I made an appointment today to test ride the Honda NC700X. When I called yesterday, the salesman was a little iffy about it, so I made it clear that I was looking for a test ride, not to stand there staring at it parked on the carpet. (This dealership does do demo rides. Not all do.) Like I told him when I showed up today, I've done my homework. I've looked at it in person before and read every review. It was time to see what I thought about it in person.
So...my impressions...
Pros
Cons
I was looking for a bike with a more compliant suspension than I have on my Burgman 400. I didn't find it. I took my 400 back over the same roads to see if I was being too critical, but I don't think I was. The ride was firm and I felt like I could feel every road imperfection. Of course, the tires were filled to 36/40, but I think that's where they are supposed to be. So what I was hoping to find with that "dual sport" suspension being able to absorb potholes, etc. better, really didn't seem to be the case. The only "plus" on that was with the slightly larger circumference 17 inch tires, the front wheel won't go into a pothole as far...but it wasn't that much of a difference.
I didn't know my tail bone had that little padding till I sat on this seat. I sat towards the back of the seat. That wasn't comfortable. I sat forward. Ouch! Well, not that bad, but it really wasn't good. There's a bone up there I've never felt before and would rather not feel again.
Wind management. There's none. You're exposed to the elements totally. If you ride in 70+ degree weather, this bike would be great. If not, you'd better be prepared to buy all the wind deflectors that Honda sells, and a new windshield. And since you bought the bike before mounting those items...you wouldn't know if they would do the job till you were totally committed.
Storage...the "frunk" is useful, but only in a limited way. You'd need to count on buying additional luggage...and it isn't cheap.
The engine and tranny is really the sweet saving grace on this bike. The shifts came very naturally to me, and I haven't been riding a manual transmission bike since the early 1980s. The engine rpms are so low, you're good to accelerate in any gear close to what you should be in. I pulled away from a stop once in 2nd, and it was hardly noticeable. The shifts were very positive. Nothing vague at all about them. And the clutch engagement was silky smooth.
Power was fine. I was riding on the freeway heading directly into a stiff 20 mph headwind and I didn't sense the engine was struggling at all.
I left with the feeling that this bike would've beat me to death on the SS1000 that I did last year on my Burgman 400. The 400 is a barcalounger in comparison. In addition, to get the NC700X up to the place where it moves from being an expensive toy to something useful for commuting, I'd have to spend money on:
That's probably $2500-3000 in additional money over the purchase price. Not worth it IMHO.
The CTX700 comes in this June. I'll test it too when it arrives. I'm looking forward to it because it has that same wonderful drivetrain. Of course you're still looking at over $1000 for luggage to make it more than a toy, but the fairing will solve some of the problems I found in the NC700X.
I caution you to not take too much of what the magazine reviewers say about any of these motorcycles as "gospel" till you've ridden them yourself. The impression I get from reading some of the magazine reviews is the NC700X is a great bike for commuting on. I was mentioning the NC700X on an NT700V forum, and one of the guys test rode it and said 5 minutes on the freeway was enough to convince him the NC700X wasn't the bike for him. That's what I experienced. Of course, he isn't getting paid by Honda advertising and the magazine reviewers are. So when all you've had is the "first look" reviews...which are nothing more than reworded Honda press releases...calm yourself down. The reality may not be the same.
Chris
So...my impressions...
Pros
- Engine and drivetrain. I really liked the engine on this bike. It pulled effortlessly with minimal rpms. The engine and manual transmission are well thought out and make riding around in town effortless. Power for merging on the freeway was great. No issues at all.
- Clutch. Seamless. It wasn't too heavy and the shifts were smooth.
Cons
- The Seat. Wow. Waterboarding would be preferable.
- Windshield? What windshield?
- Wind Management. You might as well buy the standard version without the windscreen.
I was looking for a bike with a more compliant suspension than I have on my Burgman 400. I didn't find it. I took my 400 back over the same roads to see if I was being too critical, but I don't think I was. The ride was firm and I felt like I could feel every road imperfection. Of course, the tires were filled to 36/40, but I think that's where they are supposed to be. So what I was hoping to find with that "dual sport" suspension being able to absorb potholes, etc. better, really didn't seem to be the case. The only "plus" on that was with the slightly larger circumference 17 inch tires, the front wheel won't go into a pothole as far...but it wasn't that much of a difference.
I didn't know my tail bone had that little padding till I sat on this seat. I sat towards the back of the seat. That wasn't comfortable. I sat forward. Ouch! Well, not that bad, but it really wasn't good. There's a bone up there I've never felt before and would rather not feel again.
Wind management. There's none. You're exposed to the elements totally. If you ride in 70+ degree weather, this bike would be great. If not, you'd better be prepared to buy all the wind deflectors that Honda sells, and a new windshield. And since you bought the bike before mounting those items...you wouldn't know if they would do the job till you were totally committed.
Storage...the "frunk" is useful, but only in a limited way. You'd need to count on buying additional luggage...and it isn't cheap.
The engine and tranny is really the sweet saving grace on this bike. The shifts came very naturally to me, and I haven't been riding a manual transmission bike since the early 1980s. The engine rpms are so low, you're good to accelerate in any gear close to what you should be in. I pulled away from a stop once in 2nd, and it was hardly noticeable. The shifts were very positive. Nothing vague at all about them. And the clutch engagement was silky smooth.
Power was fine. I was riding on the freeway heading directly into a stiff 20 mph headwind and I didn't sense the engine was struggling at all.
I left with the feeling that this bike would've beat me to death on the SS1000 that I did last year on my Burgman 400. The 400 is a barcalounger in comparison. In addition, to get the NC700X up to the place where it moves from being an expensive toy to something useful for commuting, I'd have to spend money on:
- Seat
- Windshield
- Luggage
- Wind deflectors
- Hand guards
That's probably $2500-3000 in additional money over the purchase price. Not worth it IMHO.
The CTX700 comes in this June. I'll test it too when it arrives. I'm looking forward to it because it has that same wonderful drivetrain. Of course you're still looking at over $1000 for luggage to make it more than a toy, but the fairing will solve some of the problems I found in the NC700X.
I caution you to not take too much of what the magazine reviewers say about any of these motorcycles as "gospel" till you've ridden them yourself. The impression I get from reading some of the magazine reviews is the NC700X is a great bike for commuting on. I was mentioning the NC700X on an NT700V forum, and one of the guys test rode it and said 5 minutes on the freeway was enough to convince him the NC700X wasn't the bike for him. That's what I experienced. Of course, he isn't getting paid by Honda advertising and the magazine reviewers are. So when all you've had is the "first look" reviews...which are nothing more than reworded Honda press releases...calm yourself down. The reality may not be the same.
Chris