Kawasaki Concours Forum
Riding => It's not a Concours - other Bikes => Topic started by: ptarman on May 13, 2011, 08:45:29 AM
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I'm an early adopter of the Honda NT700V, a lighter, slower sport-touring bike. I traded my old Connie, TumbleToo, in on "Dudley Deauville" last April. He's got almost 22,000 miles on him now and did the first IBA-certified ride (a SS1K) last April 30-May1. I've taken a 4200 mile trip with the bike, and will be going to the first-ever NT-Owners Club National Rally in Hill City, SD, at the end of June (You're all invited, BTW). If anyone's got questions about this bike, I'm willing to try to answer them, and would also invite you to cross-join...be members or guests over at www.NT-Owners.org (http://www.NT-Owners.org).
(http://)
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It's the "Dull-ville". ;D
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5 speeds and expensive.
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Too expensive for what it is. Even with the big discounts on the holdbacks, the dealers still can't sell them.
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Hey Phil, glad you're enjoying the bike. I trust it doesn't tumble as easily, nor as often, as your previous couple of rides? ;)
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Luv the 'HMW' .... does anybody ask 'how's the Beemer'?
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Pokey, believe me, it ain't dull.
George and booger, It may sound expensive -- if you're only comparing price. But if you're looking for something that provides what you want, the NT was the only bike that provided exactly what I wanted. The five-speed is a non-issue. The gear ratios are beautifully spaced and match the engine's power curve. I hardly ever shift to my non-existent 6th...sure not as often as I did to my non-existent 7th on the C-10. I'm guessing that neither of you have ridden one. As far as sales figures, the '10s are nearly gone and according to a Honda District Manager on the NT-Owners Forum, Honda is very pleased with the NT sales numbers. The '11 NTs will all be ABS and will be hitting dealerships in the next month or so.
And, Eunumclaw, so far I've only dropped it twice. Once was driver error. Once I was pushing it back out of a friends garage and didn't have enough momentum to push out of the deep gutter at the bottom of his 4' long "driveway."
And the HMW roundel gets all kinds of questions: "What kind of BMW is that? "Does Honda make BMWs now?" "Have Honda and BMW merged?"
Same kind of questions I used to get with the green and white KMW roundel on my Connie.
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my dad almost got one of those. a tad pricey for what you get though.
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So I reckon the nickname "Dull-ville" has been wrongly given huh? ;) Hey..... all that matters is that you like your over-priced HONDA, seems they are pretty good touring machines, but I like a bit more pizazz and performance out of my bikes.
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Aren't the side cases connected together? I mean having a passage between them. Just wondering if you could put a fishing pole in there. Congrats on the bike.
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I looked at one at a dealer and yes,the bags are connected with a tunnel that's probably large enough for a tightly rolled inflatable pad.
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I have a good friend just just bought one a couple of months ago. We just got back from a trip out west and he averaged over 50 miles per gallon. He had no trouble keeping up with my Concours and with the wind we experienced I got no where near 50 mpg.
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So I reckon the nickname "Dull-ville" has been wrongly given huh? ;)
Honda gets that bad wrap from building bikes that are so with sorted out and passively intuitive that they are deemed bland or boring; as to Kawasaki building bikes with more raw unrefined power and slightly more basic lay outs.
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Honda gets that bad wrap from building bikes that are so with sorted out and passively intuitive that they are deemed bland or boring; as to Kawasaki building bikes with more raw unrefined power and slightly more basic lay outs.
Don't forget over-priced too. ;)
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Been intrigued since Honda started offering the NT700V. As far as I know, this is the cheapest shaft drive motorcycle with ABS. Unless my financial situation changes dramatically, it will probably be my next new bike. REALLY like the Concours 14 ABS, but MSRP is $4,600 more than the NT700V ABS. :'(
I didn’t like the silver color on the ABS model. To me it looks like unpainted metal, the color would seem to be invisible in traffic. Looks like the Color for 2011 is now Pearl Black. Nice.
I’m concerned about it being underpowered compared to my C-10. Also understand that headlight lamp replacement and rear tire changes are a nightmare. All the Tupperware has to come off for the headlight lamp replacement! Motorcyclist magazine had one of these as a long term test bike.
http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/howto/doing_time/122_1105_honda_nt700v_abs/index.html
(http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/howto/doing_time/122_1105_honda_nt700v_abs/index.html)
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Being fortunate to have access to a few different bikes, I've found that most of them have their endearing qualites. I like the NT, but it would take a few changes to get me serious:
Honda's C-ABS from the CBR's instead of the old-school ABS now available
Higher-spec, fully adjustable suspension
Wider rear wheel/tire, at least a 160/60, preferably a 180/55
Stronger powerplant. Perhaps the old RC51 engine revived, or a 750-800cc version of the same
[edit] a six-speed transmission with a taller top gear to go along with the stronger engine would be nice
Having had a couple of SV's (a 650, then a 1000), I have become a fan of V-twins, though many of the cruiser motors don't do much for me. The NT's current motor has a lot going for it, but power is not it's best attribute.
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I have a good friend just just bought one a couple of months ago. We just got back from a trip out west and he averaged over 50 miles per gallon. He had no trouble keeping up with my Concours and with the wind we experienced I got no where near 50 mpg.
That is good information to have. I commute on the connie, so that is a serious factor to consider.
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I like it. Definitely on my short-list of possible Concours replacements.
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Phil, it is good to see you made it to the new site. Congratulations on the bike. It sounds like you are really enjoying it. Stay safe and have a great season. Bless you
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Yeah, guys, I wish it had more power. I wish it had the V-4 engine. (I don't particularly wish it had 6-speeds, at least not with this engine. The 5-speed is very good and the gear ratios work great).
I really wish it was cheaper. But, other than that, it's the bike that I needed and wanted, for a price I could afford. I spent quite a bit of money making it fit me a bit better and better-suited to long trips, but there simply wasn't anything else I could find that fit my desires and needs as well. So if you guys are happy on your C-14s, I'm glad. I wouldn't have been.
I was very happy on my C-10 for 11 years and 165,000 miles, but I was ready for something that was better-suited to an old, fat, cripple. The NT works for me.
I'll continue to be glad to answer any questions you may have. And I'll read disparaging opinions with a smile. From now on, I won't respond to those. All of us are entitled to opinions. I like your bikes. But I like mine better.
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We can't (yet) get that model in Canada. How would it compare to the BMW f800st?
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I've ridden with Phil on his new twin, he keeps right up. It sounds different (two cylinders) and the fairing isn't as large as the barn door on the C-10, but it's a cool bike none the less. Riding two up fully loaded into a headwind might be a problem, especially on the interstates. Unsure of alternator output, but Phil has electrics, add-on lights, GPS, and I think an espresso machine.
Saddle bags do have a pass-through section from one side to the other. I think it'd be large enough for a cane, or 3-4 piece travel fishing rod, but not a set of crutches or a fly rod.
In many ways, it's a scaled down Concours.
Would *I* buy one? Maybe.
Rick
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Honda's C-ABS from the CBR's instead of the old-school ABS now available
I'm not sure what the difference is between the C-ABS I've got on my NT and C-ABS on the CBR.
Are you?
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Unsure of alternator output, but Phil has electrics, add-on lights, GPS, and I think an espresso machine.
Saddle bags do have a pass-through section from one side to the other. I think it'd be large enough for a cane, or 3-4 piece travel fishing rod, but not a set of crutches or a fly rod.
In many ways, it's a scaled down Concours.
Would *I* buy one? Maybe.
Rick
I have learned the limits of the alternator. When I have the Honda heated grips on #5 (that's the blister your palms mode, wattage unknown), my heated jacket turned up all the way (90 watts), the Denali LED lights on (10 W), GPS (? W, but it can't be much, and add the 2nd 55W bulb when I turn on high-beam, the LEDs on the heated grips start to blink. When I check voltage then, it's down around 13.1-13.3V.
If I take the 55W of the high beam light out, the LEDs stop blinking and the voltage is 14.1-14.2V. If I turn the hand grips down to the #3 of the 5 intensities available, I can leave the high beam on and keep the voltage up.
The alternator puts out 428A, and it looks to me like the required electrical load for the bike itself, no farkles, must be around 183A.
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Honda's C-ABS from the CBR's instead of the old-school ABS now available
I'm not sure what the difference is between the C-ABS I've got on my NT and C-ABS on the CBR.
Are you?
The NT uses the 3-piston 296mm rotor linked brakes that Honda has used for quite a while. Their new system on the CBR's has much more advanced electronics, is essentially "invisible" to the rider, links all the pistons (instead of just the center ones) when needed. Look for reviews on the CBR's for more info. I believe the info is also on the Honda site. Basically, the brakes are only linked or ABS'd when you really need it, and not when you don't want it.
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Thanks for that info. So far, for me, the system I've got on the NT has worked flawlessly. I was concerned about having the linked brakes, but haven't noticed any downsides (or upsides, either, for that matter). I may have activated the ABS once, and, if I did, I could barely tell it was pulsing.
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The biggest complaint I would have is it's only 700CC, Honda should have at least made it 1000 cc.
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Joe, They built it for Europe; it's sold very well there for years. And if they'd made it a 700cc bike, it would have not fit the niche that it owns: a small, shaft-drive, sport-touring bike.
I wouldn't have been interested in it if had been a 1000cc bike.
You've got several of those you can look at: the new Ninja 1000, the MG Norge, old C-10s, etc. There isn't another 700cc bike with weather protection, good bags, and a shaft drive.
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I looked at that bike too, it was to replace my wife's Shadow VLX-DLX 600. But she wasn't riding much now with 2 kids......