Joe A.
Member
I've had my NC since June of t his year. I bought a 2012 with 1300 miles on it, and have been very happy with the bike. Last week, I finally had the opportunity to put it through the paces on a 1400 mile round trip ride. First, mpg. I could not believe, riding mountain roads in VT and NH that I got 85 mpg! that was my best tank. the others weren't too shabby either, averaging 75 mpg. I don't buy toys for fuel efficiency but this is one nice benefit. the bike performed extremely well, handling was good, ergonomics, stock except for tall Honda windshield, was very comfortable. There was opportunity to see some of te weak points of the bike, washboard dirt road delivered harsh blows through the seat. there were times where a few extra ponies would have been appreciated, especially in the mountains. A couple of times I found myself behind a semi with few opportunities to pass. When those times presented themselves, it was usually a short span of dotted yellow line to work with. If there was enough visibility to see oncoming traffic in the distance, I did not feel I could safely make the pass. On one attempt, I downshifted all the way to third and twisted the exhilerator almost to the point of the rev limiter. If there was oncoming traffice there could have been "an issue." overall though, I truly enjoyed the bike's personality and willingness to please. I had no complaints with the windshield / buffeting, but I was fortunate to have ideal riding conditions. I did one 30+ mile stretch on the interstate which was enough to see that in less than ideal weather, this is an area that could be improved upon. I'm not a big fan of the Honda side cases, at least when packing for a five day camping trip, and this will be addressed in the off season. I do like the bags for normal riding / short trips, and I wo uld like to incorporate something where I can keep the original brackets along with brackets for another system; Givi, HB, etc. Now the seat. Opinions on the seat are well documented here, and until the last 40 or so miles, I thought I was immune to the pain the seat could cause. The first day of the trip I covered about 400 miles, and except for a few miles of discomfort, I found if I "rode it out," after about 10 miles the pain was not an issue. this worked for me until the last 40 - 50 miles of arriving home. the effects of theseat turned out to be cumulative, and I had no choice but to stop less than 10 miles from home bvecause the pain was so distracting. I will be researching this site, and others for information. Overall I wo uld rate this bike a solid 9 out 10, it does what it was designed to do, and does it well, IMHO. A few extra ponies would be nice, but it's not a deal breaker for me. the bike started many conversations on the road, and at the Moto Guzzi rally where it gathered numerous positive reviews. bottom line, it's a keeper. I would be interested in how you folks in the west do with some of the more robust mountain roads you ride.
