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We’ve been ripping the 2023 Honda Talon 1000R-4 around the woods of East Tennesee this fall and it has proven time and again how solid and versatile it is. But we haven’t put it against our RTI ramp to see how flexy it is until now. How will the big Honda fare against the ramp? Check out the video to find out!

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Sports
Transcript
00:00 We are here with the 2024 Honda Talon 1000 R4.
00:04 We've been having a great time with this rig.
00:06 We've had it in the shop for about a month.
00:07 We've taken it to our local trails.
00:09 We've bombed around in it.
00:10 We have thoroughly tested this machine,
00:12 but the thing that we have not done is get numbers on it.
00:15 So today we're going to change that.
00:16 We are going to put it on our RTI ramp
00:18 and see how much flex you can expect from the Honda Talon.
00:21 Now, the RTI ramp, for those of you who don't remember,
00:24 stands for ramp travel index,
00:26 basically a numerical measure of flex.
00:28 You drive the driver's side front tire up the ramp
00:31 until a back tire comes off the ground.
00:33 Then you measure that distance.
00:35 You divide that distance by the rig's wheelbase.
00:37 Multiply by a thousand.
00:40 And you get a three-digit numerical score
00:45 and that tells you how well the rig flexes.
00:47 You can compare it to other machines.
00:49 The last Honda Talon we did, did a 556.
00:52 Now, for some reference, an amazing score is anything over 700.
00:56 A bad score is anything 350 or below.
00:59 So let's see how this sucker does.
01:01 But before we do that, let's play a little game.
01:04 How about a little Price is Right?
01:05 We've tested Talons before.
01:06 We've tested 4-seaters before.
01:07 We've never tested a Talon 4-seater on the ramp.
01:09 So let's guess some scores.
01:11 What do you think it's going to do?
01:12 The last 2-seater we had did a 556.
01:15 I expect a little bit better from the 4-seater.
01:17 I'm going to go...
01:19 I'm going to do a 590.
01:20 I'm going to say 590.
01:21 590.
01:21 Yeah.
01:22 All right.
01:22 Yeah, I'm optimistic.
01:23 Let's see.
01:24 What did the KRX-4 do?
01:26 The KRX-4...
01:27 A 585.
01:28 KRX-4 did a 585.
01:31 So we think this is going to be better or worse than a KRX-4?
01:33 I think it's going to be better.
01:34 I like the live valve.
01:36 Yeah, I'm going...
01:36 I'm sticking with that.
01:37 590.
01:38 What do you think?
01:38 Come on.
01:39 570.
01:39 570.
01:40 570.
01:40 Okay.
01:41 All right.
01:41 So we got a nice bracket.
01:42 You can't go over.
01:42 You can't go over.
01:43 No.
01:44 You want to change your answer.
01:47 No.
01:48 590.
01:48 Let's do it.
01:49 All right.
01:49 Get your lid on.
01:50 Let's find out.
01:50 All right.
01:51 Let's go.
01:51 All right.
01:52 So just to recap, this thing's going to go up that ramp.
01:54 In the first second, it lifts a tire.
01:56 We're going to back that tire back down until it's hitting on the ground.
01:59 Then we'll take a measurement.
02:00 That's how we're going to get our score.
02:01 We've already set our tire pressures to the factory recommended pressures.
02:03 That's 20 psi in the front, 18 in the rear.
02:06 Tire pressures are super important.
02:07 We've got a video on just how much that can change a score.
02:10 All that's going to be dialed.
02:11 Since this has multiple suspension settings, we're going to try it in normal.
02:14 We're going to try it in sport, get the best possible setting we can get.
02:17 I'm ready.
02:17 Let's do it.
02:19 [MAKING NOISES]
02:24 Whoa.
02:25 Back just a-- oh, right there.
02:28 Pretty good.
02:29 Pretty good.
02:30 That feels pretty good.
02:31 That feels pretty flexing.
02:32 Are we flexing?
02:32 We're flexing.
02:33 I'm liking my answer.
02:34 You're liking the answer?
02:35 I'm liking my answer.
02:36 Call it 61 and 5/16.
02:46 A few moments later.
02:47 That was pretty good.
02:48 That was not bad.
02:49 That felt pretty flexy.
02:50 I'm feeling good about my choice.
02:52 I think I'm feeling pretty good.
02:54 You want to know the score?
02:55 Yeah, I want to know the score.
02:56 They want to know the score.
02:56 They want to know the score.
02:58 It's 5/16.
03:00 What?
03:00 So the interesting thing there is that's almost exactly what the 1000X got,
03:04 the two-seat 1000X got.
03:05 Was that a live valve?
03:06 I can't remember.
03:06 No, that was not a live valve.
03:08 So the standard two-seat--
03:09 OK.
03:09 All right.
03:10 So that feels pretty good.
03:11 I think what's surprising here is this is the 1000R.
03:15 So this is the one that's made for the desert.
03:16 It's made for going out and ripping around.
03:18 This is the wide boy.
03:18 And what we found is the high-speed units, the units that are made for ripping around
03:22 in the desert, don't do that well, typically.
03:24 No, not in the RTI test.
03:26 That's not what they're for.
03:28 But I got to say, this was in normal mode, so that's your flexiest mode.
03:30 And on paper is one thing.
03:32 We have had this thing in the rocks plenty.
03:34 It does really well.
03:35 It feels really planted.
03:36 And I got to say, I've been up that RTI ramp a time or two.
03:39 It can feel pretty puckery, and I was more than comfortable sitting in here.
03:43 You know, I would not have guessed when you told me to go back that I had lifted a wheel yet.
03:47 So, I mean, that's a mark in the Honda's column, even though the numerical score, you know,
03:52 maybe isn't as high as I thought.
03:53 You know, a 5.16 is pretty solid, pretty solid middle of the pack.
03:56 That's right in the middle.
03:57 That's nothing to be embarrassed about.
03:58 No, no, no.
03:59 And again, we said 700 is exceptional.
04:01 350 is bad.
04:02 We're way above bad.
04:04 Yeah, yeah.
04:05 So it's pretty good.
04:05 All right.
04:06 Well, I am curious to know if changing it to sport on the live valve changes anything at all.
04:10 Yeah, let's see.
04:11 All right, before we get on to the second part of the RTI ramp test, I need you to like, comment, and subscribe.
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04:33 Nope, right there.
04:40 It's identical.
04:41 Maybe slightly worse.
04:45 60 and 7/8.
04:48 Feels the same from up here.
04:49 Does it?
04:50 Yeah, it's less than an inch.
04:51 Yeah.
04:52 All right.
04:53 All right, so that only hurt us by about, how, less than an inch.
04:58 Less than an inch.
04:58 Yeah, 60 and 3/4 up the ramp.
05:00 So, you know, drop the score to about a 512, somewhere around there.
05:03 All right.
05:04 So, you know, marginal.
05:05 And that makes sense, right?
05:06 You're not changing geometry.
05:07 You're not changing spring rate, any of that fun stuff.
05:09 You're literally just changing what the shocks can do and how quickly they do it.
05:13 You're stiffening up the damping.
05:14 So, yeah, it's going to, it might flex a little less quickly.
05:17 It felt the same.
05:19 Yeah.
05:19 I mean, same level of confidence, same level of flex.
05:22 I really didn't even notice it being that much stiffer, I'm going to be honest.
05:25 So, cool.
05:26 All right.
05:26 Rock and roll.
05:27 Good work, Talon.
05:28 Yeah, dude.
05:28 Sorry about the score.
05:29 What do you win?
05:30 I don't have to wash this thing.
05:33 God.
05:36 That is it for our RTI ramp test on the 2023 Honda Talon 1000 R4.
05:42 This thing did great.
05:44 It's not the highest scoring rig we've ever seen, but you know what it scored better than, Zach?
05:48 It scored better than a Polaris RZR Pro R Ultimate with Dynamics suspension.
05:53 That is wild to me.
05:55 Yeah, well, like we were saying, right?
05:56 An open class rig, a desert rig, they typically don't perform as well on an RTI test.
06:01 And that typically is because they have more sway bars.
06:03 Sway bars front and rear.
06:05 A rear sway bar specifically will hinder you on an RTI test.
06:09 This one does have a rear.
06:11 Yeah, I got to say, this thing did remarkably well.
06:14 Honda should be proud of how this thing performed.
06:16 Yeah, absolutely.
06:17 And I got to say, it felt really stable going up the ramp.
06:19 I mentioned it earlier.
06:21 Sometimes the ramp's a little puckery.
06:23 In this thing, it was not.
06:25 And it got the same or pretty much level scores, whether it was in sport mode or normal mode.
06:29 So, you put the live valve in stiff or trail, everything is pretty much the same.
06:34 You are going to have a good time in the rocks or the desert in this rig.
06:39 I think that wraps us up.
06:40 Absolutely.
06:40 So, keep in mind, we RTI test every vehicle that comes through the shop.
06:44 We have a full list of everything and how everything's performed.
06:47 Head over to UTVdriver.com to check that out.
06:49 We also have buyer's guides, news, reviews, galleries five days out of the week.
06:53 You can also catch us on all of our social media channels.
06:56 We'll see you there.
06:57 [MUSIC]
07:02 Fire ramp test on the 2023 Honda Talon 1000 R4.
07:08 1000 what?
07:09 What?
07:10 What?
07:10 What?
07:13 Must be nice.
07:14 Be free real estate.