Devilsfan
New Member
First, apologies for the long essay!
I post this to share my history regarding my recent 2013 NC700 purchase. Comments are welcome regardless that I'm not quite sure where I'm going with this.
Anyway, I bought my CTX700 back in October of 2015. I rode one at A.I.M. (when it was in Orlando) in a DCT model. 3 days later I bought a new one in manual with fairing. I LOVE my CTX!!! (Wasn't quite sold on the DCT as I didn't know enough about it.)
I digress...
Long story short, I've always ridden Suzuki cruisers. In March of 2014 I bought a used 2006 Honda VTX1300. I wanted to upgrade as all of my Suzuki's were always the 800cc's. Needless to say, the VTX became the perfect bike! I was so impressed at how well-crafted Honda made this that I never would have thought to get anything other than another one someday. I rode it up to GA, TN, SC and NC. Had a wonderful summer trip on it and provided me with an awesome experience besides the actual motorcycle riding.
In September of 2015, while in a group ride, a few of us went down. My "baby" was totaled and I was devastated. I wanted to get right back in the saddle so within a few days I found a used 2003 VTX1800. I put new tires and wheel bearings in it and it rode like a Cadillac on 2 wheels! Problem was, it was so darn heavy that I struggled to even get it turned around in the driveway! That and the fact that, I'll admit, I was still feeling the (mental) effects of rolling across the pavement from the 1300 wreck. So, while at the dealer getting my tires replaced, I saw the CTX, straddled it, and was amazingly surprised! It felt like Honda designed that bike specifically for me! But I wasn't too sure about the power, or lack thereof, coming from a 1300 then an 1800. So I rode the 1800 to A.I.M. and the rest is history with my CTX.
A year later I'm back at the last Orlando A.I.M. and I took a V-strom 1000 for a test ride. Wow! That thing handled amazingly...different. I think that planted the seed for the ADV bikes. This is when I started to notice the NC700's. A few weeks later, while at a CTX meet-up, one of the riders had an NC. He is an excellent rider and trying to keep up with him was a chore! IMO, that NC700 (red) was a sweet-looking ride! I really liked the design and colors!
So...that's been sticking in my craw for a while. Finally, at the end of last year, I told myself - If I ever came across an NC700 in DCT for a decent price, I'd bite. I found one over the Christmas break and have it now.
I did pick up a 2006 V-strom in October of last year and loved it! It did have a few issues (most that I found AFTER a few weeks of ownership) so I fixed it up. Then, the "Check Engine" light started coming on. I learned that the V-stroms are notorious for having to clean their fuel pumps. Although not too difficult, I just didn't want this to be an issue, especially if I was out of state somewhere in the mountains! I traded it for the NC.
And here I am now. So far I've put about 1500 miles on the NC since December. It's a fun bike to ride and I KNOW the quality of the bike is solid, as my CTX is the exact same. And I like the fact that buying parts is exactly the same (minus the DCT/manual variations) as the CTX. Point is, I KNOW this bike like I KNOW my CTX!
But my dilemma is, at this point I am just not liking the DCT. It's working great and it's been flawless operationally...but I'm just not getting used to the "always being in gear" notion.
Yesterday, I went to a couple of dealerships. The first, I was thinking of trading the NC for a 2008 Vstrom with 18K. (My NC has almost 37K). They couldn't work a deal that I liked (I kind of knew it wouldn't happen, but wishful thinking!). Then I went to a Honda dealer. They offered me a brand new, 2014 in red NC700 manual for $5200 OTD. They will give me $3500 for my NC. I told them I'd think about it...which I have been doing.
At this point, I'm just not sure. I really like the NC but I also like the V-strom a tad bit more. I don't want to look at another V-strom if I don't know that it's just because of the DCT that I'm not warming up to the NC over the V-strom. At the same time, I don't want to deal with the V-strom's issues (like valve adjustments that are a total PITA on a V-strom compared to an NC) although I know any motorcycle at any given time can crap out.
So, my options at this point are:
1) Keep the NC I have and ride it until the engine blows! (Which may be never. It IS a Honda, after all!)
2) Take the trade in towards that 2014 manual NC.
3) Inquire about a brand new 2016 V-strom (I hate that beak!)
4) Just list the NC I have now on CL and enjoy my CTX.
What would you do?
I post this to share my history regarding my recent 2013 NC700 purchase. Comments are welcome regardless that I'm not quite sure where I'm going with this.
Anyway, I bought my CTX700 back in October of 2015. I rode one at A.I.M. (when it was in Orlando) in a DCT model. 3 days later I bought a new one in manual with fairing. I LOVE my CTX!!! (Wasn't quite sold on the DCT as I didn't know enough about it.)
I digress...
Long story short, I've always ridden Suzuki cruisers. In March of 2014 I bought a used 2006 Honda VTX1300. I wanted to upgrade as all of my Suzuki's were always the 800cc's. Needless to say, the VTX became the perfect bike! I was so impressed at how well-crafted Honda made this that I never would have thought to get anything other than another one someday. I rode it up to GA, TN, SC and NC. Had a wonderful summer trip on it and provided me with an awesome experience besides the actual motorcycle riding.
In September of 2015, while in a group ride, a few of us went down. My "baby" was totaled and I was devastated. I wanted to get right back in the saddle so within a few days I found a used 2003 VTX1800. I put new tires and wheel bearings in it and it rode like a Cadillac on 2 wheels! Problem was, it was so darn heavy that I struggled to even get it turned around in the driveway! That and the fact that, I'll admit, I was still feeling the (mental) effects of rolling across the pavement from the 1300 wreck. So, while at the dealer getting my tires replaced, I saw the CTX, straddled it, and was amazingly surprised! It felt like Honda designed that bike specifically for me! But I wasn't too sure about the power, or lack thereof, coming from a 1300 then an 1800. So I rode the 1800 to A.I.M. and the rest is history with my CTX.
A year later I'm back at the last Orlando A.I.M. and I took a V-strom 1000 for a test ride. Wow! That thing handled amazingly...different. I think that planted the seed for the ADV bikes. This is when I started to notice the NC700's. A few weeks later, while at a CTX meet-up, one of the riders had an NC. He is an excellent rider and trying to keep up with him was a chore! IMO, that NC700 (red) was a sweet-looking ride! I really liked the design and colors!
So...that's been sticking in my craw for a while. Finally, at the end of last year, I told myself - If I ever came across an NC700 in DCT for a decent price, I'd bite. I found one over the Christmas break and have it now.
I did pick up a 2006 V-strom in October of last year and loved it! It did have a few issues (most that I found AFTER a few weeks of ownership) so I fixed it up. Then, the "Check Engine" light started coming on. I learned that the V-stroms are notorious for having to clean their fuel pumps. Although not too difficult, I just didn't want this to be an issue, especially if I was out of state somewhere in the mountains! I traded it for the NC.
And here I am now. So far I've put about 1500 miles on the NC since December. It's a fun bike to ride and I KNOW the quality of the bike is solid, as my CTX is the exact same. And I like the fact that buying parts is exactly the same (minus the DCT/manual variations) as the CTX. Point is, I KNOW this bike like I KNOW my CTX!
But my dilemma is, at this point I am just not liking the DCT. It's working great and it's been flawless operationally...but I'm just not getting used to the "always being in gear" notion.
Yesterday, I went to a couple of dealerships. The first, I was thinking of trading the NC for a 2008 Vstrom with 18K. (My NC has almost 37K). They couldn't work a deal that I liked (I kind of knew it wouldn't happen, but wishful thinking!). Then I went to a Honda dealer. They offered me a brand new, 2014 in red NC700 manual for $5200 OTD. They will give me $3500 for my NC. I told them I'd think about it...which I have been doing.
At this point, I'm just not sure. I really like the NC but I also like the V-strom a tad bit more. I don't want to look at another V-strom if I don't know that it's just because of the DCT that I'm not warming up to the NC over the V-strom. At the same time, I don't want to deal with the V-strom's issues (like valve adjustments that are a total PITA on a V-strom compared to an NC) although I know any motorcycle at any given time can crap out.
So, my options at this point are:
1) Keep the NC I have and ride it until the engine blows! (Which may be never. It IS a Honda, after all!)
2) Take the trade in towards that 2014 manual NC.
3) Inquire about a brand new 2016 V-strom (I hate that beak!)
4) Just list the NC I have now on CL and enjoy my CTX.
What would you do?