Honda NT700V/650V Deuville

[bluesurfer]

i am riding a s4 currently. i was thinking if its wise to get a deauville? chain if spoil its inexpensive to change. but shaft jam will be costly right? other than that, what would be the thing that would cost me?

[bluesurfer]

double posted.

[rayyim]

My Deauville is almost 8 years old and has never had a problem with the shaft drive. I have only changed the shaft oil once in Aug this year. I service my bike engine oil only once a year but my mileage is quite low, only about 50,000km now. Seems like the bike has taken a lot of abuse from me. I have changed my rectifier once. Other parts changed are wear and tear parts like brake pads, tires. Currently having a bit of problem with the fuel cock or fuel pump. My fuel reserve switch does not seem to be working as my bike will stall if the fuel level is less than 5-6 litres. Perhaps it the fuel pump problem. The simple solution is to pump petrol more often so that the fuel level does not run low. Other than that, it is an excellent commuter bike with a smooth engine and very little mechanical problem.

[goomeister]

i am riding a s4 currently. i was thinking if its wise to get a deauville? chain if spoil its inexpensive to change. but shaft jam will be costly right? other than that, what would be the thing that would cost me?

 

I think this whole "shaft jam" problem is overblown.

 

Maintenance of the shaft drive couldn't possibly be any easier. Every other EO, just drain the old oil and top up with SAE80 EO.

 

The main issue is rather the rider is too used to chain-drive. When it comes to shaft-drive, you can't just "pop" the clutch for a blistering 8000rpm blast off the stop line. You have to change gears like how you would for a manual transmission car, steadily.

 

When you tried to "pop" the clutch on any shaft-drive bike, the results would be disastrous.

 

In my 1st review on this bike, I was very mindful of this issue and was kind disappointed that I may be leaving behind my days of blistering S4 rocket take-offs.

 

However, with more practice and experience on the deauville, you will leave most sedans 10 metres behind by the time you get past 2nd gear.

 

The shaft on my bike is 11 year-old and its still ticking along nicely. If you factor in the costs of lubing and changing the chains, it pretty much boils down to the same costs. The consequences of a chain giving way is not cheaper too.

 

End of the day, its your call. Do you like lubing your chain every few days and cleaning your wheels frequently or would you prefer to the hassle-free mess-free convenience of a shaft-drive?

 

You need to change your S4 riding mindset if you are interested in the Deauville.

 

For more power play, look elsewhere for better options.

 

IMHO, this 650 seemed a good fit for local roads.

 

My personal experience:

 

I went from S4 Ver S to ST1100. Exhilarating initially for the 1st few months but the bulk of the ST1100 proves to be a big minus for me. Its simply too tiring to weld this formidable beast day after day for simple commuting. I often find myself balking at the idea of riding the ST home after 16 hours of work. But this bike is really great when it comes to jaunts up north.

 

Someone once told me that 600cc is just right for local roads. So when I came across a 2nd-hand Deauville on sale, I decided to try it out for commuting purposes.

 

I found it a perfect fit for my commuting needs.

 

Compared to the soprano growl of the S4, the Deauville is a lot more sedate.

 

When you are tired after a day's work, the Deauville's chugga-chugga rhythm is lot more soothing on your soul. Lets put it this way, for the first few days of my ride, I had to keep looking at my tachometer to shift gears cos the deauville's engine was way too quiet compared to my previous S4.

 

80-90kmh Deauville's barely ticking.

 

110-120kmh comfortable cruising.

 

Its a matter of personal riding style.

 

Deauville's not a hot rod. It will not roar. Its not a cruiser.

 

It is heavy compared to other 600cc bikes. But this also means its very stable given its long wheel base.

 

You ride at a commanding height in a very comfortable posture. (I even raised my handle bar by a couple inches and I ride with a straight back.)

 

The seat is wide and comfortable (Even with a passenger behind you). There is definitely no lack of stowage space after you add a 45l top box.

 

A 19L tank will last you for at least 300km (more if you go easy on the throttle.)

 

The downside?

 

- Forget about racing other bikes or soup'ed up cars.

 

- Little available accessories.

 

- The fairing's very brittle.

 

- You will probably need a lot of work on the bike if you get your deauville 2nd-hand.

 

But once you get past all these wear'n'tear issues, you will find the Deauville very reliable.

[Firedragon]

Dear my fellow Deauville bros,

 

Please check out the following Deauville website. Google translation can aid your readings. http://hankeln.net/freizeit/nt650v5/index.html

[goomeister]

After the recent spate of thunderstorms, I am thinking about installing a pair of handguards like this.

 

 

What do you guys think?

[fishtan]

I think this whole "shaft jam" problem is overblown.

 

Maintenance of the shaft drive couldn't possibly be any easier. Every other EO, just drain the old oil and top up with SAE80 EO.

 

The main issue is rather the rider is too used to chain-drive. When it comes to shaft-drive, you can't just "pop" the clutch for a blistering 8000rpm blast off the stop line. You have to change gears like how you would for a manual transmission car, steadily.

 

When you tried to "pop" the clutch on any shaft-drive bike, the results would be disastrous.

 

In my 1st review on this bike, I was very mindful of this issue and was kind disappointed that I may be leaving behind my days of blistering S4 rocket take-offs.

 

However, with more practice and experience on the deauville, you will leave most sedans 10 metres behind by the time you get past 2nd gear.

 

The shaft on my bike is 11 year-old and its still ticking along nicely. If you factor in the costs of lubing and changing the chains, it pretty much boils down to the same costs. The consequences of a chain giving way is not cheaper too.

 

End of the day, its your call. Do you like lubing your chain every few days and cleaning your wheels frequently or would you prefer to the hassle-free mess-free convenience of a shaft-drive?

 

You need to change your S4 riding mindset if you are interested in the Deauville.

 

For more power play, look elsewhere for better options.

 

IMHO, this 650 seemed a good fit for local roads.

 

My personal experience:

 

I went from S4 Ver S to ST1100. Exhilarating initially for the 1st few months but the bulk of the ST1100 proves to be a big minus for me. Its simply too tiring to weld this formidable beast day after day for simple commuting. I often find myself balking at the idea of riding the ST home after 16 hours of work. But this bike is really great when it comes to jaunts up north.

 

Someone once told me that 600cc is just right for local roads. So when I came across a 2nd-hand Deauville on sale, I decided to try it out for commuting purposes.

 

I found it a perfect fit for my commuting needs.

 

Compared to the soprano growl of the S4, the Deauville is a lot more sedate.

 

When you are tired after a day's work, the Deauville's chugga-chugga rhythm is lot more soothing on your soul. Lets put it this way, for the first few days of my ride, I had to keep looking at my tachometer to shift gears cos the deauville's engine was way too quiet compared to my previous S4.

 

80-90kmh Deauville's barely ticking.

 

110-120kmh comfortable cruising.

 

Its a matter of personal riding style.

 

Deauville's not a hot rod. It will not roar. Its not a cruiser.

 

It is heavy compared to other 600cc bikes. But this also means its very stable given its long wheel base.

 

You ride at a commanding height in a very comfortable posture. (I even raised my handle bar by a couple inches and I ride with a straight back.)

 

The seat is wide and comfortable (Even with a passenger behind you). There is definitely no lack of stowage space after you add a 45l top box.

 

A 19L tank will last you for at least 300km (more if you go easy on the throttle.)

 

The downside?

 

- Forget about racing other bikes or soup'ed up cars.

 

- Little available accessories.

 

- The fairing's very brittle.

 

- You will probably need a lot of work on the bike if you get your deauville 2nd-hand.

 

But once you get past all these wear'n'tear issues, you will find the Deauville very reliable.

 

Hwah, this is so true for Deauville! Gone are my S4 days and yes S4 is a very reliable and nice bike as well, but I trade it for shaft drive and comfy ride... sofa on the road, need I say more Also the whole shaft jam issue, really unless you ride it like riding CBR1000 on the track, or try to wheelie the deauville etc, if not I doubt anyone here actually have problem with their shaft drive before.

 

I ride this to work everyday from east to west and within a year clocking almost 30k km, and riding early morning easily at 110km/h, this bike is just perfect... even evening jam along the highway, I still manage to squeeze with all the S4 and most of the time actually over taking them That's just me lah who like to squeeze. The 2 pannier doesn't even cause any obstruction.

 

My only complaint, them brittle fairing!

[hippo]

After the recent spate of thunderstorms, I am thinking about installing a pair of handguards like this.

 

 

What do you guys think?

You can forget about it ,as I have try to install this before, and it will hit the front fairing.

[Honda Rider]

After the recent spate of thunderstorms, I am thinking about installing a pair of handguards like this.

 

 

What do you guys think?

 

Well, the other alternative is to wear a pair of waterproof gloves while riding in heavy rain. The gloves had served me well during a few of my trips up north and is not a hindrance at all, simultaneously it provides ample protection just in case of any falls.

[goomeister]

You can forget about it ,as I have try to install this before, and it will hit the front fairing.

 

Oh yar, I just realised it too. Our handles nearly touched the side mirror in "locked" position...

[goomeister]

Well, the other alternative is to wear a pair of waterproof gloves while riding in heavy rain. The gloves had served me well during a few of my trips up north and is not a hindrance at all, simultaneously it provides ample protection just in case of any falls.

 

Guess I just have to buy a pair of water-proof gloves then. Any suggestions?

 

Which ones are you wearing anyway?

[redlavita]

Happy New Year 2011 to all Bros

Celebrating the New Year with my new babe! Yahooooooeee !

Edited January 1, 2011 by redlavita

[hippo]

well done brother, wish all brother all the best in 2011

[goomeister]

Its the 4th day of 2011 and I am still stuck with the same old clutch cable problem from 2010.

 

Man... it can be tedious dealing with a mech who's trying to help you save money.

 

When the end-cap on my cable hose broke, I brought it to the mech who devised a temporary fix while he arranged for a new clutch cable from Honda. It will only take a couple of days for the cable to arrive, he says.

 

A couple of days later (on Xmas Eve), I contacted him only to find out that he did not order the cable at all, thinking the temp fix could hold on longer.

 

I told him that his temp fix is not holding out as I have to keep tightening the clutch cable a bit more every day. The temp fix is not going to last anything more than a week before I find myself struggling to get into Neutral. (You guys should know lah, You can't find Neutral, you cannot start the bike at all.)

 

2nd day of the New Year. I've already max'ed the screws on my clutch cable (the part near the clutch cable.). There's too much free play on the clutch lever. Its getting more and more difficult to change my gear. No longer able to find Neutral while the engine is running. Had to resort to shifting into 2nd and killing the engines before making that last light tap into Neutral, praying hard that you dun kick into 1st.

 

(Cos that's why you know you will be push-starting your 240kg bike at the end of the day for the ride home...)

 

Called my mech again and it turns out, he did not order the part again. Sibei WTF!!

 

Eh, its only farking $40 leh. Its not even two full tanks of petrol for me. Need to save until like this meh?

 

Now I have to wait another 1-2 days for this clutch cable again. Biangz... simple problem can be solved within 2 days, now 2 weeks already... *piak my forehead*

 

If I had known, I would have just gone down to the dealer and buy the darn cable myself.

[hippo]

Its the 4th day of 2011 and I am still stuck with the same old clutch cable problem from 2010.

 

Man... it can be tedious dealing with a mech who's trying to help you save money.

 

When the end-cap on my cable hose broke, I brought it to the mech who devised a temporary fix while he arranged for a new clutch cable from Honda. It will only take a couple of days for the cable to arrive, he says.

 

A couple of days later (on Xmas Eve), I contacted him only to find out that he did not order the cable at all, thinking the temp fix could hold on longer.

 

I told him that his temp fix is not holding out as I have to keep tightening the clutch cable a bit more every day. The temp fix is not going to last anything more than a week before I find myself struggling to get into Neutral. (You guys should know lah, You can't find Neutral, you cannot start the bike at all.)

 

2nd day of the New Year. I've already max'ed the screws on my clutch cable (the part near the clutch cable.). There's too much free play on the clutch lever. Its getting more and more difficult to change my gear. No longer able to find Neutral while the engine is running. Had to resort to shifting into 2nd and killing the engines before making that last light tap into Neutral, praying hard that you dun kick into 1st.

 

(Cos that's why you know you will be push-starting your 240kg bike at the end of the day for the ride home...)

 

Called my mech again and it turns out, he did not order the part again. Sibei WTF!!

 

Eh, its only farking $40 leh. Its not even two full tanks of petrol for me. Need to save until like this meh?

 

Now I have to wait another 1-2 days for this clutch cable again. Biangz... simple problem can be solved within 2 days, now 2 weeks already... *piak my forehead*

 

If I had known, I would have just gone down to the dealer and buy the darn cable myself.

 

Oh no, may be you like to call more1978, may be he has use one for you to fix up 1st

[redlavita]

Bro goomeister

sorry to hear about your encounter,

cant imagine without clutch control when coming to a halt

must be agonising.

Hope you have solved your problem by now.

[holugyi]

can use phaton's clutch cable, I m using now..

[goomeister]

can use phaton's clutch cable, I m using now..

 

Seriously? The phantom's clutch cable actually works the same?

 

I have gotta to try this out some day!

 

Mech's probably feeling guilty about making me push start my bike for two days. He actually took the trouble to hustle the clutch cable from his dealer right after I make an early morning complain call.

 

And here's the culprit. (sorry for the poor image quality; arms still trembling from the effort of pushing starting the bike for the 2nd time in the same day.)

 

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/2747/img20110104171228.jpg

 

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

See that "washer" dangling in the middle? Its supposed to part of the end cap.

 

The clutch cable is still perfectly intact (used for nearly 11 years according to my mech who started servicing it some 7 years ago.)

 

The end cap just broke after years of constant flexing whenever you work the clutch lever. Gee... you could build this part stronger you know? Maybe use something tougher like titanium?

 

Or just build them from whatever materials you use to make those clutch cables! =p

 

Here's what its supposed to look like, brand-new

 

http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/2573/img20110104171242.jpg

 

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

Never thought its so shiok to have perfectly working clutch cable again.

 

I have to tell Honda this again. Give me the HFT option for your next Deauville please!

Edited January 4, 2011 by goomeister

[more1978]

looks small problem, how come so troublesome?

but only from the pic, not all the problem shown, maybe not so simple...

[rayyim]

Hi, Groomeister.

 

You should try my mechanic, Ah Siong at Yi Yang Motorshop at the corner of Clementi Road and Pasir Panjang Road. He's been servicing my bikes for the last 13 years and he is quite familiar with Deauville. Usually, he would get the parts on the same day the repair needs to be done or the next day at the latest if they are available. In some cases, he would use parts from other models if they are compatible. He also rides 2 classic Suzukis. One of them is more than 20 years old and he still rides it up to Thailand.

[goomeister]

Hi, Groomeister.

 

You should try my mechanic, Ah Siong at Yi Yang Motorshop at the corner of Clementi Road and Pasir Panjang Road. He's been servicing my bikes for the last 13 years and he is quite familiar with Deauville. Usually, he would get the parts on the same day the repair needs to be done or the next day at the latest if they are available. In some cases, he would use parts from other models if they are compatible. He also rides 2 classic Suzukis. One of them is more than 20 years old and he still rides it up to Thailand.

 

Biangz! Wished I had made my complaint earlier. Yi Yang Motorshop is like 30 secs ride from my company!

[rayyim]

Tell Ah Siong that the owner of the Green Honda Deauville recommended you. If you drop off your bike in the morning, it usually will be fixed by the afternoon.

 

Once you get to know him, he is really friendly.

 

Where do you work? I live just a few streets away at Pasir Panjang Close.

[goomeister]

Tell Ah Siong that the owner of the Green Honda Deauville recommended you. If you drop off your bike in the morning, it usually will be fixed by the afternoon.

 

Once you get to know him, he is really friendly.

 

Where do you work? I live just a few streets away at Pasir Panjang Close.

 

I work inside the port area so Yi Yang Motorshop is really near my workplace.

 

I noticed this bike shop b4. Din really pay much attention to it. But now since you say the mech's familar with Deauville hor..

 

See how, next week maybe I will just drop by and chit-chat a bit with the mech there. Would be nice to have a convenient place for emergency repairs.

 

Thanks for the tip!

[fishtan]

Aiyo just a clutch cable become such a problem for you - goomeister. I have learnt my lesson that bike shop normally get parts from like 1-2 dealers and if they don't have then that's it, you wait... but after learning from Mao Mao, I have learn to go get the parts myself and then my mechanic fix it if I can not do it myself. And so far I have discover that for Deauville parts I will go to Eversuccess first and if they don't have then go Chong Aik and if they don't have then finally go Boon Siew. And the price goes up as you move up this chain of suppliers! haha

 

As preventive maintenance, I will be changing clutch and trottle cable soon. Spoil no spoil just change lah, the bike is 10 years old already lah and I doubt the previous 2 owner change them before.

 

Side note, this morning at 8+ along AYE near NUS, serious accident man, cab kia motor rider die, clash with a trailer! I only saw the body cover with white cloth on the road. Jam all the way to Shear Bridge man. So ride safe everyone.

[rayyim]

I work inside the port area so Yi Yang Motorshop is really near my workplace.

 

I noticed this bike shop b4. Din really pay much attention to it. But now since you say the mech's familar with Deauville hor..

 

See how, next week maybe I will just drop by and chit-chat a bit with the mech there. Would be nice to have a convenient place for emergency repairs.

 

Thanks for the tip!

 

Ah Siong does not carry most parts, but he know where to get them. If you drop off your bike for repair in the morning, he will usually get the part later in the morning and the bike will be ready for collection in the afternoon or evening. Mechanics usually get a trade discount, so it is not necessarily cheaper if you get the parts yourself.