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.

It's the "Dull-ville".

5 speeds and expensive.

Too expensive for what it is.  Even with the big discounts on the holdbacks, the dealers still can't sell them.

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?   

Luv the 'HMW' .... does anybody ask  'how's the Beemer'?

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.

my dad almost got one of those.  a tad pricey for what you get though.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

I like it. Definitely on my short-list of possible Concours replacements.

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

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.