Honda NC700X

[goomeister]

Hello,

 

Finally got my NC700XD last Friday. *2 thumbs up*

 

Full review will be up in a few days' time.

 

omg... 29+km/l!

[nudgedoink]

;7860833']boon siew? got try hunt around shops? they might have ready stock...

 

yea boon siew.. havent go shop hunting yet cos actually not planning to buy till a couple of months later. just asked boon siew thru online enquiry only. Btw, whats the meaning of the models NC700XD and NC700XA?

[GuiNNeSS]

knn so fast ah...........

 

 

;7861013']engine guard not available liao...

managed to get a top rack

[malimd43]

Hi All, new NC rider here... very very new in this bike...!

[Wizard]

Hi All, new NC rider here... very very new in this bike...!

 

hi.. by chance yours is a red nc w fbh plate? i saw a fellow nc zomming past me as i come out of pie bedok exit.. the rider then turn left at the junction.

[Wizard]

knn so fast ah...........

 

chan informed that becoz shops ordered from him as well.. he need to pass some to them.. but next stock in next week.. hopefully there is enough.

[Wizard]

i see.. guess most of the peeps here would like to know.

 

alas.. but so far i think only 1 or 2 pple got the skidplate.. haven seen others getting.

[malimd43]

;7861600']hi.. by chance yours is a red nc w fbh plate? i saw a fellow nc zomming past me as i come out of pie bedok exit.. the rider then turn left at the junction.

 

yah that me... i guess...

[ah_xian]

Hi nudgedoingk,

 

Below is the NC700X classifcation.

 

nc700x - [base model]

nc700xa - [base model + ABS]

nc700xd - [dct - dual clutch transmission + ABS]

 

yea boon siew.. havent go shop hunting yet cos actually not planning to buy till a couple of months later. just asked boon siew thru online enquiry only. Btw, whats the meaning of the models NC700XD and NC700XA?

[CKC]

Hello,

 

Finally got my NC700XD last Friday. *2 thumbs up*

 

Full review will be up in a few days' time.

 

omg... 29+km/l!

 

welcome and congrats on ur new ride

[anodise57]

ANother one.....OMG.... itchy...... itchy

[homiaoli]

Bro, Looi's have a red DCT at level 2 now.

Wah I call agent they tell me for the dct model must book and wait 3-4mths aft placing a 25% deposit.

[Scarab]

HO EH!!!!!

 

 

When u coming to find me, boss??

 

When I level up my Vitamin M...

[yinghai]

Dct owners, do write a review on the dct model.

Edited February 28, 2013 by yinghai

[legend37]

Hi All, new NC rider here... very very new in this bike...!

Same here bro! Btw did u mange to get d skid plate?

[nudgedoink]

Hi nudgedoingk,

 

Below is the NC700X classifcation.

 

nc700x - [base model]

nc700xa - [base model + ABS]

nc700xd - [dct - dual clutch transmission + ABS]

ahh thanks alot.. much clearer to me now.

Bro, Looi's have a red DCT at level 2 now.

hm, looking for white one preferably. no rush also. hopefully by mid yr more ready stocks.. dont really like the idea of putting downpayment and wait for 5mths. =|

[goomeister]

Dct owners, do write a review on the dct model.

 

Review's coming up. Will try to put it up by Friday afternoon.

 

In the meanwhile, I managed to replicate that DCT failure to engage "D" mode youtube video another bro put up earlier in the thread.

 

It is as simple as leaving the side-stand in the down position.

 

While the DCT ECU will allow you to start the bike engine with the side-stand down, it refuses to let you engage the "D" mode unless you lift up the side-stand.

 

Its a safety feature, not a bug as implied in that youtube video.

[kmjoe]

See you guys 8pm tonight at Carl's Jr @ Big Splash ECP ! hope the weather is in our favour~

[GuiNNeSS]

later call n reserve liao............

 

 

;7861601']chan informed that becoz shops ordered from him as well.. he need to pass some to them.. but next stock in next week.. hopefully there is enough.

[GuiNNeSS]

y wait?? BUY!!! BUY!!! BUY!! haha~~~~

 

 

ANother one.....OMG.... itchy...... itchy

[GuiNNeSS]

enjoy ourselves gotta to work sianz............ next time if can do on mon best~~~~

 

 

See you guys 8pm tonight at Carl's Jr @ Big Splash ECP ! hope the weather is in our favour~

[malimd43]

Same here bro! Btw did u mange to get d skid plate?

 

yes i did

[anodise57]

When I level up my Vitamin M...

 

 

No problem.. can visit my FB when u free

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Project-57-Trading/272722146190867?notif_t=fbpage_fan_invite

[goomeister]

Honda NC700XD : A Review after 7 days

or Why you should buy the DCT version of NC700X.

 

http://i.imgur.com/Uzph5Ib.jpg

 

My Sis (aka Bike Noob) : "It looked a lot smaller and slimmer in the online photos. But its not small in real life."

 

My Mechanic (aka Mr "I've seen every bike there is to see") :"Eh, this bike big enough to go with your bui bui build."

 

My Sis: "Hey, it sounds like your ST!"

 

There is something all those HD Youtube videos never captured properly. The sound of this bike.

 

I was a bit concerned as some of those video seemed to make the NC700X sound like a 5 year-old Pulsar clattering into pieces.

 

In real life, there is a pleasant bassy thrumming that accompanies the bike. But its pitched so low, you couldn't hear it beyond 30+ kmh. At least I couldn't.

 

The bike got a "2 thumbs up" from my skeptical mechanic. He was very skeptical about the parallel twin engine. "Honda did that one a long time. It wasn't really successful. Many many problems."

 

He pointed out a few vulnerable points in the NC700X engine design.

 

One of his customers had gave him a few high-res print-outs of the bike's cut-away design. There was something about some tiny little rocker arms/lever thingies that is prone to failure at high stress. And the camshaft drives the water pump directly. If our water pump fails, it is a B.I.G. problem involving the camshaft.

 

i.e. You are gonna get shafted big-time when the repair bills come.

 

Therefore, stop riding the NC700X like a sports bike and treat it like a commuter bike.

 

But that was last year when I told him about my purchase.

 

Now, its a totally different deal.

 

What Power Curve?

 

You don't talk about horsepower when it comes to the NC700X or XD. Its all down to the torque for this bike.

 

"Awwhhh... the power drops after 5000 rpm... Lousy."

 

Read The Freakin' Manual! Honda never promise sports bike performance for this bike.

 

Pity, you should have read the fine print first. Or at least spent a few mins googling "Honda NC700X review". You could have saved yourself S$18-22k.

 

It is all about the torque. Max torque at 4750rpm. And its a pretty flat torque. The torque at 3000rpm is pretty close to the max torque at 4750rpm.

 

3000 is when this bike starts getting lively and into its stride.

 

So what you get is a wicked pull from the engine 3000-4750rpm. Make use of this range well and you should have no problem out-running most cars on the road.

 

 

My mechanic really liked the DCT 2.0.

 

History note: Honda's 1st DCT appeared on the VRF1200. While its avant-garde technology way ahead of its time, it suffers from poor algo-mapping. Some riders felt the bike has a tendency to surge after every gear change, making for a rather rocky ride.

 

NC700X is using DCT 2.0. Its lighter than DCT 1.0 and apparently a lot more smoother.

 

I would not say its silky smooth. There is a distinct "Tic-tac" sound whenever the gear changes. Others have described it as more of a "clunk" or "clack".

 

Given my lame left ankle, I can only say DCT 2.0 is doing a far better job than me when it comes to gear changes.

 

Yes, I suck at gear changes.

 

I sucked so much at gear changes, I'd actually shaved a couple of seconds from 0-100kmh on the NC700XD when compared to good Ol' me struggling on my ol'ST.

 

The new DCT is not perfect though.

 

In the slow-moving and sometimes erratic peak hour traffic, the "D" mode seemed to face some difficulties in deciding whether you want to go faster or slower. Best to engage the "S" mode in this case since it gives the DCT a firmer grasp of what you need.

 

Honda says the ECU learns from your rides and adapts to your style.

 

And now I must come to the part where I want to convince you to buy the DCT version of the NC700X or NC700XD.

 

You want power, you must make use of the 3000-4750rpm range.

 

You want fuel efficiency, you must short-shift very quickly all the time.

 

 

The only advantage you have on the NC700X? You can coast in neutral gear.

 

You see where I am coming from?

 

In local traffic, riding the manual transmission version seemed to be a rather hectic affair with constant gear changes if you want either power or fuel efficiency.

 

Whereas a DCT would actually make this bike an effortless ride i.e. an ideal commuter bike.

 

Of course, if you think gear-changing is an integral part of a biker's fun, by all means stick to the manual transmission.

 

If you are like me, looking for an easy commute and rather dislike the idea of a scooter, you should seriously consider the DCT option.

 

There is actually a kinda of "bin parts special" feel to this bike. Look more closely and you will recognise many parts.

 

That swing arm... hmmm... looks like it come from the Super four...

 

Gee... Nissin brake calipers... another Super four special... (to be fair, many bike models also use variations of this nissin brakes.).

 

The youtube video where the rider couldn't get the bike to go into "D" mode after starting the engine. To be fair, he never did stated whether he modded the bike in any way.

 

Its easy to replicate the supposed problem in the video. Just leave your side-stand down before you start the engine. The engine wouldn't start at all. Because your side-stand is still down.

 

The tiny wind shield. Lets face it, it had only 1 purpose: to protect the multi-function LCD meter.

 

While I've read about how many other fans are fixing humogous 3rd-party or home-made wind-shield. I think I am just going to keep it stock. I kinda like how I can keep my full-face helmet open at low speed... say, up to 60kmh. There is no buffeting at all. Just a clean breeze blowing past your face.

 

With my ST, I had to keep my visor down whenever I get past 2nd gear. The wind streaming past the top of the extended tall wind shield had a nasty habit of hitting me in the face full force.

 

With the stock wind shield on the NC700XD, I have no such problems at all.

 

Ahh.... To feel the gentle breeze in your face again...

 

And also the wind breezing past your shins... gives me that "omg... my lower regions are no longer protected" feeling...

 

The superb balance.

 

The shorter wheel base.

 

The fat wheels.

 

The fantastic fuel consumption.

 

I saw 29km/l for my 1st tank. With a bit of light throttling, I managed 31.29km/l for my 2nd tank. Not bad for a DCT eh?

 

The fake tank is pretty big, fits my XXL HJC Full face just nice.

 

The all-steel fuel cap is rather quaint.

 

The various steel levers and bars that open the back seat for refuelling seemed kinda fragile. Best to put some grease at all the moving parts and joints. And hope for the best in the long run.

 

http://i.imgur.com/LEfLzqw.jpg

 

I am still undecided about the parking handle though.

 

Pull the handle to park (green arrow i.e. locking the wheels). And push the button on the side to release the brakes (red arrow).

 

It is a nice thought from Honda. Since the DCT always shifts to Neutral when you kill the engine, you will need this feature when parking on slopes.

 

Its redundant if you installed a main stand though.

 

The downside?

 

After the Corbin seat on my ol'ST, the NC700X's seat seemed really uncomfortable to me even with the ample natural padding on my butt.

 

After several days of adjusting, the best compromise I've found is a "balls-to-the-front-tank" perch.

 

Hopes the seat gets more comfortable as I break in the bike else I am looking for 3rd party options.

 

Can't imagine trying to ride all the Hatyai on this new seat.

 

But all in all, I really liked this new commute of mine.

 

I did my sums. The savings in petrol bills would probably pay off 1/2 the bike's purchase price over the next 10 years. Ride it another 10 years and the bike's practically free. LOL!

[Uncle]

Thanks for the review. Does it blip the throttle on down shifts for a smoother gear change? I know the more pricey VFR does so due to ride by wire.