We now have a good deal of time in all of the Honda Talon models, and that includes the Talon R with the Jackson Racing turbo kit installed. Of all the Talon models, the Talon 1000X-4 Fox Live Valve is our favorite model to drive, and we like the look and color scheme as well. This was also our first time to keep this model of the Talon, and we got to use it on our favorite trails and live with it for a while.

We didn’t spend much time trying to jump the Talon, but the Fox Live Valve suspension was up for whatever we threw at it. It handled large impacts and pushing the limits just fine.
INTERIOR THINKING

You might think that the entire point of a four-seat machine is the interior space. It is as finely finished as we expect from Honda vehicles. The seats are comfortable and supportive. There are harness openings in the seat backs, but the Talons have retractable three-point belts. The window nets allow us to feel safe with only three-point belts, but they reduce vision to the side.

Both front and rear seats are easy to enter or exit, and even for folks over 6 feet tall. Honda opted for stadium seating that offsets the rear seats roughly 2 inches inboard and 3 inches higher than the front-seat mounting points. That gives rear-seat passengers improved vision forward, but our tall riders would have preferred the Honda front seats be mounted a bit higher off the floorboards. Tall passengers liked the greater reach to the floor in the rear seats. There is a full-length grab bar with finger pinch guards in the rear. Rear drink holders, an accessory power socket and inboard door handles are nice touches. The stock roof fully covers all four seats, and a front lip restricts water from pouring into the cabin through the front window opening.

These electronic compression valves react to input from an ECU and IMU (inertial measurement unit) and more sensors to determine shock settings every 5 milliseconds!
HONDA TALON 1000X-4

CHASSIS THOUGHTS

The Talon X-4 frames are 28.6 inches longer than the two-seat Talon but are constructed in one piece. We know that the handling is consistent with no apparent flex or odd traits, even with a full complement of passengers.

For our western driving conditions, we almost always prefer the long wheelbase of a four-seat machine. Even though we rarely fill all four seats with people, it is nice to have the option. With less than four occupants, we like the option of carrying our support equipment in the rear seat area. Finally, the long chassis helps the suspension in the rough, and the car feels safer and more planted on steep drops or climbs.