Top speed frustration

[Foxtrot144]

I experienced the same top speed on my '12 NC700x. Prior to this bike I had an 09 VStrom 650 that I got up to 115 before I chickened out. The two bikes have similar features and properties if you aren't married to Honda. If you figure out some fancy mods that get you breaking into triple digits let me know

 

[rpvanoyen]

I have a 750X DCT with stock sprockets and 20 inch MadStad screen. With a light front breeze, mine does 110 mph max. It hits 90 mph quite fast, but any further increase takes some patience (which I don't have in general). Upto 80 mph the bike's rides wonderful, no need to go any faster anyway. It's more useful to have good torque and overtake vehicles without lag, than to have high end speed. My oppinion.

 

[Jt105]

My 2015 stock NC700X is a double digit machine. I tried to break 100, but no dice. It wanted to, but I think I need to push away from the dinner table to get it there.

My old Suzuki GS500E would hit 120mph easily and 135 mph if I laid flat on the tank and put feet on back pegs. It rev”d about 6500 at normal freeway speeds with +1 tooth front sprocket. It was a fun bike at the time. My neighbor has one for sale so I sat on it. Brought back good memories, but no desire to own it again.

JT

 

[Jt105]

Not sure what this has to do with a NC7 though, or why it would need an enhanced top speed.

I just find it interesting how bikes are specifically designed for a purpose. Some go fast. Some go slow. Some are just ridiculously powerful. Some just enough.
The NC700X was specifically designed as a commuter bike and really excells in that role. Top speed was engineered to allow reasonable freeway travel, but no more. The benefits are great fuel economy and a good power band around town.
I love my NC, but if I need to cross North Dakota and Montana again I’ll take my ST1300.

JT

 

[Deckyon]

It really sounds like not enough thought went in before purchase. Thought of what will be expected from the bike, and thought of the actual output from the bike. Where I live, the interstates are max of 70 mph, city averages 35 and most rural roads 55. Other than in the city, I am usually within 10 mph. The NC (700 or 750) performs exactly how it was designed. A bunch of friends of mine have a saying "It's more fun to ride a slow bike fast, than a fast bike slow." Why would a commuter bike have to have excessive top speeds for commuting in and out of work?

If you want excessive top speed, (95 mph is a ticket to jail in most areas) then I would probably suggest a Liter bike. I'd love to have something like a KTM Super Duke 1290, but I would never be able to leave first gear in the city... And I would end up spending too much time in jail and have too many tickets.

 

[Foxtrot144]

A bunch of friends of mine have a saying "It's more fun to ride a slow bike fast, than a fast bike slow."

That’s a great saying! I alternate between commuting on my NC and my Rebel250. The smaller bike is much more fun off highway and around the neighborhood.

After some more saddle time Im really happy with the power and top speed.

 

[Antarius]

The stock gearing on my '12 NC was a little lacking, so I went with the 39T rear sprocket and that helped quite a bit. Now I can run 80-85mph all day long, still get 55mpg+ and have plenty left in it to accelerate and get around something if needed. It still won't do much more than 105 though, wind overpowers it at that point.

And why so fast? California. If I go 75 I'll get ran over.

 

[1wiseguy2]

The stock gearing on my '12 NC was a little lacking, so I went with the 39T rear sprocket and that helped quite a bit. Now I can run 80-85mph all day long, still get 55mpg+ and have plenty left in it to accelerate and get around something if needed. It still won't do much more than 105 though, wind overpowers it at that point.

And why so fast? California. If I go 75 I'll get ran over.

I totally understand the "get run over"! Used to live in the Bay area. 106 was the top speed with 185# rider for my daughter's 2012. 117 mph is the official speed... going downhill with a balled up 100# rider.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[Junkie]

My 2015 stock NC700X is a double digit machine. I tried to break 100, but no dice. It wanted to, but I think I need to push away from the dinner table to get it there.

My old Suzuki GS500E would hit 120mph easily and 135 mph if I laid flat on the tank and put feet on back pegs. It rev”d about 6500 at normal freeway speeds with +1 tooth front sprocket. It was a fun bike at the time. My neighbor has one for sale so I sat on it. Brought back good memories, but no desire to own it again.

JT

Your GS500E had an awfully optimistic speedometer if it displayed 120, let alone 135.

 

[Jt105]

Your GS500E had an awfully optimistic speedometer if it displayed 120, let alone 135.

Maybe, but I ran with a number of other bikes all showing similar speeds on their speedo. Passing cars on the freeway as fast as they were passing road signs. Double their speed at least. Young, dumb and immortal.

JT

 

[MattKas]

The other day my son took out my 2016 NC700X DCT ABS for a ride; just to compare with his BMW C650GT. After the ride he said my bike cuts out around 90 miles/hr whereas his bike goes up to 120 miles/hr. He also said that the police officer told him that I needed to change the Texas Plate to Arizona plate. lol (I purchased the bike from Craig's list in Dallas and got it shipped to Phoenix)

 

[dduelin]

The other day my son took out my 2016 NC700X DCT ABS for a ride; just to compare with his BMW C650GT. After the ride he said my bike cuts out around 90 miles/hr whereas his bike goes up to 120 miles/hr. He also said that the police officer told him that I needed to change the Texas Plate to Arizona plate. lol (I purchased the bike from Craig's list in Dallas and got it shipped to Phoenix)

I would imagine the Honda's speedometer is a lot more accurate than the BMWs based on experience and contemporary press reviews.

 

[MattKas]

I agree maybe he was actually speeding around 110-115 miles per hour on his BMW scooter

 

[davidc83]

When I had my BMW G650GS, the speedo was reading higher than the GPS (about 5 mph higher above 70mph). My Honda NC700x is usually right on or within 1 mph compared to the gps at any speeds... Most bikes read speed from front wheel while the Honda NC700 has the device inside the transmission (similiar to cars).

 

[Junkie]

Most bikes are set up with a rather optimistic speedo from the factory.

On Suzuki SVs, the speedo is off by approximately 9%. However, the odo is only off by about 1.2%. Why? I believe there are federal standards regarding odometer accuracy, but not speedometer. Having a speedo that reads high means people think the bike is faster, and they're less likely to get tickets. The SV thing is true of both the 650 (which reads off the front) and the 1000 (which reads off the rear). It's a digital gauge, so it isn't that there's a spring that's worn or anything: it's by design. I had an electronic device installed in my speedo that lets me adjust the speedo reading without throwing off the odo reading.

 

[670cc]

I don’t think front wheel vs rear wheel speed measurement points have anything to do with speedometer accuracy. We discussed NC700X speedometer accuracy in the past in several threads. (Here is one of several: Speedometer Accuracy ). We observed that US spec NCs had very accurate speedometers whereas European versions were in error by 5% or more. This variation among the same motorcycle model in different markets suggests that the inaccuracy, when present, is intentionally designed in by Honda.

 

[showkey]

The speedo specs the manufacturer must meet ( from the factory in stockad built) is always over report speed and not under reporting. So the built in error or variance if there is one is almost always over report.
There are published standards +/- 5 specifications most manufacturers go with +1 -5 as the real standard to hit in mass production.

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; FMVSS 101-Technical Correction-Speedometer Display

 

[Junkie]

I'm having trouble finding speedometer accuracy requirements there.

Given the error of approximately 9% on an SV, at 65mph it wouldn't fall within a +/-5 range. I'm surprised that Suzuki makes a bike that falls outside of spec.

 

[Fred Harper]

Buy a 'busa. Cheap way to go faster than your Angel can fly!

 

[ld_rider]

It might be easier to make an instrument that measures miles per hour more accurate than an instrument that measures kilometers per hour.

Think of measuring distance with a ruler using units of half and inch. You can only be accurate to within half and inch.

Compare the accuracy of that same ruler with one using units of a thousandths of an inch. You can be accurate within a thousandths of an inch

Miles and Kilometers are a similar situation:


A speedometer that is off at 100 mph by 5% will only be traveling at 95, an error of 5 mph.

A speedometer that is off at 100 kmh by 5 % will only be traveling at 95 km/h, an error of about 3 mph

Both will have the same percentage of error, but one is significantly more accurate than the other.