10 Frequently Asked Questions About the Honda Talon

Question 1: Is the Honda Talon belt driven?

Answer 1: No. Instead of a belt driven transmission, the Honda Talon has a Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT).

Question 2: What is the length of a Honda Talon 4 seater?

Answer 2: The 4-seat Honda Talon 1000X-4 is 152.5” long.

Question 3: Is the Honda Talon street legal?

Answer 3: A stock Honda Talon is not street legal… but it can be! Here’s how to make your Honda Talon street legal!

Question 4: What motor is in the Honda Talon?

Answer 4: Both the Honda Talon 1000R and Honda Talon 1000X come with a liquid-cooled Unicam parallel-twin four-stroke engine that is longitudinally mounted with a displacement of 999 cubic centimeters.

Question 5: Does the Honda Talon have a turbo?

Answer 5: Honda does not make an OEM turbocharger for the Honda Talon, but aftermarket UTV part makers like Force turbos and Jackson Racing do manufacture turbos for the Honda Talon that you can buy and install on your machine.

Question 6: Is the Honda Talon worth it?

Answer 6: The question of whether a Honda Talon is worth it or not all boils down to application and personal preference. In addition to there being no belt in the Honda Talon, Honda’s reputation for reliability – be it with the Honda Accord or Honda Act 350x – is a primary factor that makes the Honda Talon worth the price. But even the price for a Honda Talon is cheap compared to other side-by-sides (especially other 4-seat side-by-sides). And the fact that it’s going to be there for you for a very long time is only the icing on the cake!

Riders also find that the Honda Talon is a great value because it’s a generalist machine. It can go fast, it’s durable, and it rips well on tight trails; and the four-seat Honda Talon is a leader in its class. The main challengers to the Honda Talon 1000X-4 include the Can-Am Maverick X3 MAX (which is a giant machine and long like a limo), the Yamaha RMAX4 (which has extremely uncomfortable back seats) and the Kawasaki Teryx 4 (which is old and outdated).

The Honda Talon does have some issues (such as premature failure in the sub transmission and power steering that can overheat and trip if you push the machine too hard for too long), but many of these can be attributed to operator error and abuse. Riders love the manual, auto, high, and low shift options in the 6-speed Honda Talon transmission, and its i4WD offers traction control like a corvette and antilock braking that’s superior to any off-road vehicle out there. Have a look at our previous post for more pros and cons of owning a Honda side-by-side!

Question 7: What is the horsepower of a Honda Talon?

Answer 7: The Honda Talon can produce roughly 104-105 HP.

Question 8: Does the Honda Talon have turf mode?

Answer 8: Although the Honda Pioneer does have turf mode, the Honda Talon does not.

Question 9: What oil does a Honda Talon take?

Answer 9: The Honda Talon takes 10W-30 oil for the engine (make sure that it’s JASO MA/MA2 rated for the wet clutches) and 75W-90 for the trans and sub trans.

Question 10: Does the Honda Talon have diff lock?

Answer 10: Honda Talons have fully-locked rear differentials, which operate effectively like a straight axle that spins both rear tires at the same speed. This fully-locked diff requires less maintenance than an open differential with a locker, and it’s much stronger as well. The downside is that there is no way to unlock it when riding on pavement, and the machine will not positrack like a car does on blacktop. If you ride pure pavement, you can up your tire pressure to 20-25 PSI, and more pressure will mean less contact patch and much less grab on asphalt. Your ride and off-road traction will suffer the more you inflate your tires, but your mileage will be better and you’ll experience smoother cornering when street riding!