New Honds NC700X

[switchback]

I like it. It is by no means an adventurer but it certainly offers form, function, utility, and economy in a rider friendly package. Looks like a great little tourer. Seat height should be lower though, it would be a great entry tourer.

 

[oldtramp]

I was able to throw a leg over this bike at the International Motorcycle show this weekend and my first impression and my wifes was the seat height is too tall, as I was hoping she would feel comfortable on it. Also sat on the shaft drive trimuph this bike feels very top heavy to me and that was with out fuel, only my thoughts

 

[GrahamD]

. Also sat on the shaft drive trimuph this bike feels very top heavy to me and that was with out fuel, only my thoughts

Pretty much the consensus so far, I have read that from many "non Kool Aid drinkers" about the bike.

It is probably the reason Triumph didn't go headlong into the Wire wheels Dirty ADV thing like the 800.

What saves the 800 is the fact that it is a smaller capacity bike and lighter.

 

[freak]

I just picked one of these bikes up and love it ! Great addition to my stable. Fun ,light,nimble and just a joy to ride, I got the manual shift model. It's a lot of fun in the twisties. Not a power house ,but still fun ::008:: the mpg is crazy, my first tank riding highway and fairly aggressive twisties got me 62 mpg. Riding to work got me 69 mpg. Should get better as the bike breaks in .

 

[viewdvb]

The NC700X is a bike with one purpose which is to eke out the fuel to unusual mpg. For a 700cc motorcycle it is underpowered and has a ludicrously low rev limit that you keep hitting unexpectedly. This makes for a lot of unnecessary gearchanging and can also be quite alarming if you hit the limit mid-overtake. If you rode many other motorcycles as slowly and at the conservative revs this one demands to be ridden at, you'd get close enough to its claimed fuel economy and still have a proper bike to ride in a normal manner. Having tested one for 1000 miles, I pronounce it a complete non-event and a bike that, far from being ideal for new riders, is more likely to put them off for good. No plaudits to Honda for this one!

 

[scott123007]

The NC700X is a bike with one purpose which is to eke out the fuel to unusual mpg. For a 700cc motorcycle it is underpowered and has a ludicrously low rev limit that you keep hitting unexpectedly. This makes for a lot of unnecessary gearchanging and can also be quite alarming if you hit the limit mid-overtake. If you rode many other motorcycles as slowly and at the conservative revs this one demands to be ridden at, you'd get close enough to its claimed fuel economy and still have a proper bike to ride in a normal manner. Having tested one for 1000 miles, I pronounce it a complete non-event and a bike that, far from being ideal for new riders, is more likely to put them off for good. No plaudits to Honda for this one!

It sounds like you ran out of talent when it came to shift points. Maybe the automatic would serve you better ::015::

 

[autoteach]

The failure of most people when driving a torque motor (read...not high hp/cc output due t0 undersquare BxS) is actually shifting. http://media.photobucket.com/image/recent/Zephod_album/nc700-SVcomparedyno.jpg

If you take a look at the dyno chart, it has nearly as much tq as it does hp. This is an engine that should be at home pulling 6th gear from 35 mph on up with the results for that acceleration being nearly similar to the person that starts down shifting. I notice this on the super tenere as well. There is some (to be honest, it feels very little) gained by down shifting to put my rpms at near max for acceleration. I just crank on it in 6th and it pulls, probably better than most I4's at the same rpm. Another good example of this is the comparison that one of the magazines did between the current r1 and the first edition. The basically concluded that the first would be faster for most humans because the hp gained at the top of the rpm range is so hard to use, and the first gen had more torque and hp everywhere else. This means...the NC700 is EASY to ride. hmmm, what would chase away most new motorcycle folks?

 

[EricV]

Bla, bla, blah.

It's a commuter bike and that's how it's designed and marketed here in the States. For it's niche, it's pretty awesome. But it's not our niche.

What we want to see in the US is the Cross Tourer. Shaft drive, 1200 cc, none of that auto shift and only a little Honda fat on it. The Uk reports are that it's a Honda version of the Ducati Multistrada, and essentially unsuited for non-paved roads, but hell, we have lots of paved roads in the US. Ship it over and let us try it out.

Note to Ducati - You're Soooo cute!!! ^-^ What will you be when you grow up?

 

[autoteach]

Bla, bla, blah.

It's a commuter bike and that's how it's designed and marketed here in the States. For it's niche, it's pretty awesome. But it's not our niche.

What we want to see in the US is the Cross Tourer. Shaft drive, 1200 cc, none of that auto shift and only a little Honda fat on it. The Uk reports are that it's a Honda version of the Ducati Multistrada, and essentially unsuited for non-paved roads, but hell, we have lots of paved roads in the US. Ship it over and let us try it out.

Note to Ducati - You're Soooo cute!!! ^-^ What will you be when you grow up?

so if it isn't our niche, how about Freak? He just bought one.

 

[EricV]

so if it isn't our niche, how about Freak? He just bought one.

Honest answer, don't ride where some of us ride. It's underpowered and overweight. It has lots of really nice features, but it really is aimed at the commuter market.

Don't buy a tank bag, eh? Don't go too far from gas. Even the Super Ten is a little light on range for me, but it wasn't horrible on power, so adding extra fuel was worth it. On the NC700, you had better be on pavement.

You're not going to ride it in Death Valley off pavement. You're not going to take that gravel road that you *think* comes out at XX Hwy, but just want to follow and see. You're not going to explore with it.

But hey, what do I know. I'm just some poge on the internet. )

 

[autoteach]

the point I was making is that the FJR is by the same comparison not our niche. The difference is that most of the people here would be congratulating a person purchasing an FJR while pissing on the one who purchased a NC700x

 

[EricV]

the point I was making is that the FJR is by the same comparison not our niche. The difference is that most of the people here would be congratulating a person purchasing an FJR while pissing on the one who purchased a NC700x

Well, as someone that came from the FJR to the Super Ten, the FJR has range, power and reliability. The NC700x has .... reliability.

Don't get me wrong, it is a nice bike, but it's not an adventure bike, nor a Sport Touring bike. It's a great, perhaps awesome, commuter bike. You know, like the 650 Bergman or Silverwing. Or the Stroms. The Wee is a outstanding commuter bike when you set it up a bit.

I have ridden the FJR in places most GS1200 riders would not go. In fact, I have encountered more than one GS rider walking up a two track that I rode up, and the single track after it, then rode back down to a good gravel road, only to see a very nicely farkled GS sitting there at the edge of the gravel road, where it belonged.

Yes, I'm biased. I'm allowed to be, there is a GS in the garage. Biggest POS I've ever had the displeasure to wrench on. At least the Ural doesn't claim to be anything more than it is. When it breaks, well shit, it's a Ural. Goes anywhere, just not fast. The GS, goes most places, then gets towed to the dealer from there.

The NC700x is a nice bike, but in terms of a adv bike, it's a posuer. It's of the visual style, but doesn't back that up with capability. What it really is, is a standard for commuting and general riding, which I think it is very well suited for. Most people don't ride much more than a few thousand miles a year.

 

[hANNAbONE]

looks like it could be a sweet scoot, maybe a Versys chaser.?

 

[viewdvb]

Bla, bla, blah.

It's a commuter bike and that's how it's designed and marketed here in the States. For it's niche, it's pretty awesome. But it's not our niche.

What we want to see in the US is the Cross Tourer. Shaft drive, 1200 cc, none of that auto shift and only a little Honda fat on it. The Uk reports are that it's a Honda version of the Ducati Multistrada, and essentially unsuited for non-paved roads, but hell, we have lots of paved roads in the US. Ship it over and let us try it out.

Note to Ducati - You're Soooo cute!!! ^-^ What will you be when you grow up?

I tried a Cross Tourer (available in the UK) back to back with the Triumph Explorer while owning a Multistrada then decided on the Super Tenere. Believe me, the Cross Tourer is not the Honda version of the Multistrada and I've never seen a UK report that it was (unless it was paid for by Honda). Jump off the Multistrada and the Cross Tourer feels like a lardy, detuned and unexciting version of the VFR dressed up as an adventure tourer, with the emphasis on "dressed up as". It still drinks fuel like the VFR which limits its range on a tank. The Triumph makes it look sad but, unfortunately, the Triumph has a chain and isn't built in Japan plus it it is in its first year of manufacture (there have already been updates to fuelling etc.) I swore, after the trials of an early Ducati, never to buy a new model again. Additionally, there are no discounts on a new Triumph but the Yamaha is not a big seller here and subject to heavy discounting which means very good prices on year old bikes (my choice). I believe that anyone who rides a Super Tenere, even on-road only, would ride a Cross Tourer and be very unimpressed.
Back to the NC700X - we all know how to operate a gearbox but changing up and down as often as the Honda demands for very moderate levels of performance is tiresome and the way it tops out on revs right when you don't expect it is not good. Its not like it has Harley style grunt low down so you can't just leave it one gear.

 

[freak]

Although there are guys using the nc to do gravel road rides, that's not why I bought it. I use it to ride to work and enjoy a nice comfy ride in the country on the weekends. It has plenty of power to do both these things and I would ride it anywhere. I'm not an off road guy so even my s10 never leaves the pavement. For the money I'm enjoying the heck out of it ::008::
Nobody would get on the nc and go wow! This bike has a ton of power. Don't get me wrong if I'm going cross country I would ride the s10 ,but I would not hesitate to ride the nc if it was the only bike I owned.

 

[Rasher]

The NC700 has been in the UK a year or so now and out of interest I rode one, had to know what a motorcycle with half a low powered car engine capable of 80+mpg wuld be like....

Horrible is the answer if you want a "motorcycle" - as in a bike to enjoy riding, breeze past traffic and give you a bit of a buzz now and again. Gutless does not do justice to how flat this motor feels, from 2k to 6k (where it redlines) it provides no thrust, it is equally crap from tickover to redline. A CB500 would eat it alive in s straight line drag race.

The handling is actually OK, considering the lack of zap that is not surprising really, it is not going to tax and chassis, but it could have been much worse and I found it fun to throw around bends.

In fairness it has enough grunt to overtake slow cars and accelerates well enough up to about 70mph, and I got some enjoyment out of thrashing it as hard as possible and trying to keep up as mutch corner speed as possible. Maybe if I had a long dull commute and needed a cheap way of traffic-busting I would buy one, but I could never seem me taking one out for a ride at the weekend....

The dealer told me this is whole point of the bike - cheap transport, and they sell to people who just want to ride to and from the office cheaply. For me I would never clock up enough fuel saving miles to cover the cost of insurance and depreciation on a second bike - and would probably rather have a Versys 650 or even a CB500 as a commmuter bike as at least I would enjoy the odd bit of my journey with one of those.

 

[freak]

So I take it your not a big fan of the nc ::003:: ::013:: ::025::

 

[autoteach]

I can't wait to ride one, and I am sure I wont be disappointed with it. Just the same as not being disappointed with the 1969 yamaha DT1 that I just did a 140 mile enduro on. Did it suck? by todays standards- YES. How about compared to 1969? Totally awesome. If I had bought the NC or a KLR or a DL650...as my sole bike...I would have been disappointed, but not by the bikes. I would have been disappointed that I bought those as my sole bike for me, for the riding I do, and the trips I take. For those that were comparing the NC to a burgman...the 400 msrp is nearly $8k and the 650 is nearly $10k. That has to count for something?!

 

[markjenn]

I rode the NC and thought it was a very nice bike. No, it is not a powerhouse compared to its competition, but then neither is the S10.

- Mark

 

[GrahamD]

I rode the NC and thought it was a very nice bike. No, it is not a powerhouse compared to its competition, but then neither is the S10.

- Mark

+1.

Its a modern R100 / R80. Same weight/power, probably better suspension. Probably last just as long as well, if looked after.

I like the thing myself. It's not a penis extender though. It just works well as an everyday bike as far as I can see.
And that is what Honda has been saying it was designed for. Bulls eye as far as I can see.
Apparently there is a bigger capacity version coming out in 2013.

And the storage area has plenty pf room for a helmet, or the pipe and slippers or text books or shopping ;D