon 1000R: 999cc parallel twin motor makes 104 horsepower

Both models use the same 999cc unicam 4-stroke parallel twin motor, cranking out 104 hp through a six-speed dual clutch auto transmission that can be set to standard, sport or manual shifting using paddles on the steering wheel. There's 4WD and 2WD drive modes, as well as a high/low speed subtransmission that lets you engage slow, high-torque crawling modes when you're rock crawling or tackling extreme terrain.

Both would appear to compete favorably on the spec sheet against the Yamaha YXZ1000R SS SE, which we found an absolute hoot to punt around on our test drive last year. The Hondas appear to offer a bit more of everything, from horsepower to suspension travel and slightly larger wheels at 28 inches, while using a similar transmission.

Pricing and availability won't be announced until January. Check out a video of each below.

Source: Honda

View gallery - 27 images
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4 comments
guzmanchinky
I truly LOVE side by side machines. I've had everything from the original Rhino to sport machines. Someone needs to make one that is street legal, they are just way too expensive these days to be restricted as much as they are.
Josh!
Very stoked about this.
Mzungu_Mkubwa
@guzmanchinky: totally agree about the road legality thing! The hi-speed freeway capability "requirement" placed on vehicles in this country really should be legally circumvented in some official, nation-wide way to allow these kinds of vehicles to be introduced. There are down sides to this move, certainly, but it could really "lower the bar" for cost of entry into safe, reliable (and really fun) transportation. I'm frankly surprised that more hasn't been attempted in the 3-wheel enclosed vehicle space (makes it a motorcycle, from a legal standpoint, opening up some viability). It's that leap from "normal" roads (neighborhood: below 45mph) to highway travel that suddenly jumps the price waaaay up (due to legit reasons, of course.) However in other countries, where such freeways are not as common, its puzzling to me why these kinds of vehicles haven't really taken off! Esp. "cheap" ones out of China! (I'd love to have a road legal Rokor, for example!)
zr2s10
Honda already actually has had a SxS for a few years, but this is the first sport oriented model. The Pioneer 700 & 1000's are supposed to be decent machines, just slightly more utility oriented. And for street legal, I agree, they need to make it happen! There are already restrictions on accessible roads for scooters and mopeds, typically 45mph or lower roads. They could put the same thing through for SxS and ATVs. I really wouldn't want to be on a 55mph plus road in one of these anyway. Yeah, it could keep up with traffic, but you wouldn't want to get in a high speed wreck with a car in one of these!