Hi from sunny South Africa

[Type RSA]

Hi Guys,

I have been following this forum for a while now. I have recently re-discovered my passion for riding. This came after a long absence from riding a bike and being stuck on four wheels only. The morning traffic started getting out of hand in Johannesburg, so I decided to buy me a scoot for the morning commute to the office. Needless to say, I now have my passion back and would love to get back on a proper pony. I have been window and web browsing for a while now and, after considering many other bikes, settled on the NC700XD. The DCT is perfect for me, and will make my life so much easier. I have not been for a test ride as yet, but imagine the bike to be quite nippy with all that torque. So off to the dealer I went, and guess what?? No more NC700XD's for sale in SA. The NC750XD is coming in December 2013. So I guess I will be getting one of those.

I have also been thinking hard about which colour I should pick.. But I think that I have settled on red. Love the look of it with the black bits in between. But I might be a bit biased as I currently drive a 2008 Honda Civic Type R FN2 in Milano Red. I am just a sucker for a Honda. Love the build quality and reliability.

I live in the Northern suburbs of Johannesburg and will use the bike as a daily commuter and weekend "tourer". I am hoping that I am making the right decision upgrading from my scoot to this machine. But I am sure it will be fine. Also, in South Africa, Honda throws in a complimentary riding course. This allows you to get to know your bike a bit better and to get used to certain unforeseen situations.

Hope to learn a lot more about the bike on the forum, you guys have something special going on here. Keep it up. Just some pics of my current rides down below.

My 4 wheel machine

My Scoot (150cc)

 

[Saxeus]

Greetings from Pretoria.

I'm in a similar boat to you except that I have zero experience in riding motorcycles. I'm also looking at the DCT version but I suspected the 700X's were no longer available. I scoured the online 2nd hand market but found absolutely nothing. Plenty of X's but no XD's. By all accounts the 750 is at least as good as the 700, if not better. And I really much prefer the look of the NC over the Versys and V-strom.

As a new rider I was also looking at the CB500X at least to start off on, but no DCT, no frunk, and for some reason is not available here in SA. I will gladly do training courses and maybe even sign up with the SA Bike Academy for whatever basic courses they offer (Kayalami, I believe?) but I'll probably need to have my own bike for these. In any case I will probably only be kicking things off in January as it's a little busy at work at the moment.

I'm also not sure if it's worthwhile getting a scooter first to get used to the "road sense" of riding on two wheels and then getting an NC later on, or whether I should jump right in on a 750XD as soon as I'm road-legal since everyone says it's a great beginner's bike.

 

[Type RSA]

Greetings from Pretoria.

I'm in a similar boat to you except that I have zero experience in riding motorcycles. I'm also looking at the DCT version but I suspected the 700X's were no longer available. I scoured the online 2nd hand market but found absolutely nothing. Plenty of X's but no XD's. By all accounts the 750 is at least as good as the 700, if not better. And I really much prefer the look of the NC over the Versys and V-strom.

As a new rider I was also looking at the CB500X at least to start off on, but no DCT, no frunk, and for some reason is not available here in SA. I will gladly do training courses and maybe even sign up with the SA Bike Academy for whatever basic courses they offer (Kayalami, I believe?) but I'll probably need to have my own bike for these. In any case I will probably only be kicking things off in January as it's a little busy at work at the moment.

I'm also not sure if it's worthwhile getting a scooter first to get used to the "road sense" of riding on two wheels and then getting an NC later on, or whether I should jump right in on a 750XD as soon as I'm road-legal since everyone says it's a great beginner's bike.

Hi there,

I think the NC would be a great beginner's bike. Especially the DCT version. It is as close to a scooter as you will get on a bike. I love it!! I will also only buy new in January, but I am sure it will be worth the wait. You will get used to the bike in no time. It is extremely easy to ride, as far as I can tell from all the online reviews (low center of gravity etc) I agree on the looks part, it looks absolutely insane, and you cannot beat it on price. I think the Honda rider course would be a good start. Like I said, this comes with the bike when you buy new. Have you done your learners yet?

 

[Saxeus]

Don't have learners yet but will try to organise sometime soon. Are there limitations on the size of bike like the UK? Gauteng's testing stations are also... problematic, so I'm not expecting any smooth sailing here. Any suggestions for alternatives?

I'm also doing quite a bit of background homework for safety equipment. It was strongly recommended I get crash bars installed, a good helmet (either full-face or flip-up) that fits in the frunk, and at least an armoured jacket and gloves. Pants and boots I can afford but it's unlikely I'll be doing any long-distance or highway riding initially so I suppose it can wait. I will be commuting only until I gain enough confidence for the open road.

 

[Type RSA]

I have my learners only. In SA you get 2 classes of learners licenses, A1 and A. A1 being motorcycle under 125cc and A which is the one you would need. That is for motorcycles over 125cc, with no capacity limit. I went to the Randburg testing station for my learners, and it was quite good. The only thing is you will have to wait quite some time to get an appointment. I had to wait 3 months for mine. So the sooner you do it the better.

As for the gear. I would recommend you do not hold back on this. Get the best gear your budget allows for. I mean it is your body you are protecting after all. Get a good helmet, jacket and gloves. I always prefer riding with jeans as they offer more protection than other pants. To get used to the motorway speeds you can always go for a ride later in the evenings when the traffic is a bit lighter. This would help get you used to the bike and the speeds etc.

I am really exited about getting the NC750XD, looks like one helluva machine!! The only thing I haven't made my mind up about is which colour to take.

 

[Old Can Ride]

We all started with no experience. The trouble with learning from experience is that it is painful and expensive. Better to learn in the riding classes, unless you just like experience scars. Experience scars are sort of like tattoos, they are with you for life.

 

[Saxeus]

3 months? Eish. The wheels are turning slow with thet one! I'll get on it by the end of the week.

I must say I share your enthusiasm for this bike even though I've only been reading and watching videos about it. I saw one parked at a Gautrain station once but unfortunately couldn't stop for a closer oggling. The DCT innovation holds my curiosity almost as much as the genius of a Wankel rotary engine. I'm no mechanic but machines that successfully implement such innovation will always be fascinating to me.

Oh, and I've already decided on colour. Silver for me, although I might be persuaded with a white one.

 

[Type RSA]

3 months? Eish. The wheels are turning slow with thet one! I'll get on it by the end of the week.

I must say I share your enthusiasm for this bike even though I've only been reading and watching videos about it. I saw one parked at a Gautrain station once but unfortunately couldn't stop for a closer oggling. The DCT innovation holds my curiosity almost as much as the genius of a Wankel rotary engine. I'm no mechanic but machines that successfully implement such innovation will always be fascinating to me.

Oh, and I've already decided on colour. Silver for me, although I might be persuaded with a white one.

I love the dct box. Absolutely awesome!! I know it is probably not a "proper" way of riding a bike, but I am not against technology and ways to improve rider comfort. I am still thinking about either red or full black with red pin stripes on wheels. Will see how it goes. I haven't seen one on the roads as yet. But I do know it is very popular.

 

[Type RSA]

Hey Guys,

Sooo happy today. The NC has arrived today.. Picked her up this morning. Really happy with it

Was on 0km when I picked her up.. Pulls really well, evn at the low revs that the running in period requires.

 

[SergeantChuck]

Congrats. Now its time to break her in.