Prior bike to NC700 and thoughts on transition

[happy]

2 years and 2 oil changes (with oil filter), and nothing much else, I do not feel my bike consuming more fuel, etc.
I do think our bike is a super economical moto.

 

[Ackme]

Been riding 7 years - bikes owned: Honda Nighthawk 750 / 2005 Triumph Tiger / Suzuki DR650. Have had the NC700x for 10 weeks. It works for me - a great road oriented all-rounder. Capable of some light off road now. More capable once I get different tires and more crash protection.

I am surprised by the guys who report their scoots (Ape SC250) had better acceleration and brakes. I have never ridden a 250 scoot so I respect their opinion. The NC has all power and brakes I need. It does seem super economical and I like the ergos

Pros: I get to use the word Frunk

 

[houssam2]

Previous: 2003 Kawasaki klr650; Kept it for 4 years, until 2013
Pros:
- Huge gas tank - 45mpg x 6.6g = 297 mile range.
- Suspension - I thought my streets were smooth until I switched bikes. Turns out we have really bad roads.
- Easy to maintain.
- Comfortable, uncramped seating position because of the large distance between the seat and foot pegs
Cons:
- Huge gas tank (very top heavy when slow)
- Very tall and top-heavy bike makes it unsteady for inexperienced riders in slow city traffic and parking lots
- Rough and stressed doing 75-85 on highway
- Not enough amps to add heated gear, extra lights, etc.
- No fuel injection


NC700X:
Pros: - more Storage, more mpg, smoother highway bike, more amps, fuel injection, easy to maintain
Cons: - Range; I'd like 200 miles with a little reserve - that's my commute. I can only hit 200 in the summer, with calm wind and driving below 72mph. And even then, I only have 0.1 - 0.3 gallons left. A little scary. So I fill up each way so I can ride at the speeds that I want.
- Suspension. Since the KLR650 was my first ever bike (my learn-to-ride bike), I didn't realize that bumps could be so jarring. I wish the NC's suspension was better. I'll probably try to improve the suspension next year.
- I have a 34-inch inseam and I feel a little bit cramped. I might get the foot peg extenders to get a little more room.

Verdict: I prefer the NC700X. I can do something, even if just a slight improvement, about the suspension and the cramped ride, so the range is really the worst thing about it. The klr650's cons (highway, amps, storage) cannot be fixed easily.

 

[fratermus]

My most recent bike was a DR650 which I loved dearly. Got in a bind and traded it for a well-used Ford Ranger (which I still have).

I am 6' and 190#.

DR650
Pro: Ergos fit me 95%; after bar risers for standing it fit 100%. Go fuh-reaking everywhere. 50MPG was good. Very simple and tough. Huge suspension travel. Bug out bike! Curb hopping! Pothole-clearing wheelies!
Con: Oil/air-cooled; got a bit hot sometimes in Texas summers. All that suspension travel resulted in hobby-horse style diving during hard braking. Narrow tank great for standing but hard to grip well with the knees. No 6th gear! Argghh! Carbureted.

NC700X
Pro: Fuel injected. Water cooled. Exceptional MPG. Neat engine design. Very low COG. Stable. 6-speed. No drama. Frunk! I like the firm suspension but then again I owned a kidney-destroying Jeep CJ-5 back in the day. Awesome mirrors and headlights. Clever design all over the place; very Honda. Danmoto slip-on takes away any feeling of riding an appliance.
Con: Only fits me ergonomically about 85% stock. Dropping the pegs brings this up to a 93%. I wish it were an inch taller. Too quiet in stock kit; I've never bought a slip-on but I couldn't hear the exhaust note. Relatively rare, so it's not like you are going to have a tech night like the KLR650 riders do.

Winner: NC. I had the chance to buy another DR or a KLR/WRR/CRF and I didn't. The NC is incredibly practical and well-mannered which suits my station in life now. The Honda Accord hybrid of the motorcycle world, perhaps.

 

[agia]

Prior rides: Many but most recent was a 2007 Honda ST1300 which I had for 7 years.

NC700:
Pro: Fuel consumption, on-board storage, weight, maintenance costs/service intervals, very low center of gravity, quiet & low-revving engine.
Con: Wind protection.

ST1300:
Pro: Long distance touring and comfort, power delivery, adjustable windshield. Storage is a plus too.
Con: Heavy bike, 35-ish MPGs

 

[Brillot2000]

My Fuelly average is nearly 44 mpg on my ST1300 which pretty much agrees with observed average read-out mpg of 43.7 for tens of thousands of miles. At 55 mph it gets about 50 mpg, 75 mph about 40.

Not me, I get in the low to the mid 30's. I ride like a "Mad Man", accelerate heavy and cruise at 80 MPH on the freeways. I rode her this moring to work...

 

[Brillot2000]

Prior rides: Many but most recent was a 2007 Honda ST1300 which I had for 7 years.

Was it a "PD" model?

 

[fastring]

Ktm 990 Adventure and Yamaha wr250r.

Kept all 3 bikes, nc replaces ktm for commuting but ktm stays for long Baja trips and Friday commute.

Ktm range is better with 10+ gal safari tanks but poor mpg at 35mpg. ktm is more comfy as it's larger, nc even with drop pegs is more cramped. For long commute nc is more comfy balancing between traffic lanes where ktm was top heavy. Maintenance is better on nc except for valves. Why Honda has 8k when ktm goes 13k and Yamaha 20+k is staggering. Changing oil is super easy on nc vs ktm. Love the frunk. Wish more exhaust options for us CA riders for NC.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[dbzeag]

Been riding 7 years - bikes owned: Honda Nighthawk 750 / 2005 Triumph Tiger / Suzuki DR650. Have had the NC700x for 10 weeks. It works for me - a great road oriented all-rounder. Capable of some light off road now. More capable once I get different tires and more crash protection.

I am surprised by the guys who report their scoots (Ape SC250) had better acceleration and brakes. I have never ridden a 250 scoot so I respect their opinion. The NC has all power and brakes I need. It does seem super economical and I like the ergos

Pros: I get to use the word Frunk

The SC250 has far less weight and dual disc fronts. The rear disk on the SC250 is almost the same size as the NC700X. In the EU you can get the SC250 with ABS even.

The acceleration is much the same. 22hp in a frame that's almost 200lbs lighter than that of the NC the 0-40mph times would be very close to the NC. The CVT works to make the most of that engine.

 

[dduelin]

Not me, I get in the low to the mid 30's. I ride like a "Mad Man", accelerate heavy and cruise at 80 MPH on the freeways. I rode her this moring to work...

The last trip I took on mine averaged 45.9 including 15 over on the 75 mph roads out west and Texas's 80 mph road. Low 35.6 and high 52.4, longest tank was 322 miles with .7 left reserve. In CA 80 was barely keeping up on the freeway, those HOV lanes on the 210 and 215 run pretty fast especially the second lane from the left as folks drop out of the HOV to pass a slower car then weave back into the HOV. The gas seemed better in the western states with mileage as if I was riding 15 mph slower.

 

[agia]

A ST1300PA? No, a personally owned civilian model. I sure liked that bike except for the weight and two water pump failures. Sold my Kawasaki Concours to get the ST.

 

[Skeleton]

Honda NC750-S (750) 2014
- Well balanced for nimble handling.
- Sensible power with fuel economy.
- Performs well in city and highway.
- My ideal bike after previous four.

Vespa GTS (300) 2010
- Nimble and easy riding in city.
- Very quiet and smooth riding.
- Adequate but limited on highway.

Yamaha FZ1 (1000) 2010
- Powerful, high performance.
- Great for highway touring.
- Too awkward for riding in city.

Yamaha FZ6 (600) 2006
- Fun on the weekend race track.
- Screams too loudly.
- Good balance of power and economy.

Honda Cub C90 (90) 1975
- Built like a dirt bike.
- Easiest bike to ride.
- Just add fuel (zero maintenance).

 

[dakotamiles]

Previous ride: Yamaha Virago 250
Pros: It was cheap to buy, ran well, got 60 mpg
Cons: You can guess. I got really tired after 200 miles and had trouble keeping up on the interstate anytime I had a headwind (about half the time). I am tall and it was really a small bike!

NC:
Pros: Better gas mileage than the Virago with more power! It's big enough to sit on comfy! Storage! Unlike CobraJet, I'm here for mpg, not for roaring around fast or loud.
Cons: The tall Honda windscreen is not very much protection. I wish I could lean forward farther. (My other bike has drop handlebars).

 

[radiotinnitus]

I started out on a 1976 Suzuki 500. It was top heavy, hot, no wind protection, clumsy and not very fun to ride. I didn't know any better. Then I had a string of even smaller bikes that I liked better than the 500. My last one was a Honda Reflex 250 scooter that I traded for the NC. Extremely happy with my trade.

Reflex Cons: None really except the engine is weak on steep hills or 2 up. I loved this scoot for its practicality, storage and ease of use. Rode it everywhere and was afraid to trade it, not knowing if I'd regret it.

NC Cons: Nothing much. It's pretty much the perfect all around bike for my needs. Has the guts that the Reflex lacked. Such a great bike for the city. I guess I could say I don't really like the color. Silver/gray was the only choice in 2012, but I can't see putting out the money and hassle to change it.

 

[670cc]

I started out on a 1976 Suzuki 500. It was top heavy, hot, no wind protection, clumsy and not very fun to ride. I didn't know any better. Then I had a string of even smaller bikes that I liked better than the 500. My last one was a Honda Reflex 250 scooter that I traded for the NC. Extremely happy with my trade.

Reflex Cons: None really except the engine is weak on steep hills or 2 up. I loved this scoot for its practicality, storage and ease of use. Rode it everywhere and was afraid to trade it, not knowing if I'd regret it.

NC Cons: Nothing much. It's pretty much the perfect all around bike for my needs. Has the guts that the Reflex lacked. Such a great bike for the city. I guess I could say I don't really like the color. Silver/gray was the only choice in 2012, but I can't see putting out the money and hassle to change it.

Hey radio, funny you mention the Reflex 250. My wife has one, too, but I probably put more miles on it than she does. I just rode it today, in fact. I don't care much for the little wheels but the engine is smooth, mileage is in the 70's, and the wind protection is better than the NC.

Too bad you didn't keep the 250 and get the 700 too!

 

[Mark_Bannister]

1982 Magna 750
Bookoo power
2001 Nighthawk 750
Awesome UJM
2000 Nighthawk 750
Missed the first one after I sold it.
2008 Concours 14
Awesome power great handling. Engine heat would make meat fall off the bone.
2012 NC700X
Great all around bike exactly built for my needs.