<D> Honda DN-01

[anodise57]

guess the only turn off part is the 15litre tank... How to go touring and really enjoy the comfy ride?????

 

paper written 25km/L but costant 60km/L ..... WTF

If u hoot 140 in NSHW...... can tahan until Pagoh then refuel?

Then again.. .with this bike...

Will u encounter the same thing like the Ferrari Spyder got chased by the Black Merc ??? hmmmmmm

[paiseh]

there is one maroon one in NTU. are u the one riding it? its very cool! hows the FC? since its a vtwin and auto? correct me if im wrong.

 

nevertheless, sleek design.

[bernardk]

OMG... You actually own one OMG...

I saw it on mag and web before this bike even launch and i love the odd look. Very futuristic. Then went to find the clip in youtube. And the tester actually skid the footpeg. Damn cool. Didnt knw its a auto cum tiptronic cum manual transmission. Wow. i should get to knw you to see your bike.

[bernardk]

OMG... You actually own one OMG...

I saw it on mag and web before this bike even launch and i love the odd look. Very futuristic. Then went to find the clip in youtube. And the tester actually skid the footpeg. Damn cool. Didnt knw its a auto cum tiptronic cum manual transmission. Wow. i should get to knw you to see your bike.

[minime]

There's one white Honda DN-01 on display at Mah Pte.

 

Would love to get to know you to seat on your bike to have a feel.

[minime]

There's one white Honda DN-01 on display at Mah Pte.

 

Would love to get to know you to seat on your bike to have a feel.

[WE300B]

Nice write up ... thanks for the review

[RoboTech]

there is one maroon one in NTU. are u the one riding it? its very cool! hows the FC? since its a vtwin and auto? correct me if im wrong.

 

nevertheless, sleek design.

 

 

Yes, the one in NTU is mine, it is purple colour not maroon. I think my bike is the first DN-01 registered in SG.

[RoboTech]

Ok. Enough time for another message before the boss comes in...

 

For those of you who wants to look at the real bike, can go to Mah...

 

I think Boon Siew also got display one... but don't know whether can sit...

 

The rest if you want to see and sit and if you don't mind the distance can go to NTU... carpark E...

 

Further review will come shortly...

[RoboTech]

Honda DN-01 First Contact Part 2

 

Since the engine is still running-in, and I’m still on my first tank, high speed performance and FC will come later. I give an insight into the non-performance aspect of the bike…

 

Styling, like I’ve mentioned, is subjective, but there is no doubt that it is futuristic. The bike looks and feels well put together with a quality typical of what to expect from Honda. Instrumentation is fully digital but with no coolant temperature gauge, just a high coolant temperature warning light. Everything indeed looks modern and up to date, with the exception of the passenger pegs. They look like they are from Jurassic Park… ok, ok, I exaggerate… but see for yourself. There is a hand operated parking brake on the right hand side under the fairing/cowling with an indicator on the ‘dashboard’. This brake had its own caliper that grips the rear disk, useful for parking on slopes.

 

Storage space is pathetic, with only a small compartment for the toolkit and manual under the pillion seat. There is a preformed space for a custom U-Lock available as an option. The rider seat is fixed and can only be removed using tools. Same goes for the front fairing/cowling, thus negating any useable space inside it. There is a hook under the pillion seat whereby you can secure a helmet using its chin strap, but no sane motorcyclists would want to lock their helmet there…

 

There is no center stand, which makes cleaning and doing some minor maintenance yourself a bit more difficult. At least the single sided swing arm makes cleaning the rear wheel and surrounding area easier…

 

To be continued…

[yogi]

writeup

 

more more...

[driftbaker]

nice... from what i gather.. is this a bike with:

 

1) shaft drive

2) auto gear

3) V-twin

 

??????? it's a totally new combination.. with such a look, it's simply breathtaking....

[eedwinn]

Pardon me, but how many CC is this bike?

 

And please share some photos with us!

[raz]

680cc.. same engine as Deuville..

I saw it at loois.. its a beauty...

[RoboTech]

Honda DN-01 (First Contact) Part 3

 

Update: Just checked with Boon Siew, their bike will only debut during the motorshow.

 

Ok, this time I will touch on the DN-01 low to medium speed handling, I am not an expert in testing bikes, so the following are strictly what I feels according to my own standards… (which is pretty low by the way…)

 

The bike is, with respect to my frame, heavy, at 269 kg. The center of mass is low, so as soon as the bike gathers a bit of forward momentum, it is easily manageable. Turn-in response is almost immediate and flicking from side to side can be made quickly despite its weight, thanks to the use of 17 in wheels. The bike’s stability in a straight line and when keel over is pretty good, due to its long wheel base and wide rear tyre. However, the kerb feelers underneath the floorboards scrapes easily. The floorboards are mounted on hinges, and if that amount of movement is used up, you are leaning way, way over. One must remember this is not a sport bike. It helps a bit if the rear shock preload are crank up to its maximum setting(there are 7), but the ride quality, given my light weight, feels harsh and the bike will pogo over bumps. The front forks are non-adjustable. At ultra low crawling speed, the bike has a tendency to ‘fall in’ when doing U-turns. Hmm… seems like my phobias are coming back…

 

Pulling power from standstill is very good even when carrying pillion under normal drive mode. The engine/transmission behavior is not unlike that of a car’s CVT. With smooth transition all the way to the final ratios. But shutting the throttle suddenly is a bit unsettling due to the high engine braking effect. You hardly need to use the brakes unless you need to come to a complete stop or during emergency. The reason for the high braking effect is due to the nature of this HFT transmission. The power drive is from the engine to a hydraulic pump, then to a hydraulic motor connected by shaft to the rear wheels. Once the throttle is shut off, the rear wheels will then drive the hydraulic motor, effectively turning it into a pump. The trick is to control the throttle movement smoothly during acceleration as well as decelerating. I think it’s a matter of getting used to it…

 

I shall return…

[bernardk]

The ride sounds like my Super Magna. Dude you have to trust yourself at U-turns. Mabbe you really have phobia thats why.

[driftbaker]

i like ur review.. detailed n specific. thanks for sharing!

[biting_point]

Similar Threads merged..

 

Ups for this mega beast..

[RoboTech]

OT a bit…

 

Aiyah… the reason for my phobia of tight U-turns is an embarrassing situation many, many years ago… I was riding my six cylinder behemoth CBX-T towards the end of Punggol road and proceed to make a right U-turn… then the engine stalled… and down I went, right in front of a bus stop full of on-lookers… malu man… I quickly righted the bike, start the engine and sped off… stopping in a carpark some distance away to assess my bike and my own (ego)damage… if you go to Looi’s, you can still see my old CBX-T in his workshop…AZ***E

 

Ok, back to topic…

 

Honda DN-01 (First wet weather ride)

 

Glad that some of you find the reviews interesting. But do bear with me… the amount of mileage clocked is pretty low. My bike is used for daily transit to work and back with hopefully, weather permitting, occasional trip during weekends… not that I have that many weekends with the bike since…

 

Finally, the wet weather has caught up with me… as usual, it rain heavily after I have given the bike its first wash yesterday… aarghhhh! Thank goodness the DN-01 is fairly easy to clean. The wide spokes of the wheels allow for ease of cleaning between them. That cannot be said of the radiator fins and a compress air gun is the only way to effectively clean them (I suppose all bikes with radiators had this problem). What is peculiar about riding in the rain on this bike is that as the cooling fan cuts in, it blows a lot of steam out the front of the radiator and up through the opening in the cowling for the front fork, and due to the slope of the fairing, right in front of your helmet. This causes your visor to seriously fogged up. Maybe I need to ride faster…

 

Ah well… have to give the bike a quick wash and hopes the weather holds…

[Arcfire]

Excellent reviews.....

 

So tempting to own one...... but no $$

[Simple001]

Sounds like there are plenty of flaws from your review. If the visor fogs seriously, then this is a safety issue!

 

Generally a rider should be sitting upright and if there are hot steam streaming from the engine, it should have cooled before reaching the rider. Could you confirm if you are not sitting tilted towards the vents?

[RoboTech]

Sounds like there are plenty of flaws from your review. If the visor fogs seriously, then this is a safety issue!

 

Generally a rider should be sitting upright and if there are hot steam streaming from the engine, it should have cooled before reaching the rider. Could you confirm if you are not sitting tilted towards the vents?

 

Ok, for one thing, there are no vents on the bike. Steam enamating from the engine after water has splash onto its casing dispersed normally. It is those steam coming from the radiator after the cooling fan has cut in. The open space in the cowling for the fork movement, like those of the Goldwing, channelled the hot air/steam towards the handlebar. This plus the slower speed I travel in the rain causes the steam to be directed at the rider's helmet. That's why I mentioned maybe I travel too slowly, at higher speed, the steam may hit only at the rider's chest. And also, at higher speed there will be greater airflow to the radiator, thus the cooling fan may not need to cut in.

 

For another thing, this is a good bike, so far, but far from being perfect. That's the problem being the first to own new bikes, first also to face such potential safety problems.

 

And also a third, I was wearing an open face helmet with the visor down, so all the hot air and steam got 'trap' in front of my face. Maybe a full face helmet will not have such problem...

 

Stay tuned...

[bernardk]

You mean the steam flow up while you are riding or stop at traffic light? If its when you stop at traffic light then its ok. Same as Super Magna.

[RoboTech]

You mean the steam flow up while you are riding or stop at traffic light? If its when you stop at traffic light then its ok. Same as Super Magna.

 

Yes, only when stopped at traffic lights or crawling along in jams and the cooling fan cuts in. Not an issue at higher speed.

[RoboTech]

Honda DN-01

 

Sorry about the long break folks, I was seriously down and out for a really bad case of flu…

 

Ok. This is what some of you are waiting for. Fuel consumption. The FC was calculated to be 15.3 km/l for my first tank refill. This value should be pretty normal for short distance travel and frequent start/stop with no highway use. The fuel gauge consists of six LCD bars with the last bar, if blinking, indicating reserve and is hopelessly non-linear. The first two bars disappear for every 40 km per bar or so, then for the next few km, the third and fourth bar simultaneously disappear. And it takes another 80 km just for the fifth bar to go. Another 15 km later, the last bar starts to blink. From full tank to reserve, the distance traveled is around 175 km. Hopefully, with constant highway use and more mileage to the engine, 250 km can be achieved between fill ups. We’ll see…