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Honda NC700X opinions?

P

philthymike

Joined May 2017
335 Posts | 5+
Philadelphia USA
My wife is looking to trade in her V-Star 650 for the NC700X.
She's got a fused ankle and shifting gears has become too difficult for her to manage anymore and the DCT transmission seems ideal as a solution to her problems.

Anyone here have any opinions or experience with this bike?

Thanks
 
My friend owned one for about 20,000 miles. I rode it on several occasions on all sorts of roads - highway, twisties, city.

To me it seems like the ultimate utility motorcycle. Great gas mileage, a frunk, easy for anyone to ride, incredibly reliable. However to go along with that is that it's by far the most boring bike I've ever ridden. The engine redlines at 6000RPM. The torque curve is completely flat. It sounds uninspiring. It's basically half of a car engine they stuck in a motorcycle.

I will say, they handle INCREDIBLY well. My friend did some kind of shock swap from some 2000-era sport bike, and stiffened the fork springs. It has such a low CG that he could take anyone in the corners. It feels like you have unlimited grip. I still can't believe how well that bike handled. He eventually sold it and bought a VStrom 650 and likes it more. It's bigger than the NC but has a bit more character from the engine.
 
I owned the non-DCT model for a couple of years. As mentioned, there's nothing spectacular about the bike, but it was a good all around bike. The low center of gravity made it a fun bike on the twisties. Managed to scape the foot pegs a few times and was not even trying.

The low redline with a very harsh limiter was the reason I sold it. It caught me while trying to pass on a short broken yellow. Scary.


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I think boring and low revs won’t be an issue for her coming off the V-Star.
That bike has a terrible rev limiter and is the most boring cruiser I’ve ever ridden.
It’s handling is slow and it’s so low you’re constantly scraping the pegs.

She’s going to appreciate a better handling bike that much I know.

Are there any costly maintenance gotchas on the NC we should know about?

And how about the DCT tranny, and special needs regarding its maintenance?
 
I joined a local NC group while I had the bike. There was a good number of DCT bikes in the mix. I did not hear any bitching about the DCT performance or reliability. Seemed to do what it was supposed to do.

The bike overall was quite dependable. Normal maintenance and oil changes. It's a Honda after all.

One thing I loved about the bike was having the storage space where the gas tank should be. That's also the thing I hated. Having to open the passenger seat to fill up.

Check out https://www.nc700-forum.com/forum/search.php



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Good to know!
The storage is a big plus. The V-Star has saddlebags but they’re too small to hold much. Certainly don’t fit a helmet.

Thanks for the link, I’ll go snoop around over there.
 
philthymike said:
I think boring and low revs won't be an issue for her coming off the V-Star.
That bike has a terrible rev limiter and is the most boring cruiser I've ever ridden.
It's handling is slow and it's so low you're constantly scraping the pegs.

She's going to appreciate a better handling bike that much I know.

Are there any costly maintenance gotchas on the NC we should know about?

And how about the DCT tranny, and special needs regarding its maintenance?
Click to expand...

Probably one of the cheapest bikes to own. Super reliable. Tappet valves. It's a Honda!
 
kuksul08 said:
Probably one of the cheapest bikes to own. Super reliable. Tappet valves. It's a Honda!
Click to expand...

Cheap is good. That will be a nice contrast to my HS ;)

We're going to give the bike a look over and test ride later today.

Thanks for posting that review @m00se
 
Mike, love your contribution to the site.

Ignoring it's your wife (not a dis, just assuming she's not dragging knee's and doing stoppies at red lights), I really struck gold when I was very honest with myself and didn't compromise on what I wanted in a bike. Performance, Versatility, Style, Value, in that order. I took a leap with the Strada, ordering the Gen 1. Motard was very popular and the new engine was promising (I would not have bought any size of the previous generation motor). I don't care about looking cool, wearing my leathers at the cafe and carrying my helmet around, so the bags were a must. I grew up without ABS and traction control, so those were a bonus and I recommend to all amateur riders they at the very least get ABS...locking up the front was the source of many spills for me when I was young and dumb.

I had a martini and this got kinda long. Oh, for the "Honda Reliability" remark, I did have a Honda Pilot transmission blow up at 100K miles. No one is infallible.
 
gatdammit said:
Mike, love your contribution to the site.

Ignoring it's your wife (not a dis, just assuming she's not dragging knee's and doing stoppies at red lights), I really struck gold when I was very honest with myself and didn't compromise on what I wanted in a bike. Performance, Versatility, Style, Value, in that order. I took a leap with the Strada, ordering the Gen 1. Motard was very popular and the new engine was promising (I would not have bought any size of the previous generation motor). I don't care about looking cool, wearing my leathers at the cafe and carrying my helmet around, so the bags were a must. I grew up without ABS and traction control, so those were a bonus and I recommend to all amateur riders they at the very least get ABS...locking up the front was the source of many spills for me when I was young and dumb.

I had a martini and this got kinda long. Oh, for the "Honda Reliability" remark, I did have a Honda Pilot transmission blow up at 100K miles. No one is infallible.
Click to expand...

Hey /gatdammit/

I love your contributions too. Thanks

Compromise is becoming a giant pita for my wife. All told she’s got more road biking experience than myself. She got her motorcycle license at 18 and didn’t have a car license until she was 30. The lady has ridden some serious miles.
But being 5’4” she’s having a tough time finding bikes that aren’t too tall and this combined with her handicap it’s starting to look like a scooter is her only option now.
The NC700X we saw today was a 2013 model and she couldn’t touch the ground on it. She’s tried a newer one and it was much lower. She had no problem with that one except the price is way too much. Especially considering the stealership only offered $800 for her V-Star.
That’s freaking nuts. For one it’s the rare Midnight edition, has low miles, well maintained and not a scratch. Additionally it has extras including the vance & hines full exhaust, saddle bags, touring windscreen and grips.
It’s a beautiful bike. Turns heads everywhere and easily worth $3700.
The ******* wanted to rob her. Said he’d install a lowering kit on the NC700X for only $200 if she bought it right on the spot.
Seriously? You’re going to rob the lady and still charge her for the lowering kit. A really great deal there, I don’t know why we passed that up.
But we did.
So no NC700X.

It’s breaking my heart. The lady wants to ride with me and we can’t find anything that works for her.
 
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Sounds like you're better off selling the V-Star independently and finding a lightly used NC700X. If you've found that the Honda works for her, keep looking for one in other places.
 
What about the Africa Twin? It seemed very NC700 like and I kinda remember a deep saddle. Had an OK engine and auto tranny. Decent cockpit and features, like a bargain GS. I see them a lot in Europe, and that means they filter through traffic well and get good mileage. I'd consider one over a GS if I wanted to round the globe on 2 wheels.

Not surprised about the trade in fiasco. Same thing with cars, which is why I've never traded one in. Think about it: they can low ball the **** out of you because it's no skin off their balls. Even though they make a killing on re-sales, no biggie if you pass on their offer. If you accept, they bank and that's why they'll offer so many incentives to trade on a new purchase...but short the hell out of you on the trade. I've honestly never understood why there are "Private/ Dealer/ Trade-in" values. Shouldn't the value be the value? I do everything a dealer does before I sell a car: tires, tune, oil, plugs, filters, detail, etc.

Just put it on Craigslist. I've sold houses on that site and it's free.
 
I heard the 750's are EU only. (edit: 2018 is the first year they're coming here)

Sounds about right with the stealership experience. I would find one in the used market. Lowering links can't cost too much and are super easy to do if the bike has a centerstand. If you can, remove the upgrades to the VStar before selling. I have learned that they add exactly $0 to the value of a bike and often times detract from it (depending on the mod).
 
Why not get the new one with a loan, and sell the v star privately to pay it down. Bike loans are usually pretty low interest and - as my sales guy noted - having a secured loan actually raises your credit rating. self serving, but true.

The difference in price between the new and old model isn't very much - so a few grand down and you're financing maybe $4 - 5K. Sell the other bike and you're at 2-3K. Not too bad, and there's nothing like that new bike smell.

I have nothing against scooters, but for someone used to a motorcycle, it may not be a happy thing.
 
Last edited:
kuksul08 said:
I heard the 750's are EU only. (edit: 2018 is the first year they're coming here)

Sounds about right with the stealership experience. I would find one in the used market. Lowering links can't cost too much and are super easy to do if the bike has a centerstand. If you can, remove the upgrades to the VStar before selling. I have learned that they add exactly $0 to the value of a bike and often times detract from it (depending on the mod).
Click to expand...

This does sound counterintuitive. You'd think people would actually want expensive and extra useful stuff like saddlebags and removable touring windscreens and fancy comfortable grips.
I can see them not wanting a loud exhaust but in this case we don't have the original. The bike came with the custom pipes on it.

Frankly it shouldn't be too big of a problem around this area where everybody seems to strive at having the loudest cruiser in town.
 
gatdammit said:
What about the Africa Twin? It seemed very NC700 like and I kinda remember a deep saddle. Had an OK engine and auto tranny. Decent cockpit and features, like a bargain GS. I see them a lot in Europe, and that means they filter through traffic well and get good mileage. I'd consider one over a GS if I wanted to round the globe on 2 wheels.

Not surprised about the trade in fiasco. Same thing with cars, which is why I've never traded one in. Think about it: they can low ball the **** out of you because it's no skin off their balls. Even though they make a killing on re-sales, no biggie if you pass on their offer. If you accept, they bank and that's why they'll offer so many incentives to trade on a new purchase...but short the hell out of you on the trade. I've honestly never understood why there are "Private/ Dealer/ Trade-in" values. Shouldn't the value be the value? I do everything a dealer does before I sell a car: tires, tune, oil, plugs, filters, detail, etc.

Just put it on Craigslist. I've sold houses on that site and it's free.
Click to expand...

She's only 5'4" so I don't think she'll be able to get on an Africa Twin. She had trouble getting on the NC700X.

We're going to list the V-Star on CL. I've taken a bunch of really nice pictures of it to that end.
 
Wow this joker of a salesman had the nerve to email me again today with the same astounding deal he gave in person. Seriously?

Did it not occur to him that our walking away in disgust the other day meant we aren't interested in his robbery?

People these days....
 
The fact that he contacted you makes me think there might be a deal to be made. I suggest you respond with your final offer on what amount you are willing to part with, make it clear you are not spending a penny more and you are not going back to the dealership unless you have it in writing. Let them work out whether they give you more for your trade or lower the price of the new bike. In the end, it shouldn't matter to you, but it might to them.

Take into consideration what you would really take on your trade after dealing with CL time wasters and lowball offers for a couple of weeks, impact your trade will have on the sales tax you have to pay on the new bike, etc.

It'll take you a few minutes to respond and all he can do is say "no".


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