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Oh look, It's another NC700X Adventure Build

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Hello! As the title insist, this is another "Adventure Build" thread. First of all, Shoutout to vwhammer for his awesome build that y'all should check out if you haven't already. It should be labeled "NCX ADV Build Overview" but I'll double check after I post this thread.

So I guess this is where I'll begin. I bought my NC700XD right at a year ago. After just a few short months of riding it, I was really seeing the possibilities of how the NCX could be a really strong ADV bike. Three main things about the bike made me think the NC was a good candidate to attempt to build: 1) The 670cc twin was just monstrous when it came to straight up torque; 2) The suspension was great on the road and was manageable offroad; 3) The low slung engine and underseat tank let the bike carry its weight pretty low while maintaining decent ground clearance. Along with a few other factors, those three made up my mind that I had plans for this bike.

My first temporary upgrade to test out the NCX's abilities was a set of Continental TKC 80's. They were a dream offroad but, almost needless to say, I only got about 3500 miles out of them. Along with the first set of tires came a skid plate and barkbusters to help protect against trees and rocks and stuff. So up to this point we're talking really basic additions, which I wouldn't even consider a build, but it gets better. Before I go any farther, here's a quick before picture.

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That's what it was like. Nearly a year later after first purchasing my bike I finally got to do some more substantial offroad mods. It was late 2016 and I was doing some digging on how to make the NC more aggressive for offroad use. I found a few different options for ground clearance, as it was my main concern, and then some more expensive options for the suspension itself. Well considering my financing department would not allow me to go crazy with souped up and swapped out suspension components I started thinking low budget build. After so much time digging and looking to find the best bang for the buck, I finally came into some extra cash and bought some cheaper additions for the bike.

The first thing I done was opted for fork extensions. I know people say they're dangerous or pointless or whatever, but on the NC they're fantastic. I bought them off VTXtreme and payed about $75 for 2 inch billet extensions. I would've went stainless steel but between hearing how the aluminum ones do just fine and the extra $40 for stainless steel I decided not to. Here's what it looked like after the extensions were installed.

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After installing the extensions I had my new tires installed I bought a week prior to receiving the fork extensions. Now one person reading this will ask "Why didn't you go ahead and install your tires then put your extensions on?" and I would say that's a good question and the reason why is because a 130/80r17 will hit my radiator under full compression and I didn't need that happening. Yes the stock front tire size is a 120/70r17 but I went with the larger tire in order to mimic the tire diameter of a bike with a 19 inch wheel and went wider because why not? Now in order to get a tubeless front tire that is sized in a 130/80 I had to go with a set of Shinko 705's. I stuck with the 150/70 rear but upsized the front to bring me closer to my front tire being taller than the rear tire as I'm used to riding mx bikes, XR650's, and a V-Strom or two. With only the fork extensions and tires on the bike the front end became slower as in its willingness to lean over and straighten up but it's not bad at all. Here's the bike with the fork extensions and the new tires.

IMG_20170616_165345781_HDR.jpg

It definitely changes the look and ergonomics of the bike but I still wasn't finished with her just yet. When I ordered my fork extensions from Gadsden, Alabama, I also ordered a set of shorter rear linkages to raise the bike up 40mm (roughly an inch and a half I believe). Here's the difference:

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The linkages speak for themselves. They were like 30 bucks and only took a week and a half to come in from Britain so I was very pleased with the rear links. Now before I show y'all what the finished product looks like, I just want to say that I believe I have found the way Honda should build the NC700X especially for those of us over 6 feet tall and over 200 pounds. The rear linkages stiffened up the suspension to where even though the seat height is that of the Africa Twin (my dad and I compared our bikes which I sadly didn't take a picture but will upload one later) I feel the most comfortable I've ever been on my motorcycle. I even scrubbed my peg accidentally going down a little road with funny cambered turns and realised I was doing 60+ on a raised up "adventure" bike on a 30 mph road. Luckily the road was forgiving that day and spared me from falling victim to my stupidity, aka don't ride that fast, just for future reference lol. Anyways, the bike is now raised roughly 2 inches from stock in the rear and about 3.5 inches in the front I believe, thus making the seat and ground clearance in the middle of the bike about 2.5 inches higher than stock. It may not seem like much but it makes a huge difference offroad especially when crossing creeks, fallen trees, big rocks, and for those time you don't see the hole in the road. I even jumped the railroad tracks and didn't scrape the skid plate! lol but here y'all go, the NC with everything I've put on so far.

IMG_20170620_113646539_HDR.jpg

I do have more pictures of the bike that I may post on here later and if you want to see more and I haven't posted any or haven't posted enough then I will gladly post more by request as well. I plan on adding to this thread as I build the bike a little more. I plan on coming up with a new front fender for the NC as well and so is vwhammer so definitely look to him if you're curious about changing up the stock fender. Other changes visually that will be made to the bike will most likely be exhaust, windscreen, seat, and just small cosmetic works; maybe a wrap or repaint eventually. With the suspension I haven't changed the shocks or springs any at all yet, may touch them in the future. Next step as of right now is a longer kickstand as the bike has some serious lean going on now. Well I hope y'all enjoyed the first part of my build thread and I hope to be back soon with some more content for y'all guys and gals. If anyone has questions, concerns, comments, etc. just leave them in the thread and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible. I'll go ahead and put a back to back comparison of the bike from beginning to end.

Until next time, y'all ride on and stay safe.


IMG_20170510_164343284.jpgIMG_20170613_131358584_HDR.jpgIMG_20170616_165345781_HDR.jpgIMG_20170620_113646539_HDR.jpg
 
As the title insist, this is another "Adventure Build" thread.

The first thing I done was opted for fork extensions. I know people say they're dangerous or pointless or whatever, but on the NC they're fantastic.

After installing the extensions I had my new tires installed I bought a week prior to receiving the fork extensions. Now one person reading this will ask "Why didn't you go ahead and install your tires then put your extensions on?" and I would say that's a good question and the reason why is because a 130/80r17 will hit my radiator under full compression and I didn't need that happening. Yes the stock front tire size is a 120/70r17 but I went with the larger tire in order to mimic the tire diameter of a bike with a 19 inch wheel and went wider because why not? Now in order to get a tubeless front tire that is sized in a 130/80 I had to go with a set of Shinko 705's.

I stuck with the 150/70 rear but upsized the front to bring me closer to my front tire being taller than the rear tire as I'm used to riding mx bikes, XR650's, and a V-Strom or two. With only the fork extensions and tires on the bike the front end became slower as in its willingness to lean over and straighten up but it's not bad at all.

With the suspension I haven't changed the shocks or springs any at all yet, may touch them in the future.
I have been following those attempting to beef up off road capabilities of the NC'.

My main concern centers around the front suspension being pressed beyond its designed strength by adding extensions making the tubes longer (creating a change of rake and increased leverage), a much larger front tire, and the effect that its larger diameter and weight's effect on the forks.

I'm not an engineer, so am only scratching my head about the effects and increased stress put on the forks that may not be beefy enough. More weight, higher braking drag, different rake, and longer leaverage, making the forks more susceptible to bending when being ridden off road more vigorously, just makes me wonder if larger diameter forks will also end up on the list of 'must change' items.

Anyway, I'm rooting for you guys trying. Just my 2-cents.

Ray

 
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Good point to be aware of, Ray. My WR250R has 46mm forks and it weighs under 300 pounds wet and stock before a few non-essentials get stripped off. Of course it's got to support a lot more travel too: 10.6 inches if I recall.
 
Speaking of fork problems on ADVs, some of the BMW 650 models had a spindly little fork, with an axle holder that for some unlucky owners would break off, I recall finding some horror stories when researching for a possible local buy that turned me away from what would otherwise have been a pretty good buy. I'm sure BMW's platoon of lawyers fended off a lot of responsibility there unless the people injured finally organized and mounted a class action...
 

I have been following those attempting to beef up off road capabilities of the NC'.

My main concern centers around the front suspension being pressed beyond its designed strength by adding extensions making the tubes longer (creating increased leverage), a much larger front tire, and the effect that its larger diameter and weight's effect on the forks. I'm not an engineer, so am only scratching my head about the effects and increased stress put on the forks that may not be beefy enough. More weight, higher braking drag, and longer leaverage susceptible to the forks bending, when being ridden off road more vigorously, just makes me wonder if larger diameter forks will also end up on the list of 'must change' items. Anyway, I'm rooting for you guys trying. Just my 2-cents.

Ray

Yes sir that is definitely a concern. So far I've heard of a few people off-roading with this setup on the front and no known issues but if I do have any issues I will let the community know via this thread and probably start a new thread too. I don't think it will be enough to warp or bend anything but I may have a little premature wear on some parts like brakes and fork internals but hopefully they'll hold up for a while lol

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Alright y'all, I'm back with another addition to the bike. It's a little bit of a homebrew though if you get what I mean.

So of course after raising the bike I ran into the issue of not having a long enough kickstand. On flat surfaces the bike has some serious lean, but on anything uneven or loose, the bike could easily tip over. Considering we like to offroad and take breaks on the trail, I didn't need my bike leaning over like it does. One of my captains at the fire department I work at owns a machining shop and I talked with him briefly about fabbing up a new kickstand. He said he was sure we could come up with something. Well until I get the time and money to get one fabbed up, I still have a bike that leans over pretty far. I got looking in my shop
 
Yeah, you can probably even stack the ultra cheap eBay anodized kickstand foot a couple deep to gain height if you get longer allen heads.
 
This was what I was gonna tell y'all about before my stupid computer sent an incomplete post earlier today. Anyways, here is the extension I made out of some scrap wood, bolts, nuts, rubber, hot glue, and a little Flex-Seal. See what y'all think about it. Seems pretty solid to me but only time will tell I reckon.

IMG_20170628_081747466.jpg
 
Very interesting. I am 6'3" and almost the only thing I am missing on this bike is a little more seat / ride height.
Well, and cruise control.
 
Just a little quick update on the bike I guess. Sorry I don't have any pictures this go around but I have some adventures I'd like to share. Note: it is a long read and I apologise for that in advance.

So since "lifting" my NC700X I've found her to be much more capable off-road.
My first adventure I'd like to share is at a place up near Ellijay off highway 52. A route through the woods called Springer Mountain that brings you back out on 60 near Suches, GA. For those of you that know where I'm talking about you know the terrain is pretty much just regular ol gravel/dirt road. For those of you who don't, well, there you go lol. That's became the preferred route to get to TWO in Suches now. Well a few days ago before you get to a Y that either takes you out right near TWO or out to the fish hatchery, there's a road that spurs off to the left. Well it ends in a fork as well except the fork actually makes a loop with a campsite at the the "top" of the loop. Well a guy on an NC700X (me) and two dudes on Vstroms decided to go down the right side and quickly find boulders. Essentially a trail meant for either souped up Jeeps or like a CRF250X was being rode up with 500+ pound machines. I got plum giddy with excitement when I seen the trail ahead due to my enduro background even on a heavy under-suspended bike. Well the poor fellas on the Vstroms couldn't quite handle there machines as well as I could with there street bike backgrounds. So while they were struggling to find a line I was flying past them hopping boulders here and there. They're only response was "you're gonna tear that bike up". Yeah guess who came out of the woods that day with stuff tore up. Definitely wasn't me... Can't say the same for those V-Stroms but that's a Suzuki for ya lol.

So anyways, that's adventure number one which the NC done with ease. On to adventure #2 which consists of a small forestry road with huge rocks, deep mudholes, some creeks, and just a couple log crossings named Forestry Road 28-2 up near Blue Ridge off 52 as well just past Amnicolola Falls. This adventure actually happened a while before adventure #1 but I wanted to start with the other. So 28-2 was not originally found by me but the two V-Stroms I ride with frequently. They decided they were gonna throw me a loop by taking down a "difficult" road and not telling me till it got rough. Well when they noticed mud, dust, rocks, and (quite literally) my bike flying up ahead of them they figured out that they didn't get me as good as they thought they had. After hopping some logs and rocks and playing in the mud a little I decided to be nice and ride in the back just in case they needed help on there almighty liter bikes. Turns out they did, a lot. Plus a little rant here: if there's a tree in the road or a huge mudhole across the road or something big call it out, but if there's a twig in the road or a small puddle or a few hopping rocks up ahead don't call it out. Only thing I heard in my headset all day was "stick, stick, rock, stick, rock, mud, stick, mud, rock, rock, rock, rock, ....., A stick laying in the mud with a rock beside it" but that's just for the offroad guys. Street people, keep doing your thing. But anyways, 28-2 was also built for lifted trucks, Jeeps, and bikes like a CRF250L due to it not being so gnarly but definitely a fun road none the less.

Now my final adventure ends with a leaking engine case on my buddies V-Strom when his rear sprocket broke and the chain came flying off. Prior to that we were just past the fish hatchery and we're almost to highway 60 when we took a detour over a bridge. On this road we found a very good mix of creek crossing, muddy spots, rocks, and a few natural jumps in the road. Well the first time we went down we found a dead end so we came back out to the trailhead and knowing we didn't pass anybody on the way out, the road was vacant and I knew a spot I really wanted to just rip the NC down. Well in an attempt to show how macho their "man bikes" are, they followed me... Well they followed from about a quarter mile back within my dust cloud I like to think. But like I said it had some natural jumps in the road and it was an uphill straight away with just a slight bend with flat curves at the bottom and at the top. The NC felt like an overgrown dirt bike when I flat tracked it through the curve, sent it over those few jumps, and flat tracked it around the second curve. Suprisingly the bike, even though heavy and under-suspended, didn't miss a beat and just glided up through there. The same can't be said by the V-Strom riders I was with as one dumped his in the curve a few times and the other was struggling to keep his bike upright over 30 MPH on gravel. But that was the part of the day in which my friend's bike decided to tear you shortly after going through that section.

So that's really all the good stories I have for the NC's new found abilities. I promise pictures and/or more mods next time. Till then, be safe and ride on!

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I know those roads pretty well, , I live in Dahlonega!!

So since "lifting" my NC700X I've found her to be much more capable off-road.
My first adventure I'd like to share is at a place up near Ellijay off highway 52. A route through the woods called Springer Mountain that brings you back out on 60 near Suches, GA.

That road is Forest Road 42 that goes from Doublehead Gap Rd through to Hwy 60 in Suches

So anyways, that's adventure number one which the NC done with ease. On to adventure #2 which consists of a small forestry road with huge rocks, deep mudholes, some creeks, and just a couple log crossings named Forestry Road 28-2 up near Blue Ridge off 52 as well just past Amnicolola Falls.

But anyways, 28-2 was also built for lifted trucks, Jeeps, and bikes like a CRF250L due to it not being so gnarly but definitely a fun road none the less.

I have no idea where 28-2 is?? 28-1 runs from Nimblewill Church Road through to the Ranger Camp. There is a place where a road forks to the left & that is "Winding Steps" Rd & goes to FR-42. If you are at the 28-1 & Nimblewill Church Rd intersection & go west you will get to Nimblewill Gap Rd. After a few miles of intermediate skill level riding you will arrive at an intersection of the amicalola Rd (Usually Gated) & the Appalachian Approach Trail. If you follow the Nimblewill Gap Road direction the Road name changes to "Old Bucktown Rd". His road eventually gets you to the paved road, , Roy Rd!! Old Bucktown Rd is a bit more challenging, , with Rocks & Ruts!! Is this perhaps the road you are describing as 28-2??[/QUOTE]

Prior to that we were just past the fish hatchery and we're almost to highway 60 when we took a detour over a bridge.

I know this road well!! There are a lot of side roads that go to campsites & fishing spots but the main road goes all the way through to the gravel portion of Doublehead Gap road just West of Hwy 60!!
 
I know those roads pretty well, , I live in Dahlonega!!



That road is Forest Road 42 that goes from Doublehead Gap Rd through to Hwy 60 in Suches



I have no idea where 28-2 is?? 28-1 runs from Nimblewill Church Road through to the Ranger Camp. There is a place where a road forks to the left & that is "Winding Steps" Rd & goes to FR-42. If you are at the 28-1 & Nimblewill Church Rd intersection & go west you will get to Nimblewill Gap Rd. After a few miles of intermediate skill level riding you will arrive at an intersection of the amicalola Rd (Usually Gated) & the Appalachian Approach Trail. If you follow the Nimblewill Gap Road direction the Road name changes to "Old Bucktown Rd". His road eventually gets you to the paved road, , Roy Rd!! Old Bucktown Rd is a bit more challenging, , with Rocks & Ruts!! Is this perhaps the road you are describing as 28-2??



I know this road well!! There are a lot of side roads that go to campsites & fishing spots but the main road goes all the way through to the gravel portion of Doublehead Gap road just West of Hwy 60!![/QUOTE]Yes! That's exactly the roads I am talking about! There's a little bitty sign that says 28-2 on the side of the entrance but that's exactly it! Awesome to know somebody on here knows where all this is too! We're over here close to Dalton in Northwest Georgia so we kinda just find places to get lost over towards Blue Ridge and Dahlonega most of the time lol

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This small sign that says 28-2 is at the Bridge that crosses the creek?? The road you tun from to cross the bridge is the one the Fish Hatchery is on!!

Have I got the right road?? If so, , , I didn't know that was 28-2, , , I'll ride up there Wed or Thurs & look for that sign!!

Oh, , , I misspoke, , that road goes through to the Paved side of Doublehead Gap Rd just West of Hwy 60!!
 
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View attachment 34231

I stand corrected!!

#1 is Nimblewill Gap Rd. (aka 28-2)

# 2 is Bucktown Rd. (aka 28-2)

# 3 is Winding Stairs Rd

# 1 is a great two track road for motorcycles

# 2 is a bit more difficult due to the Rocks etc

The road off the Fish Hatchery Rd (Across the bridge) is not 28-2
 
View attachment 34231

I stand corrected!!

#1 is Nimblewill Gap Rd. (aka 28-2)

# 2 is Bucktown Rd. (aka 28-2)

# 3 is Winding Stairs Rd

# 1 is a great two track road for motorcycles

# 2 is a bit more difficult due to the Rocks etc

The road off the Fish Hatchery Rd (Across the bridge) is not 28-2
Yes that sounds right to me! That road was pretty fun cause I love the rocky stuff where my friends weren't so fond of it. Now that I know these road names I can actually tell people where I'm going!

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What would the effect be of the linkages only? Would it tilt the bike? I would like another inch or two in height.
 
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