New Rider; Scooter Owner; Considering a Honda 700.

[gregsfc]

I've had a Piaggio BV350 scooter for ten months. It's my first ride. It's really a great scooter performance, features, and practicality wise; brand new engine design; 330 cc; 33 hp; 23 peak foot lbs of torque @ 6000 RPM; huge storage for its class; sized like a 300 (think Kymco People 300i but much better looking); oil change service every 6000 miles, and belt change every 12.4K, which is unprecedented for a scooter. However, I'm not liking the service schedule related to belt drives combined with CVTs and the how CVT components wear out pretty quickly for a highway commuter like myself. Also, not doing enough research before buying, scooter tires, especially the rears, just don't hang in there for many miles. I wore the first rear out already @ 7300 miles being very meticulous with keeping pressure right and not riding too progressively, and from what I've read, I did really well to go that far.

I'm also in love with the 700 power train after I learned about it, which was after I got the scooter. When shopping last June, I saw the 700 as just another over-displaced-engine motorcycle for my needs and assumed it was just another MC that would return mpg in the 40s. I didn't give it a hard enough look to realize how efficient it is.

So I joined this forum to help me make a decision as to whether or not to trade up to either the NC700X or one of the two CTX700s coming out in a couple of months. If I decide to make a trade, I'm going to do it this summer while my BV350 still has some value. There is a dealer near me that is a Piaggio and Honda dealer, and the BV350 is a hot item in the scooter world, so I may be able to get a good deal in a trade.

I need to learn more about chain-driven MCs.

What sort of maintenance and aggravation can I expect?

How much availability is out there for after-market storage solutions and wind protection?

I've got a 30 inch inseam. I don't know if the NC700X would work for me with a 32.7 seat height. The BV350 has a 31.5 and I can tip toe the street.

When the CTXs show up in showrooms, I'm going to give all three a look.

I was originally interested in the new 500s, but after looking a little harder, I think the better low-end grunt and better efficiency of the 700 would make me much happier in the long run.

Any advice or feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks for allowing me on your board.

 

[Rocker66]

Hi Welcome from the UK
Chains require periodical cleaning and spraying with lube. How often depends whether you ride in rain or not or if you have really dusty conditions. This is a very simple process made even easier if you have a centre stand.
if you check out the forum you will find several threads debating various windshields (please note that I'm learning to speak American) and their suitability.
There is plenty of luggage options both from Honda and after market firms.
I only have a 28" inside seam I managed the NC Ok
I hope this helps

 

[DanH]

Hi Welcome from the UK
Chains require periodical cleaning and spraying with lube. How often depends whether you ride in rain or not or if you have really dusty conditions. This is a very simple process made even easier if you have a centre stand.
if you check out the forum you will find several threads debating various windshields (please note that I'm learning to speak American) and their suitability.
There is plenty of luggage options both from Honda and after market firms.
I only have a 28" inside seam I managed the NC Ok
I hope this helps

Let me be the first of many to step up and say - "Yeah, what our mucker Rocker66 said..." in an attempt to learn to speak British. Chain maintenance with the right tools doesn't take much effort or time at all. I was kind of leery at first myself. The simple truth is that a chain is one of the most efficient and cheapest power transfer methods for a motorcycle which is part of what makes the NCX both efficient and cheap. I also have a 76 cm inseam and the bike is just about perfect - no managing at all.

 

[Ramseysteve]

Windshields do seem to be a dark art. Good news is there are quite a few options.

Chain maintenance is definitely made easier with a center stand (an optional accessory on the NC and many other bikes). MC tires wear out just like scooter tires, unfortunately.

My NC was lowered 1" with a rear suspension lowering link ( "Soupy's adjustable link) and the front forks were adjusted lower also to maintain the bike's geometry. I had the seat recently re-worked by a local upholsterer, and along with much more comfort, he gave me a little easier reach to the ground. Net-net I'd guess its the equivalent of about a 31" saddle height. My inside seam is 29", and with the bike's low COG, it helps a lot. I recently sat on the new 500 and it feels about the same now.

The CTX's will be very interesting variations on the NC 'theme'. Two particular things appealed to me about the NC700x specifically were it's upright, ie standard riding position, and the built in storage. These are aspects that you lose on the CTX (or in the case of the storage, at least I believe you lose totally or partially), and I'm not that into the cruiser or street bob style of riding, but that's a personal choice.

Aside from the NC's 'scooter like' built in trunk, if you google "NC700 luggage" you'll find a lot of storage options, a lot more than I can list or describe here. Basically you can add OEM side cases and (big) top box, or you go with Givi or SW Motech side and rear rack options with a plethora of boxes and bags that can be added. It mostly comes down to how much capacity you need and what looks good to you. None of that exists yet for the CTX's, but once the bikes are selling, they will be.

 

[happy]

Welcome.
The only real advice is this: go test ride it for many miles (as many as the dealer allows you to).
Then sleep over the decision for 24 hours or a few days. Then decide or move on.

 

[gregsfc]

Great responses so far. Just the help I was looking for.

I don't even know how to ride a conventional MC with regards to the hand clutch, left-foot shift, and rear braking with the right foot. This would be something that I'll have to learn before doing any test rides, but I drive a stick-shift cage, and I really prefer driving a manual-shifting vehicle for highway travel and I know I would like the service simplicity, price savings, and weight savings of the standard model. I'll just have to get in a dealership and try them all out when the CTXs arrive to figure out which configuration would serve me best. The CTXs look good to me, and that's odd, because I usually don't like the looks of cruisers and tourers. It may be because I don't see that low mpg number and high price tag, and therefore, I see it in a different light. Another thing I don't like about cruisers is that I don't like the idea of sitting on a bike like I would sit on my sofa at home. I like to be in an upright position, and 28.3 seems a tad too low, but it does seem to sit one pretty upright other than having one's feet kicked forward.

The NC seems to sit right, but looking at the pics, I'm not liking how my feet would be sitting slightly rearward of my knees. I guess that's the scooter rider in me coming out. I really like the storage in the NC, and the looks of it too, but wish we got the "S" over here with the lower seat height. I guess the most annoying thing to me about MCs, coming from scooter land is the lack of a center stand and a luggage rack. It seems like consumers would have deemed those items as absolute necessities for standard equipment, and to add those items from the OEMs seem like highway robbery.

The BMW GS650, I think, comes with the luggage rack, but that's about the only advantage I can see about that machine over its competition. It's a thumper and a $7850 price tag, which puts it in second place for fuel economy and price but seems to be far inferior in other categories, save off road capability.

I've got a 26L top case and univ mount on my BV. It's a Givi Monolock. The univ mount seems pretty adaptable and looking at the pics of the optional luggage rack for the NC, I think I could mount my top case on that bike. That, plus the storage up front would be adequate. In fact, probably the little glove compartment on the CTX and the 26L would be enough for me for 95% of my usage.

I really like the fuel capacity of the upcoming CB500X; it's like 4.5 gallons or something and slightly lower height with about the same look and design as the NC, but I've just got a feeling that it's not going to have the everyday driving dynamics and fuel economy as the 700. MPG has not yet been published, but there is one European rider on fuelly reporting only upper 30s for mpg on a CB500F, but I don't know how much one rider can show you about typical fuel economy.

 

[yticolev]

You can always look at worst case and best on Fuelly to get an idea. Not a single report of sub 50s on the NC, and of course the bell curve centers around 65. 30s on a CB500 doesn't bode well.

 

[gregsfc]

Yeah, I noticed that too about the NC on Fuelly. The mode seems to be mid sixties, whereas the Verseys is maybe mid 40s; the VStrom, around 52; and the GS650, around mid 50s. The NC also tops the others in looks and usability in my opinion. I was the Fuelly top dog on the BV350 until I put a tall screen on it @ around 69, and I avg. 46 in my car, so I'm generally an above-average fuel miser. I would expect to get at least as good on one of the 700s as my BV and that's with double the displacement, 15 more horses, 20 more foot lbs of peak torque, and 100 lbs of curb weight. But even if it don't do quite as well, it's a whole lot better value package than my BV and something I could see myself on for a long time.