Bike features
Here are the main features of this bike:
- simple pendants;
- disc brakes;
- regular steel frame.
The Honda AX-1 is not your typical enduro. It is rather a very reliable all-terrain motorcycle. It was produced from 1987 to 1994 and gained deserved popularity among average motorcyclists, for whom a bike is a universal means of transportation, work and leisure.
History of the HONDA AX 1 motorcycle
In 1986, Japanese developers working for HONDA came up with the idea of creating an innovative motorcycle that would have truly unique technical characteristics. The implementation of the idea went well, and a unit such as the AX 1 HONDA appeared, which to this day is considered one of the highest quality and most reliable motorcycles. Has it become unique? Atypical chassis parts, an excellent engine, small dimensions and at the same time the ability to ride off-road, small wheels combined with high-quality alloy wheels - this was truly an innovation at the time of its creation, and even now the AX 1 HONDA can compete with many modern motorcycles.
Engine
The AX-1 is equipped with a four-stroke single-cylinder engine. There are four valves per cylinder. The engine is liquid cooled and its working volume is 249 cm³. Compression ratio – 11:1. The model is equipped with a carburetor fuel supply system.
The maximum characteristics are as follows: at 7500 rpm the torque reaches 25.49 Nm; at 8500 rpm the power is 29 hp. Acceleration time to 100 km/h – 6.5 seconds. The maximum speed of the motorcycle is 140 km/h.
I hasten to share my experience of owning this device. So, let’s summarize my first ever motorcycle experience in the saddle of a Honda AX-1. Unfortunately, it was not possible to take many photographs in such a short time, and, more or less, there was even less interesting video. Of course, I could post a clip from everyday motorcycling, filmed with a helmet camera, but riding in the aisles and short rides on our non-rubber roads won’t surprise anyone now.
In the photo, of course, it’s not mine, but it’s definitely similar, except that the stickers have faded into oblivion over the years. What captivated me about him was his charming big-eyed pug, etc. This is the first two-legged member of the dd, located under me, weight. So, let's start in order.?
Dimensions. I would rate all the delights of navigating through traffic jams as a “5”. Its lightness and small dimensions make it easy to move even in absolute, impassable traffic jams. If you can’t fit between the boxes, you can squeeze between the bumpers and jump to another row, where there is more space. It was funny to come on it, a week after passing the exam at the motorcycle school where I studied and, without straining at all, drive along the hated eight, which I was never able to properly drive on an ebrik. No, of course I drove, otherwise I would not have received the license, but I will delicately keep silent about the show I put on when I passed it. Despite the fact that this is one of the smallest endurics, the steering wheel is located where it should be - above the mirrors of cars and under the mirrors of jeeps. With crossovers it is a little more difficult, but solvable. Overall rating: 5.
Suspension. Soft, but quite informative. There is nothing special to compare with (we don’t take cars into account), but the moto behaves very predictably. At a decent speed, it easily swallows “dead policemen” and other delights of our road surface, but sometimes you have to get nervous when you get into a rut on the Moscow Ring Road or other unkempt highways - it starts to scour. Although it’s not just Ax owners who complain about this, so I don’t think it’s entirely justified to judge by this criterion. It jumps out of a rut quite easily. Despite the fact that after the purchase I didn’t change the oil in the fork, nothing breaks (Apparently, respect and gratitude to the former owner, who did not deceive that he changed the oil at the beginning of the season. I’ll tell you a little about the brakes here. There are no complaints about the rear one, The front one is a little weak, but the previous owner advised me to change the brake, because I didn’t have time to do it myself, and I... well, in general, I’m driving for now. The stock brake is terrible, but it can be cured by installing a reinforced hose. Overall rating - 4.
Engine. It purrs like a happy cat at idle and is a little squealing at high, but overall the sound is pleasant, although a bit quiet. The downside is that in traffic jams, they stupidly don’t hear me and sometimes, I confess, I turn up the gas to attract attention or honk the horn. Several times, if I wasn’t in a hurry, I sat down behind some chopper and envied how in front of him, like the waves of the sea before Moses, the boxes parted, but bad luck... The brave guys on the chrome-plated vehicles, seeing me in the mirrors, let me through so as not to hold me back ... There’s nothing to do, you drive by, you say thank you, but you think to yourself, damn, I was driving along a wide corridor, and now I’ll have to maneuver again. A little about dynamic characteristics. You shouldn’t expect much agility from a single-cylinder chekushka, but with a weight of 120 kg and my 70, 30 Japanese horses, it’s enough to get away from cars at a traffic light. According to the manual, acceleration to hundreds is 6.5 seconds, in principle it seems to be true, but after 110-120, acceleration to a maximum of 140 takes the same, if not more. But going faster than 120 is not an option at all... it blows away. The odometer shows 27,000, but the previous owner said that the tidy was replaced with a plug after an accident, so only the all-knowing horseradish knows the true mileage. I admit that the mileage may have already exceeded 50,000, because... The oil eats up a little (300 grams per 4000 km), although the old-timers of the axoforum say that it eats up due to the fact that my tachometer needle is very often in the red zone, but it’s not scary. The average life of an Engine is 100,000 km, then repairs, etc. They talked about an ax that drove 300,000 without repairs, oh, I don’t know whether they’re lying or not, but sometimes I want to believe in fairy tales))) So the engine hasn’t caused any complaints yet. I am pleased with the fuel consumption - 2.5-3 liters. It’s incredible that you can move around the city so cheaply))) After 11 years of driving, I’ve gotten used to the fact that it’s a minimum of 8, and if you put all the congestion together, then all 12 can be burned. Yes, I forgot... Cooling is quite rare for elderly endurists - water. Overall rating: 4.
Electrics. The only problem that occurred during this time was that the brake light bulb burned out. I cured it in 5 minutes near the nearest auto parts store. Dim light, both low and high, but there are many options on how to fix this, so I’ll come up with something during the long winter. Overall, the rating is 4+, for the headlights - 2. Total: 3.
Service. Oh, these internal Japanese modifications... Custom sprockets (4000-5000 RUR/set), you also need to look for tires, because the radius is not the most common - 19 inches in front and 16 inches in the rear. On the engine and gearbox, fortunately there are many analogues from other similar models. So I’ll give it 3 points, maybe even a minus.
Vitality. Why I decided to mention this point, because the season closed on Thursday at Verkhnyaya Syromyatnicheskaya. At a speed of over 70, I decided to jump over the rails turning towards Kursk, which were also wet and terribly uneven. Courage is great, but experience is 0.01. As a result, I tumbled about 30 meters, and my Aksinya even more. Fortunately, I didn’t catch anyone out of my own stupidity. I closed the season with a severe bruise of the ankle and a subluxation with a sprained knee; the motorcycle was not particularly damaged, except for the mirror and the front brake. The rear brake foot was slightly bent (not critical) and the muffler was scratched and that’s it... Believe it or not, I picked up my Aksinya, examined it, started it without any problems and, under the cover of a friend in a jixer, was able to get home. So for survivability - a solid 5!!! For my lack of brain at that moment - 1)))
So, what do we have on a five-point scale? The arithmetic mean is 4. Well, in my opinion, it’s well deserved. Yes, it is not the ultimate dream of a crossover and is far from the ideals of a sportbike; it can be placed next to choppers only to troll the chrome-leather surroundings, but nevertheless, this moto can easily rush you through a city choked by traffic jams, and also take you outdoors, without fear of getting dirty in the mud. He will teach a beginner to understand what is “good” and what is “bad”. And over his venerable 18 years of life, he has proven that he can be relied upon.
Thanks to everyone who read to the end. Good luck on the roads, friends!
Z.Y. Don't forget about your equipment. I was wearing everything from gloves to motorcycle boots, and only the all-knowing horseradish knows how everything would have ended if there had been no equipment.
Dimensions and weight
The dimensions of the bike's wheelbase are 1350 mm. The length of the machine is average and is 2085 mm, the height reaches 1120 mm, and the width is 805 mm. The motorcycle will be comfortable for people of average build and height, since its seat height is 810 mm.
The gas tank capacity of the AX-1 is only 9 liters, but taking into account the low gasoline consumption (3.5-4 liters per 100 km of road), this is enough even for travelers. The weight of the model without fuel reaches 117 kg, and with it – 124 kg. Of course, compared to many motocross motorcycles, this one will seem weighty. However, if you compare the AX-1 with bikes from different classes, it will please those who love lightweight machines.
Chassis and brakes
The motorcycle has a steel frame. Its design is somewhat reminiscent of retro classics. Perhaps, many people far from the topic would draw the most ordinary motorcycle this way: simple forms without any special pretensions, proportionality in every feature and a certain amount of modernity in the whole appearance.
Unlike the export version called NX 250, the AX-1 has alloy wheels. However, from a distance it may seem that the load-bearing elements in these wheels are the spokes, because the design consists of rather thin metal parts, coming in groups of three. Due to the white color of the discs and their outlines, they resemble snowflakes.
The steering wheel, typical for motorcycles of this class, provides sufficient maneuverability. Taking into account the insignificant speed indicators of the AX-1, the control mechanism here is perhaps optimal. The location and size of the steering wheel handles will be comfortable for an average-sized person.
The rear suspension is a pendulum version with a monoshock absorber. Its stroke is 200 mm. The front also has a simple suspension in the form of a telescopic fork with dimensions of 37 mm. The brakes at both the rear and front are single disc. However, the export version called NX 250 has a drum on the back rather than a disc.
Wiring and electrical equipment
In this matter, the Japanese, in principle, cannot have competitors. For a very long time, all electrical equipment made in the Land of the Rising Sun has enjoyed success, which is undoubtedly deserved for its quality and durability.
During the entire period of operation, most owners answered questions about wiring problems with a story about burnt out light bulbs. True, when it comes to road lighting, the engineers made a slight mistake here. The light from the headlights is very dim and covers a small viewing radius. This problem is very easy to solve. Installing more powerful lamps will improve visibility in both high and low beams.
