2012 NC700X?

[D.Brown]

Has anybody researched these at all or had the liberty of seeing one yet since they aren't available til sometime this summer? Some of you may have seen my other post about cruisers vs. sport and the emergence of Sport-Tourings being the mainly preferable versatile choice. I think it looks pretty decent and has some good capabilities along with a decent powerplant that should still remain fun on the countryside. Head here for a short description -> http://powersports.honda.com/2012/nc700x/options.aspx

[nhbubba]

I've read some. Underwhelming, IMO. This is yet another example of Honda having lost their way.

Basically the engine is a cut-down version of the engine used for the Fit econo-box. Not very exciting.

The only things this thing brings to the table are promise of good mileage and cheap buy-in price. Other than that, there are so many other bikes I think I would rather have, including the 2012 V-Strom.

Power: 51bhp (52PS, 38.1kW) @ 6,250rpm
Torque: 44lb.ft (6.1kgm, 60Nm) @ 4,750rpm
Weight: 472 lbs

Not exactly the kind of exciting numbers most of us got into motorcycling for.

[hondarider102]

Wirelessly posted

I think it looks cool, but 51hp, really? I'm a huge Honda guy but I have to agree with nhbubba that Hondas design team is slacking a bit.

[Chippertheripper]

A total snoozer of a bike, reportedly.
I stand by my original potential sale of a tarted up gs500. Pm me if you're interested.

[nhbubba]

I think it is designed to a price. They raided their auto line for an engine to keep costs down, and it shows.

[D.Brown]

Well that sounds like a complete let down haha.

[nhbubba]

Too much of Honda's current lineup is.

On paper the NT700v seems like a half decent ST bike for those of us that don't need 150 HP and want something under 600 lbs. But in person you are left going "all that money and this is what you get". Even the salesmen have a hard time pushing it. I remember Honda's lineup being a lot more exciting when I was a kid.

[gregp]

While I do agree with most of what has been posted here, the NC700X, the CBR250, and the new CRF250L all seem to be in the "Boring, but competent" category. I am guessing that each of them will be extremely reliable, good commuter bikes. I would be happy to own any one of them, but I would not want to get rid of my Ninja 250, or my street legal KDX200. My main issue with new bikes is that it does not appear easy to squeeze significantly more power out of them. Remember when you could buy a sedate RD350, and install a set of pipes and get a huge performance increase? Or a new inline 4 street bike, and install a pipe, air filters (pods?), and a jet kit - and get big power gains? Those days seem to be gone.
Instead, we get a "trunk", solid reliability, - and vanilla. Honda is betting that is what the people want. At $6,999 - They will probably sell a lot of them, and it looks like a bargain when compared to $10k+ 600 Supersports.

[mojobreakfast]

I think a lot of the hate misses the point. Riders who buy this bike probably aren't cross shopping other (much more expensive?) adventure bikes. To me, this looks like a great commuter bike and an alternative to a maxi-scooter for those that care about getting from A to B on two wheels and probably in an urban environment. This bike is basically what everyone in Paris or Milan rides.

The fact that the power plant is half the Fit engine doesn't seem to be a detriment to me. The Fit might be an "econobox" but it's one of the best econo boxes out there, and is not a penalty box by any means. It has a nice motor, probably one of the few bright spots in the entire Honda automotive lineup at the moment. Light, high tech, smooth and reliable.

To me the NC700X seems like Honda's attempt to capitalize on high gas prices and capture new riders, particularly those who will ride in an urban setting and probably more for economy and utility than for fun. I'd actually consider this bike strongly if I lived in the city. I'd feel much better about having this bike knocked around downtown than a $20k Multistrada.

[dontpanic]

I was mightily intrigued by it when i first learned about it. It had a lot of what I was looking for in my next bike- overall size, riding position, wind protection, a sportier look than a wee-strom. However, the reviews went on to point out what are shortcomings for me: underwhelming performance and chassis parts.

Oh, well. Time to start daydreaming about a Tiger 1050....

[Garandman]

Some people are claiming this is actually a "Scooter/Motorcycle hybrid." 50 hp and to get ABS you have to order the DCT transmission - a $2,000 upgrade.

Or you can buy a 65hp 2012 V-Strom for the same price with ABS and dual front disks. But a lot of people have complained all along that the V-Strom lacks personality. Now Honda, by introducing a bike utterly devoid of personality, has moved the bar.

People seem to be staying away in droves.

[markbvt]

Honda has completely lost the plot. They've put out one "WTF?" bike after another. Ignore them; just get a V-Strom 650 instead, which is a superb bike for the money and is fun to ride, reliable, and reasonably capable.

I'm so fed up with Honda's obtuseness that I hope they put themselves out of the motorcycle business. It's a damn shame, because they have such a rich history and have made so many great bikes in the past. But they just can't seem to see past the ends of their own noses these days. People on ADVrider, for example, were getting all excited about this 700, and before that, the CrossTourer, hoping Honda might bring out a worthy successor to the legendary Africa Twin, but no. Instead they put out this quasi-maxi-scooter commuter and an overweight upright VFR.

Soichiro must be rolling over in his grave...

--mark

[TheIglu]

$7k, LOW horsepower for a sport tourer (coming from a guy that used a KLR650 for years as a sport bike and was happy, it was NOT a two up or highway bike at all), same old non-adjustable junk suspension that everything else gets, automatic tranny option if you want ABS, hideous car like gauges, etc


Nope. Had it been in a sub 400lb package that shot for low buck fun performance, sure. But people don't buy for functionality which this doesn't even have heaps of, they buy for love.

[reks95]

I think mojobreakfast has it right. This is not intended to compete with adventure bikes. It's intended to compete with maxi-scooters and 250 dual sports for the commuter 70+mpg market. If you look at it as a scooter than can comfortably do highway speeds, it's actually a pretty good fit for US-style suburb to city commutes.

Now, it's garbage as a primary bike. But if you're picking this up as a second bike to commute/beat on, maybe.

Still, I'll take a used V-Strom 650 and put the savings towards gas to come out way ahead for years.

[OreoGaborio]

I fell asleep looking at that bike. That's how much it bores me.

I'll be amazed if it's in production for more than a two years.

[nhbubba]

It'll probably sell out in Europe.

Anyone that goes for the DCT deserves this:

[Rossco]

Looks like the peeps over at Twisted Throttle got their hands on one. I have to say, with the mods, it's quite stylish.

Still not a whole lot can be done to make it exciting, but I guess that's what the dubstep music is for.

[gregp]

I still like it, but I am over 50, and do not want a sport bike. I was surprised to see him lift the front wheel- even that little bit. Still, looking at a choice between the NC700x and a Street Triple - I am not sure which way I want to go... The NC looks like it would offer more comfort, especially passenger comfort, range and mileage, and that trunk -The Street Triple would give me *Excitement*, which is kind of important to me, and probably the single reason that most of us here ride at all.
Having grown up riding and racing dirt bikes, I know that power/weight is not everything, and it is quite possible to have a lot of fun on slower machines. It is pretty much all in your head. A lot of it has to do with the people you ride with, and I tend to ride (Street) alone.
I *will* be buying at least one new bike in 2013, and Honda just made the decision(s) very difficult.

[markbvt]

I have to admit, since writing my earlier post, my mind has been changed on this bike. I've seen several of them in person and talked to people who've ridden them for long distances, and I could actually see getting one of these for commuting, day rides, weekend trips, etc. No matt how Honda may want to position it, it's not an adventure bike, but it's a versatile, universal motorcycle with a comfortable seating position that handles well and gets great gas mileage.

I sometimes think that if I lived in a warmer climate, I might consider buying one of these as a year-round commuter, but then I remind myself that with my Tiger 800 XC in the stable, I'd never end up riding the NC because the Tiger is such a fun bike I'd always just be riding that (example: I've put over 20,000 miles on my Tiger this season, under 1000 on my Bonneville, and maybe a few hundred on my XR650L).

I couldn't make it all the way through that video though. I'd forgotten how much I hate dubstep.

--mark

[xxaarraa]

That video is needlessly long. I now dislike the bike even more than I did prior to that video.

[Chippertheripper]

I now dislike you for posting needlessly in this thread.

[xxaarraa]

I now dislike you for posting needlessly in this thread.

LOL