Thinking About Getting a NC700X this Winter...

[atvman29]

Hey guys, looks like a great place you have here.

I'm in between bikes and I'm looking for some of your thoughts on the NC700X and also wanted to bounce a few of my concerns off you as well.

I started riding in the summer of last year. My fist bike was a 2006 Kawasaki KLX250SF which is the supermoto version of their KLX250S dual purpose bike. I loved it. It was very fun, awesome for my commute which is 30 minutes of grid lock each day (and each way), but it had two flaws that prevented me from keeping it forever:

1. My wife tried riding it with me, and let's just say miserable would be the best word to describe two up riding on that bike. Plus, I'm no small guy at 230lb. We were both uncomfortable in less than 30 minutes of riding.

2. Being the adorable little 250 it was, it could scarcely do 75mph. I do quite a bit of freeway riding and it was not fun with this bike.

So, last winter I went on a mission and ended up buying bike number two (trading in number one).

Bike two was a brand new 2013 Harley Davidson Street Bob. Very sexy bike, lots of power, and pretty comfortable. To be honest, for a $12K bike, I was expecting a LOT more comfort. My butt was SORE after an hour in the saddle. The wife was even more sore. This was probably my biggest disappointment in the bike. The torque was addicting, and though the stock sound was soft, it was pretty mean when you laid on it. I was able to purchase the bike for a good deal being it was a Minnesota winter, so in attempt to get out of the loan so the wife and I could buy a new house this coming spring, I sold it. This bike again though, had a few flaws:

1. The lack of comfort was very disappointing. Even tried a $500 Mustang seat setup and it still sucked.

2. Mods were VERY expensive.

3. Service was very expensive. I didn't want to service a $13K bike on my own.

4. I never got super comfortable with the outrageous heft of the bike at low speeds.

So here we are today. Last couple months of riding for me in MN so I'm using the 2003 Honda Shadow 750 ACE my dad has lost interest in (and is trying to sell) as a Bandaid until this winter when I can hopefully purchase a new bike of my own, where the NC700 comes into play.

So based on my previous bikes, will I be...

1. ...comfortable? How about my wife? Can we ride for more than an hour without losing feeling in our limbs?

2. ...able to have fun on my commute again?

3. ...able to have fun with some spirited riding? Or will it always feel slow compared to my Harley? Thankfully I haven't ridden any sport bikes, though I am considering a FZ6 as a low cost alternative to the NC.

Any help you guys can give me would be much appreciated. I love the idea of a sport touring bike and I especially love the price of the NC. I'd love to be able to pay cash for one over winter, even if its lightly used. So should I save my pennies for the NC, or go with a cheaper option like the $2500 2007 Yamaha FZ6 I almost bought this weekend and buy a comfy seat for it?

Any help would be much appreciated!!

Thanks.

 

[Old Can Ride]

Your number one accessory should be a Russell Day Long seat, no matter what the brand is. Comfort should always come first, not chrome. Wife will love the Day Long seat.

 

[Craig92DA9]

I think if you consider the cost of a high quality after market seat (as mentioned) as part of your purchase price, then you will be happy with the NC. I've never ridden a Harley so I can't speak from experience, but I suspect that on the proper road the light flickable nature of the NC will adequately replace the intoxicating torque. Less longitudinal g's more lateral g's. It will cruise at 80 on the freeway without a problem.

 

[670cc]

If comfort for you and your passenger are top considerations, I personally don't think the NC700 is the best bike out there. It will carry a passenger, people do it, but I consider it a one person bike. One look at the pillion seat and I think you'll agree.

The NC will definitely be a fun commute and handle way better than a cruiser.

Feel slow compared to a Harley? I don't think that will be much of a problem no matter what bike you chose.

As always, buying a used bike gets you so much more for your money than buying new.

Greg

 

[atvman29]

Is there any passenger comfort at all to be had?

 

[Old Can Ride]

The Russell Day Long is a very comfortable passenger seat and rider seat.

 

[barrett50]

See if your bride would like to learn to ride. MSF course would be excellent. Smaller(250-500cc) might be the ticket for her. The NC is a great all around bike. Good acceleration and handling. Great mileage. Many OEM and aftermarket accessories. Frunk(front trunk). Look for used over winter. Stock seat uncomfortable to some. Motorcycle Consumer News had a great review of 6 speed. Many on this site like the DCT.

 

[ziggie]

I personally don't think the nc would make a good 2 person ride.around town yes long trips no.look at it, would you like to ride 200 miles on the back.but there is better back seats for it and a backrest .it is a great one person bike.long trips,great gas mileage.

 

[SergeantChuck]

As was mentioned above you'll want to invest in an aftermarket seat. Since the wife likes to ride I would replace both front and back seats. I can't comment on how comfortable my rear seat is since my wife won't ride (working on that) but I can say that my aftermarket rear seat has much more padding.

I use my NCX to commute. I stepped down from a CBR100RR. I was really worried about the power lost but surprisingly enough it does not bother me to much. I mean how fast can you go in heavy traffic anyway? In my opinion this is an excellent commuter bike.

The FZ6 averages at best 45MPG. Fuel cost may not be an issue for you but you can expect to get at least 20MPG more with the NCX.

Storage is another factor. Since I commute to work I carry extra items I need for work. Like my laptop. Winter is approaching so I will start wearing my heavier suit. I can store my helmet and my entire suit with a problem. Being able to store all of this on the bike is Awesome. I couldn't even think about that on my CBR. I'm not sure the FZ6 would be able to accommodate that.

 

[MAJikMARCer]

The wife and I have done two up in town and on the highway. It's much better suited for in town. Two up for longer rides would need more power and comfort, in my opinion.

Many consider the stock seat to be uncomfortable for long rides also. I'm on the fence on that one.

That's not to say the NC is a bad bike, it's not. I love it, but based on your requirements, it wouldn't be my first choice. Maybe a sport touring bike. Power, handling and some touring comfort and the ability to do 2-up better.

 

[Enforcer]

Greetings to all. I thought I would give my humble opinion concerning two up touring on the NC after just returning from a trip last week. My wife and I have toured around the country for almost 40 years on just about every bike possible (Gold Wings, Electra Glides, KLR 650, BMW GS, even a Busa). We find the NC as an acceptable two up long distance tour.

Here are some of my suggested mods that work for us. Level the seat using Home Depot spacers ($4.00), put on an AirHawk R ($145.00) fits NC well. Get a Butty Buddy rear seat for your wife ($149) and install a Givi trunk as a passenger backrest.

Other mods: touring windshield, Rox risers, highway pegs, throttle lock, hand guards. We can easily do 500 to 600 miles a day while getting 65-70 mpg.

While NC does not have the comfort of a Gold Wing (my wife would take naps on the interstate or read) it works for us as far as the touring we like to do at this point in our life. We plan to ride the NC to Alaska next summer.

 

[Chestnut]

As others have said, ok for quick town trips 2up but not touring. Not just the seat (which really is awful) there's just not enough room. The couple times I've been on the back of mine it was pretty cramped, and I was riding behind guys a little smaller than you. If I moved my feet, I kicked their calf.
If you want to do 2up touring, check out a real touring bike. Used BMWs can be had cheap, although service can't. Used goldwings not so cheap either way. But I've spent good days on the back of both, and been more comfortable than 15 min on the back of my NC. And my dad can easily out ride me on any twisty road with his bmw.

 

[anglachel]

1. ...comfortable? How about my wife? Can we ride for more than an hour without losing feeling in our limbs?

2. ...able to have fun on my commute again?

3. ...able to have fun with some spirited riding? Or will it always feel slow compared to my Harley? Thankfully I haven't ridden any sport bikes, though I am considering a FZ6 as a low cost alternative to the NC.

1) it's so-so... as far as the brakes and throttle go, the bike doesn't struggle with two up riding... but the seats could use some work, and it is a bit cramped two-up at times.. (I suspect a backrest to give my wife some idea how far back the seat goes would help with that.) Your limbs won't be numb, but more than likely your *** will be...

2) That depends on your commute. After seeing some of the commutes the folks in CA, CO, WA, etc. have I don't think there is a fun commute in MN. I've, however, found myself in the nightmare that is 694 a few times this summer, (between 100 and rice street where they are working on it) I wouldn't call that traffic fun on any vehicle. But I had no problem feathering the clutch and maintaining speeds of 3-6 mph, over the course of a mile or two of MN stop and go traffic I don't think I had to put my foot down once.

3) It might be a little slower than your HD, but it is also a heck of alot cheaper, quieter, more efficient, and cheaper accessories. If you aren't working on it yourself, you'll probably end up paying for maintenance... but the bike seems fairly easy to work on yourself.

Of course with any bike you can end up spending a mint on accessories before it's just the way you like it...

 

[gpd211]

I love the idea of a sport touring bike and I especially love the price of the NC.

If a sport touring bike is what you want then the NC is going to be a huge disappointment. I've had a couple VFR and an FZ6. The FZ I would not tour on solo let alone 2-up. The VFR I did tour on (solo) and rode from Gatlinburg to home 2-up. The FZ in my opinion is a day trip bike at best.

If you want sport touring your better off to look at Honda's ST1300, or older ST1100, or VFR (I hated the 1200, the power restriction in 1st and 2nd was ridiculous), or the Yamaha FJR. These are all very respected bikes (maybe not here but with their owners and former owners)

 

[jdmitchell]

A used Concours 14 can be had for the same price as a new NC700x. 150+ hp and the ability to sport-tour, two up. It is definitely a capable bike, just don't expect the same flickability or economy of the NCX. I loved mine and went back and forth for several weeks after the dealer gave me the trade offer. I finally decided that since 95% of my time on my motorcycle is solo that I could go ahead and get a smaller bike that doesn't make more hp than a Civic.

 

[dakspop]

I switched from a RoadStar 1600 to the NCX for commute efficiency. I added three GIVI hardcases for about a grand. I road two up with a course marshal on a bike race for about 4 hours and he was fine on the back, I think the case made him more comfortable. The NCX is great change from my large cruiser.

 

[atvman29]

See if your bride would like to learn to ride. MSF course would be excellent. Smaller(250-500cc) might be the ticket for her. The NC is a great all around bike. Good acceleration and handling. Great mileage. Many OEM and aftermarket accessories. Frunk(front trunk). Look for used over winter. Stock seat uncomfortable to some. Motorcycle Consumer News had a great review of 6 speed. Many on this site like the DCT.

We've talked about her getting her license if for no other reason than to be a more educated passenger, but she doesn't have a huge interest. She does enjoy riding with me though.

Plus, as much as I'd love to be able to have the room to store two bikes, we only have room for one at our current house, (hence the house hunting this spring).

 

[Craigmri]

Most has already been said. I will repeat the stock seat sucks after 50 miles. There are several aftermarket solutions for seats and the fact the seat sucks is not uncommon. Most stock seats suck. As for two up touring, it can be done but there are better choices out there if this is a key element to your decision. For one-up riding the engine and brakes are adequate. When you add a passenger now your starting to overwhelm both the engine, brakes and even suspension which is just satisfactory for one up riding.

If your going to be 90% one up and 10% two-up riding the NC would be OK as long as you understand the limitations of the bike going in. I have owned many many bikes including Goldwings, BMWs and Harleys and I love my NC700X. Would I ever sell it to get a new FJR or Concours 1400? Maybe someday but for now the NC700X does everything I could ever want in a bike and it does it on the cheap.

 

[atvman29]

1) it's so-so... as far as the brakes and throttle go, the bike doesn't struggle with two up riding... but the seats could use some work, and it is a bit cramped two-up at times.. (I suspect a backrest to give my wife some idea how far back the seat goes would help with that.) Your limbs won't be numb, but more than likely your *** will be...

2) That depends on your commute. After seeing some of the commutes the folks in CA, CO, WA, etc. have I don't think there is a fun commute in MN. I've, however, found myself in the nightmare that is 694 a few times this summer, (between 100 and rice street where they are working on it) I wouldn't call that traffic fun on any vehicle. But I had no problem feathering the clutch and maintaining speeds of 3-6 mph, over the course of a mile or two of MN stop and go traffic I don't think I had to put my foot down once.

3) It might be a little slower than your HD, but it is also a heck of alot cheaper, quieter, more efficient, and cheaper accessories. If you aren't working on it yourself, you'll probably end up paying for maintenance... but the bike seems fairly easy to work on yourself.

Of course with any bike you can end up spending a mint on accessories before it's just the way you like it...

I hear you on the 694 situation. My commute is from the Champlin (North of Brooklyn Park) to Plymouth so I get to choose from 169, 494/694, or back roads. All suck, especially during the afternoon commute. The Harley was very miserable this summer trying to lug it at less than 5mph, plus my leg would touch the valve covers on the back cylinder which was unpleasant on our 100 degree days.

Also, I should say the goal right now is to not tour across country or anything, but we would like to be able to comfortably ride for 4-5 hours per day like we did on our Upper Peninsula trip this summer. We were just in misery after an hour on the HD and had to stop. Luckily my cousin's Sportster could only go about an hour on its peanut tank of gas.

 

[OriginalRocket]

+20 for stock seat sucks.

I regularly ride 2 up with my woman. She complains when I even suggest taking the NC700 vs my little 125cc PCX scooter. Even though the NC has a much bigger seating area.

I've compiled pictures of her and I on the NC for a Russel Day Long Saddle. I won't do it yet as I still am riding the NC, But the weather is changing and riding season is coming to a close, at least for my limits.