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Deleted member 1183
I was off out on my NC yesterday around the bumpy backroads that I frequent the most. Sadly I didn't enjoy the spin. The reason was that my lower back was a bit tender, and the harsh suspension on the NC was hurting it. In the end I went home earlier than expected because of this. I also had a little incident where the front end pushed wide on a right hand bumpy bend at a brisk pace, and well heeled over. I corrected and got on with it, but this is not the first time that has happened. More about that later.
I then got to thinking. I have the bike three years now. There is a lot I love about it, mostly the motor. However the chassis has always bothered me both from a comfort point of view, and that strange occasional tendency to push on some bends at a brisk pace when well heeled over. Over here we ride on the left.
At one point I seriously considered giving the bike the Wilbers treatment. However there is no effective cure for the front end harshness without spending considerably on fork inners. Add that to the cost of a Wilbers shock, and I felt that the total cost could not be justified in terms of percentage of the value of the bike. I have given my Triumph the complete treatment and it has been totally successful. So much so that the Triumph has had about 3000kms put on it during the past two months, whereas the NC has only had about 500. The NC is brilliant at what it was intended to do as long as the roads are smooth and well paved.
Coming back to the tendency to push its front end. I had noticed this from a very early stage of ownership. I initially blamed the Z8's and they certainly played a part imho. Michelin PR3's almost eliminated this but it still occurred occasionally. It usually happens at a brisk pace on bumpy bends. Yesterday it was clear that small sharp bumps in close proximity to each other provoked it. The suspension is budget after all and the set up of the damping was not able to cope. However one of the staff at the Honda shop also suggested to me that he was not confident in the front end of their demo NC750X. He compared it to their demo KTM1000 Adventure which he suggested was much more sure footed. That is also a heavier bike but not by much. It does have better suspension. My Triumph is a much heavier bike than the NC and longer also. It is a gem on a backroad and the front end is as sure footed as any bike I have ever ridden. However it is also much more sure footed on a smooth road where the NC should be in its element. I trust the Triumph. I am always a little nervous of the NC in the same conditions.
So, I am thinking of a change. I originally bought the NC as a runabout that would be economical also. As my Wife pointed out it is being used for much more than that. However It has been used very little of late and there is no denying that.
What would I change it for ? One bike comes to mind and that is the Kawasaki 650 Versys . However it too has budget suspension and I have heard moans about it. It is good on fuel and generally a nice little bike. I have thought of the CB500X in the past also with a view to putting the Rally Raid kit on it. However I discounted that too, for a while.
Today I dropped into the Honda shop and I threw a leg over a CB500X again. I then swapped over to a NC750X. The smaller bike is more softly suspended. It also has preload adjustment on the rear shock. Neil in the shop told me that whenever he has to take out a demo it is one of the 500's that he takes. He loves them and he has quite a selection of different bikes to chose from. He preferred it to the NC. He would give me a good deal on the NC. I like 500's. I had two Kawasaki ER5's in the past. That was years ago. I used to love baiting folks on bigger bikes with them as long as the roads were tight. I am having bad thoughts.......
If folks have views on the CB500X I would love to hear them.
I then got to thinking. I have the bike three years now. There is a lot I love about it, mostly the motor. However the chassis has always bothered me both from a comfort point of view, and that strange occasional tendency to push on some bends at a brisk pace when well heeled over. Over here we ride on the left.
At one point I seriously considered giving the bike the Wilbers treatment. However there is no effective cure for the front end harshness without spending considerably on fork inners. Add that to the cost of a Wilbers shock, and I felt that the total cost could not be justified in terms of percentage of the value of the bike. I have given my Triumph the complete treatment and it has been totally successful. So much so that the Triumph has had about 3000kms put on it during the past two months, whereas the NC has only had about 500. The NC is brilliant at what it was intended to do as long as the roads are smooth and well paved.
Coming back to the tendency to push its front end. I had noticed this from a very early stage of ownership. I initially blamed the Z8's and they certainly played a part imho. Michelin PR3's almost eliminated this but it still occurred occasionally. It usually happens at a brisk pace on bumpy bends. Yesterday it was clear that small sharp bumps in close proximity to each other provoked it. The suspension is budget after all and the set up of the damping was not able to cope. However one of the staff at the Honda shop also suggested to me that he was not confident in the front end of their demo NC750X. He compared it to their demo KTM1000 Adventure which he suggested was much more sure footed. That is also a heavier bike but not by much. It does have better suspension. My Triumph is a much heavier bike than the NC and longer also. It is a gem on a backroad and the front end is as sure footed as any bike I have ever ridden. However it is also much more sure footed on a smooth road where the NC should be in its element. I trust the Triumph. I am always a little nervous of the NC in the same conditions.
So, I am thinking of a change. I originally bought the NC as a runabout that would be economical also. As my Wife pointed out it is being used for much more than that. However It has been used very little of late and there is no denying that.
What would I change it for ? One bike comes to mind and that is the Kawasaki 650 Versys . However it too has budget suspension and I have heard moans about it. It is good on fuel and generally a nice little bike. I have thought of the CB500X in the past also with a view to putting the Rally Raid kit on it. However I discounted that too, for a while.
Today I dropped into the Honda shop and I threw a leg over a CB500X again. I then swapped over to a NC750X. The smaller bike is more softly suspended. It also has preload adjustment on the rear shock. Neil in the shop told me that whenever he has to take out a demo it is one of the 500's that he takes. He loves them and he has quite a selection of different bikes to chose from. He preferred it to the NC. He would give me a good deal on the NC. I like 500's. I had two Kawasaki ER5's in the past. That was years ago. I used to love baiting folks on bigger bikes with them as long as the roads were tight. I am having bad thoughts.......
If folks have views on the CB500X I would love to hear them.
