Well, there's no shortage of bikes in my garage, I own an Africa Twin too, I've owned more than 50 bikes, raced seven different classes over the years, so there's a bit of experience here too.
The price of the NC 750 was not a selling feature to us.
I totally agree with you the bike would make a far better sport bike than it ever would a back road touring set up, as Honda advertised.
We ride the Western Canadian foothills, mountains and forestry trunk roads, with the bikes loaded for overnight stays, pretty much it's intended purpose.
The wife's NC 750x is a full load with every Honda accessory,
I'm just saying,,, we found it at the edge of it's performance envelope a few times already, unfortunately.
As for trading it in, we tired pretty much immediately when it only had 300 km and were offered 55% of it's purchase price, yet another NC disappointment.
But that's no big deal, right?
Many of us here that are sticking with the NC for the long term have made extensive modifications to accommodate our specific usage of the bike. From the dealer, I‘d consider it a “standard” motorcycle with, to use Honda’s words, “adventure styling”. If not kept fairly stock for use as a commuter bike, I think most people modify them towards the sport touring genre, with perhaps a hint of forest road capability. Due to the small wheel diameters and short suspension travel, it’s not feasible to make it into a true dual sport. It’s my opinion, and apparently the opinions of many others based on their purchase choices, that aftermarket accessories are often better suited to their jobs than the Honda accessories. The only official Honda accessory I would chose is their center stand.
It’s somewhat common to upgrade the front forks with RaceTech or Cogent components. Windshield and seat changes are almost a must. Luggage is added, but it comes in all different forms based on user preference. Brake performance is rarely brought up on this forum, as most people find them completely adequate. The small fuel tank can be an issue, so bringing along extra fuel is useful at times. The bike’s available horsepower should be no surprise, since there are plenty of dyno charts and power claims to be seen in magazines and on the Internet. I’m fully satisfied with the power output and power delivery character of the 670cc version, and I don’t even see a need for me to upgrade to the 745cc engine.
For the riding you described in Western Canada (and I was just there a month ago), I’d think the NC750X would be an excellent choice, assuming you’d be staying mainly on pavement or smooth hard packed gravel.
It’s a shame Honda groups the NCX in their same “Adventure” category as the Africa Twin and CRF450L, as those two bikes are worlds apart in design from the NCX. But, a quick look at the price, and at the specs for tire choice, wheel size, suspension travel, and maybe even the weight will tell you that the NC is just a low budget street bike, not an adventure bike. Nonetheless, I’m very happy that I bought one. NC, by the way, is Honda code for New Concept, and it was a concept long overdue in the motorcycle marketplace. The focus is on economy and real life usability for a world market, and not so much on pleasing horsepower junkie motojournalists. The NCX seems to appeal to intermediate level newby riders, and to older riders that are downsizing or returning to riding after a hiatus, or as in my case, riders with multi-bike fleets that appreciate the sensible uniqueness of the NC.
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