Hello NC700 Forum members from an NC fan but not an owner yet.

[Ken Frazier]

Hi, I've ridden off road since the 70's and didn't touch pavement (legally) until 2005. I knew that my high mountain and deep woods riding days on many big bore bikes, like my 3 Honda CR 500's were coming to a close, so dual sport riding was next on my agenda. A 2005 Suzuki 650 Vstrom I got first was fun but needed more power for Colorado riding. So a 2011 KTM 990 Adventure R fit the ticket and after adding some more dirt worthy tires (Mefo's) I am able to canyon carve and cover the many high country dirt trails. Now my wife that used to dirt bike ride is wanting to dual sport or at least ride pavement with me. So the bike search began. She'd like to reach the ground with both feet, have a scoot that isn't 500 lbs and still have a nice motor that pulls well even at 10,000 ft plus. So I drug her around the shops starting with a Yamaha FZ-07 since it's very light and has a low seat height. Not bad but I've always loved Hondas and was drawn to the CB500X and NC700X. She has sat on both and they feel good with the exception of the foot peg location of the NC. They seem too high and too far back. Also the NC with the DCT is around 500 lbs which freaks her out a bit. My KTM 990 weighs that much but has 115 ponies to pull so no problem for me. The CB500X looks very nice but I worry that the sub 500cc motor will have trouble at elevation and she will soon tire of revving it hard like my Suzuki VStrom needed.
I am looking for NC 700 owner's feedback on the bikes ergonomics, power, handling etc. I've watched many YouTube videos on the two bikes and they have all been mostly positive. I'd also like to know what long term owner's of these bikes have done as to modifications, tweaks and if there are any surprises or quirks I should know about. Thanks for your input.

 

[StratTuner]

I have 70K on my 2012 NC700x.

cons:
It's not a speed bike. It's not very quick.
It's not really an off-road bike, but it will tolerate some of that better that pure street bikes.

Pros:
It's a great project bike. You can dress it up to be just about anything you want.
I have saddlebags, a top box, and home-made fairings on mine, so I guess I'm dressed as a cruiser.
That's really what the thing was built for (IMHO) is going down the interstates at 65 MPH @ 65 MPG.

It's easy to work on and fairly simple to maintain.

I will buy another should mine ever need replacing.
The first thing you should replace on a stock NC is the seat.

 

[Old Can Ride]

Howdy from Texas.

 

[670cc]

If she wants DCT, well then it needs to be the 700.

I own a 700 (manual transmission) with 21K miles and I'll be keeping it a long time. I've ridden all the CB500s several times. I really do like the CB500X, especially in next year's tan color, or in the white of years past. The 500 is just plain fun to ride, but it's no rocket ship. I thought the ergos and comfort were better on the 500 vs the 700 (I'm 5'8" w/ 32" inseam). The reach to the bars is closer on the 500, and as you say the pegs feel like they're in the right place. I'd guess at least 50% of people that own 700s have needed to change or modify the seat due to the forward slope and overall discomfort. I thought the 500 had a better seat, but that's hard to tell on a 30 minute ride.

The handling is awesome on either bike. The 700 hides it's weight well because it's all carried so low. A test ride will have you thinking it's lighter than it is.

I bought the 700 a week after it came to the USA because I embraced the "New Concept" and I like the mild mannered, low revving engine. But, if the 500 and 700 had been introduced at the same time, it would have been a tough call.

Rally-Raid is making an adventure kit for the 500X that could make it more dirt worthy, if that's something of interest. I've seen nothing like it yet for the 700 unless you DIY.

Only you can decide what power you need. There's a ride story on here about a pair of adult men who rode cross country loaded up with gear, one on a 500 and one on a 700. I don't recall either mentioning a lack of power.

 

[drdubb]

I'm loving my dct. I wanted a lighter bike, but ended up with another 500 pounder, but, the low center of gravity is good. You can get lower pegs. I'm thinking about changing mine.it's fine in the twisties, but will get left behind on the straights.

 

[redbike2]

Practical and Fun

Here's my impression

here's were i am coming from:
I am a new owner ... 2014 700x
I have been riding sportbikes for 30 years ...

I ride as my principal transportation - 150 round trip daily commute ... also to and Boston to NYC for meetings every couple weeks

here's my evaluation:
i liked the 700 better than the 500 ...
more comfort and it sits down nicer on the highway
fit me better
still turns great
great mileage

although people correctly say it is not a power house ...
i don't find that to be noticeable or even relevant...
the NC really is peppy if you manage its power band correctly
it turns great, really fun in the turns
it leans corners nicely
it counter stears nicely

it is quick enough
it has enough get up and go on the highway
it cruises comfortably

AND i am getting 65 mpg anyway

from my perspective, honda has a real hit

 

[Ken Frazier]

I have 70K on my 2012 NC700x.

cons:
It's not a speed bike. It's not very quick.
It's not really an off-road bike, but it will tolerate some of that better that pure street bikes.

Pros:
It's a great project bike. You can dress it up to be just about anything you want.
I have saddlebags, a top box, and home-made fairings on mine, so I guess I'm dressed as a cruiser.
That's really what the thing was built for (IMHO) is going down the interstates at 65 MPH @ 65 MPG.

It's easy to work on and fairly simple to maintain.

I will buy another should mine ever need replacing.
The first thing you should replace on a stock NC is the seat.

I don't think a rocket bike will make her feel confident so the low end torque NC motor should work okay. She did say the pegs needs to be lower and farther forward so I'll look into that. Thanks

 

[Ken Frazier]

Howdy from Texas.

Hello, been to San Antonio twice and Austin and Georgetown 3 times looking at homes. How's the riding down there? Is the Texas hill country any fun? Looking forward to more riding and golf months in Texas than Colorado has to offer.

 

[Ken Frazier]

If she wants DCT, well then it needs to be the 700.

I own a 700 (manual transmission) with 21K miles and I'll be keeping it a long time. I've ridden all the CB500s several times. I really do like the CB500X, especially in next year's tan color, or in the white of years past. The 500 is just plain fun to ride, but it's no rocket ship. I thought the ergos and comfort were better on the 500 vs the 700 (I'm 5'8" w/ 32" inseam). The reach to the bars is closer on the 500, and as you say the pegs feel like they're in the right place. I'd guess at least 50% of people that own 700s have needed to change or modify the seat due to the forward slope and overall discomfort. I thought the 500 had a better seat, but that's hard to tell on a 30 minute ride.

The handling is awesome on either bike. The 700 hides it's weight well because it's all carried so low. A test ride will have you thinking it's lighter than it is.

I bought the 700 a week after it came to the USA because I embraced the "New Concept" and I like the mild mannered, low revving engine. But, if the 500 and 700 had been introduced at the same time, it would have been a tough call.

Rally-Raid is making an adventure kit for the 500X that could make it more dirt worthy, if that's something of interest. I've seen nothing like it yet for the 700 unless you DIY.

Only you can decide what power you need. There's a ride story on here about a pair of adult men who rode cross country loaded up with gear, one on a 500 and one on a 700. I don't recall either mentioning a lack of power.

The six speed NC looks good too being lighter than the DCT. My wife likes to shift but the pegs need to be lower and more forward. If we get one i'll move them and figure out how to match the shift and rear brake levers to them. A painful seat, like on my KTM's needs to fixed for any ride over an hour, so that will be on the agenda as well. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Ken Frazier]

Here's my impression

here's were i am coming from:
I am a new owner ... 2014 700x
I have been riding sportbikes for 30 years ...

I ride as my principal transportation - 150 round trip daily commute ... to and Boston to NYC for meetings

here's my evaluation:
i liked the 700 better than the 500 ...
more comfort and it sits down nicer on the highway
fit me better
still turns great
great mileage

although people correctly say it is not a power house ...
i don't find that to be noticeable ...
it really is peppy if you manage its power band correctly
it turns great, really fun in the turns
it leans corners nicely
it counter stears nicely

it is quick enough
it has enough get up and go on the highway
it cruises comfortably

AND i am getting 65 mpg anyway

from my perspective, honda has a real hit

I do want a bike that is stable and not twitchy at highway speeds. We plan on doing lots of canyon carving in the mountains so good cornering is important. Thanks for your opinions.