nc750x as a dirt bike

[dduelin]

I don't think any serious off road riding endeavour and NC700X/750X would be mentioned in the same sentence. I know that off road riding can be done on them and with some modifications done well enough but the starting point for dirt riding is on a dirt bike with wheels and suspension designed for that. The NC bikes are street bikes with suspension and wheel type and size for that task. I rode some hard pack and gravel roads with my 700X but was never comfortable if there was a layer of loose sand on top of a harder substrate. 17" wheels do not handle soft surfaces very well and tend to dig in. There is a reason that real dirt bikes run 21" fronts.

 

[wildeone]

we ride whatever we have at the moment, I hate these stereotypes "you cannot do this and that on this bike and you have to buy better suited bike for the purpose"
IMO it's all BS caused by marketing. They are just a tools better or worse but in the end you can do same things with them, even on scooter. Also saying nc700x series is street bike is not right,
no street bike has engine characteristics as ncx. NCX is general purpose bike.

 

[Cigar Mike]

we ride whatever we have at the moment, I hate these stereotypes "you cannot do this and that on this bike and you have to buy better suited bike for the purpose"
IMO it's all BS caused by marketing. They are just a tools better or worse but in the end you can do same things with them, even on scooter. Also saying nc700x series is street bike is not right,
no street bike has engine characteristics as ncx. NCX is general purpose bike.

I don't see your point unless you can classify all bikes as dirt bikes. The NC is not designed as a dirt bike and will never be anything more than a bike you can ride on dirt roads which most bikes can do also. Guys have ridden them to Alaska. Guys have ridden FJRs to Alaska. The suspension on the NC is not up to par with late 70s dirt bikes. The title of the thread suggests a discussion about whether the bike is a dirt bike or not. Sorry it is not. It is a stretch for the NC to qualify as an adventure bike when compared to the bikes that clearly are.

It is not a matter of stereotypes. You can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pig.

Now we could have a discussion of wether or not my XR650L is a dirt bike, and it has 12" of travel front and rear. The NC doesn't qualify for that type of discussion. There is nowhere the NC could go off road that my XR would not be head and shoulders better.

 

[wildeone]

There is nowhere the NC could go off road that my XR would not be head and shoulders better.

you wanna bet?
I don't give damn which bike is designed for what, I just rode tiger with WP suspension and was totally crap.
you don't get my point that the rider decide what bike can do or not, that's OK never mind.

 

[670cc]

you wanna bet?
I don't give damn which bike is designed for what, I just rode tiger with WP suspension and was totally crap.
you don't get my point that the rider decide what bike can do or not, that's OK never mind.

My deciding that my 900 pound GL1800 is a dirt bike, no matter how good of a rider I am, will not make it one. It would be on its side even more than your NC750X is.

 

[Nortwestrider]

I have been trying to figure out how to make a set of USD forks fit.2 big problems..
1.. There simply isn't any room inside the fairing for wider forks.
2.. Unless you increase the front travel by 6" or so any bigger wheel will hit the radiator when the forks compress.


Live life,be yourself !!!!.

 

[Cigar Mike]

Yeah, I would take that bet. I will pull over and wait for you to collect.

 

[agia]

+1 for the XR.

 

[wildeone]

I have been trying to figure out how to make a set of USD forks fit.2 big problems..
1.. There simply isn't any room inside the fairing for wider forks.
2.. Unless you increase the front travel by 6" or so any bigger wheel will hit the radiator when the forks compress.

bare in mind I am talking about getting there not racing. Sure for racing you need good suspension but for normal offroad riding
I don't really need long suspension travel. bigger front wheel and bigger clearance would be nice though. I read it's possible to lift
clearance using jack up kit:
Honda NC750X jack up kit | Suspension lift kit Honda NC750X 2014 - 2015 | Price only 49.95 + postage
it's very tempting.

Honda NC750X jack up kit from year 2014 onwards
2 rear suspension linkage tie-rods
Material forged SS400 high tensile steel
20mm (3/4 inch) increase in seat height and ground clearance
Laser cut for supreme accuracy
EDP powder coated in black
Installation instruction
To fit Honda NC750X year models 2014 and 2015
PRICE: GBP 69.95 +PP
NOW ONLY GBP 49.95 + PP
Please select the kit based on the year model of your bike

 

[Nortwestrider]

That's just for the rear.


Live life,be yourself !!!!.

 

[Nortwestrider]

I have been thinking about the idea of relocating the radiator to the side of the engine but the cylinder heads are also in the way !!.
At which point I decided that after all that it wouldn't be as good as a purpose built DS/real ADV bike anyway ..


Live life,be yourself !!!!.

 

[wildeone]

I have been thinking about the idea of relocating the radiator to the side of the engine but the cylinder heads are also in the way !!.
At which point I decided that after all that it wouldn't be as good as a purpose built DS/real ADV bike anyway ..

.

you're absolutely right. But it's a pity such good offroad engine they put into this...

 

[Cigar Mike]

One of the reasons I liked the engine on the NC is because it delivers it's power very much like my XR650L. The twin is obviously smoother than a single but both engines are grunters and run out at about the same rpm. The horsepower is not far off between the two. If the L had that sixth gear it would be really nice. Switching from one to the other is simple since they are so much alike motor wise. I do like an air cooled motor in the dirt for obvious reasons.

 

[wildeone]

I wish they sell XR650L in Europe, today I hit the ncx belly on bump in the dirt again...

 

[drdubb]

My dr650 prepped me for the NC. Alas, the DR a gone,

 

[Nortwestrider]

you're absolutely right. But it's a pity such good offroad engine they put into this...

You are absolutely right !!!.
That's why my NC is going back to ON road duty and this is my primary dirt weapon ..

Live life,be yourself !!!!.

 

[Cigar Mike]

You are absolutely right !!!.
That's why my NC is going back to ON road duty and this is my primary dirt weapon ..

Live life,be yourself !!!!.

I love big bore two strokes. I quit using them in 1984. I went to a four stroke to slow down that year for fear of getting hurt and not being able to support my family. It turned out to be a mistake because I still tried to kill myself on the four stroke.

 

[bamamate]

I looked at the XR650L but decided against it. The short interval between oil changes and lots of reports of broken rear subframe when loaded with gear turned me off. Instead I went with a 2 bike solution and got a CRF250L for playing in the harder stuff and keep the NC as my general purpose and adventure riding bike. I do agree that the NC is geared more to the street among the adventure bikes but so far I haven't ran into anything they could do that I couldn't do at a slower pace. The NC also has its advantages with being lighter than most and lower center of gravity. I think the engine is a big advantage. I don' use the clutch near as much as the other guys since the NC will plod along at an idle and I can just grab a handful of gas when needed. I can pick my way through stuff at a speed the other guys have trouble at. Kind of funny cause I'm having to learn better clutch control with the CRF.

 

[wildeone]

I looked at the XR650L but decided against it. The short interval between oil changes and lots of reports of broken rear subframe when loaded with gear turned me off. Instead I went with a 2 bike solution and got a CRF250L for playing in the harder stuff and keep the NC as my general purpose and adventure riding bike.

that was my plan to get crf250l as well but new view of AT to be released soon holds me back yet.

 

[Nortwestrider]

I love big bore two strokes. I quit using them in 1984. I went to a four stroke to slow down that year for fear of getting hurt and not being able to support my family. It turned out to be a mistake because I still tried to kill myself on the four stroke.

This is getting traded for a street legal XR250R next week.I still have a IT490 for my big bore thrills.


Live life,be yourself !!!!.