The NT can most definitely Outrun any cruiser in the twisties, It can carry alot more corner speed therefore overcoming the power deficit. I haven't drug the pegs on my wife's NT yet, but sure that it can with the Michelin PR2s.
I agree that in the twisties, the NT will beat a cruiser. When I say "outrun", I'm referring to the straight road ahead at a stoplight. I was test riding an HD FLD (Switchback) today. There is no contest - the FLD smokes my NT when it comes to roll-on acceleration. However, once you actually have to turn into one of D/FW's twisties (the Starbucks parking lot), the NT leaves it for dead.
There are plenty of fun roads in Tarrant county. I almost lost my arm racing a firebird around Ridgemar Mall years ago where River Oaks Blvd starts.
Anyone know a source for the large pannier lids ??? I just started looking for them I'm not a fan of flea bay ...... PB
Wish me luck. I sold my Suzuki C50 last weekend and now I'm starting to learn the NC700X with DCT might not be here until Sept/Oct. There are two dealers here with a leftover 2010 NT700V without ABS they are trying to get rid of, and Honda is offering financing as good as 1.99% through Saturday so I'm going to go look. I was at a motorcycle show a couple of years ago and it seemed to be the most comfortable bike to sit on for my body. I also like that it doesn't seem to need a long list of mods to make up for flaws like some bikes do. Nobody in the area seems to have any others left over. I have a feeling none of them even ordered a 2011. My only big lament is that it only has a 5-speed. My C50 had a five speed and tended to get loud and angry once it hit around 70-72 mph so I rarely drove it that fast or any faster and stayed off the big interstates except when I had to. Are you guys doing ok say up to 75? I am not looking to go fast. I'm just looking to keep up with traffic.
Yep, it will cruise at 80-85 all day, no problem. I also find it quite agile and easy to maneuver through traffic, splitting lanes and darting in and out of parking lots with ease. A really under rated, under appreciated commuting/touring bike IMO.
Hey Maytag, I have an NT700V and I am curious about the NC700X. Then normal manual version should be available in a month. I am really happy with my NT, but honestly, if i was in our shoes I would wait just a few more weeks until you can check out the new NC. It all depends on what you want in a bike. I see the NT and NC as quite a bit different. I don't plan on trading the NT for an NC, but if the NC had been out when I was shopping....... That being said, if you like the NT, don't let the 5 speed be an issue. The 5 speed on the NT is about as perfectly matched to the engine as it could be. If it had a 6 speed you would always be downshifting to accelerate on the highway. The 5 speed puts right where it needs to be to cruise down the highway. Good economy and I usually don't need to downshift if I am above 70 mph. I average 55 mpg on the highway in the windy flint hills of Kansas. I took the bike out west (Colorado and Utah) and found lots of two lane roads marked 60 and 65mph and didn't encounter much wind and averaged ~60mpg. That tells me that 5th gear is an overdrive gear. When I was shopping I compared the NT and vstrom and I looked at the gear ratios and found the 5th gear of the NT was better than the 6th gear of the Vstrom (if I remember correctly).
I looked at an NT this weekend and took a pass for now. I was sitting on it in the show room and finding that my somewhat short-armed hands on the the handle bars left me to have to bend my head up too much to look down the pretend road. Yeah I know they make risers and such to fix problems like that but I feel like I got burned going down that path on my last bike so now I am being super picky. I already sold my last bike and I want to wait for the NC but I'm driving my wife a bit crazy. I ride a ferry as part of my commute and motorcycles get to go to the front of the line. During the summer I have to fight the vacationing tourists to get home on Thursdays and Fridays. So Thursdays and Fridays, cold rain or shine, I'm taking her Vstar 950 to work and have to tell her each night how many times I scrapped her floorboards that day! I also found that I sit rather well on a Versys despite my shorter legs. I just don't like the seat. I found myself sliding front and back and sometimes getting pinched down below in a private way. I live in a town with a good custom seat guy but I have to look at each bike as how much is the bike plus how much time and money is it to fix its flaws. I'm also greatly interested in a Tiger 800 roadie but 2 weekends ago I sat on one and got the dis-concerning look from the wife when my feet barely touched the floor - we have a gravel driveway I have to turn around in. I distinctly remember that not being a problem when I sat on one last year. I get all the way home to learn the seat and handlebars are adjustable. The salesman should of known and said something about that. So this upcoming weekend I will go look at them again but have to drive a county away because the local dealer doesn't have any roadies in stock, but strangely the next dealer over doesn't seem to have any XC's in stock.
Well good luck in your search. I wouldn't let bar risers stop you from buying a good bike. I put 1" bar risers on mine and have even taken them off to back to stock, rode 1000 miles, then but them back on. On the NT you can do 1" bar risers without new cables, so easy to do. We don't have ferrys around here and I have never been on one before. Is space tight? If so that might make the NC700X even better choice for you. I love the "gas tank" storage that hold a helmet. If I had an NC I could fit everything I would need for most days in that space. The tank storage and the better gas mileage are the main reasons I like the NC. The NT storage is nice and still narrow, but will not hold my helmet. The bigger side cases are still the width of the handlebars, but I haven't tried to get a set yet. You have to order them from England because Honda can't be bothered to offer them here.
I went through 2 pair of risers on my last bike and I was still tweaking my back from time to time. After that I couldn't find anything longer and I couldn't find any other handlebars that would make sense. I am being too gun shy and will have to come back around eventually. The NT was still a bit bulky for my actually day-to-day needs. Yeah I have daydreams of touring somewhere so I often gravitate that way. I also have daydreams of having a second bike to go down dirt roads so I often gravitate that way as well. But neither seems to ever happen and the reality is I'm mostly racing to stop lights on wet crappy pavement with seams and tar snakes and Lexus SUVs that merge into my lane without looking. Parking a motorcycle on the ferry depends more or less on how much space you and the guy next to you decide to give each other. Sometimes you have all the room you need. Other times you have to be careful. I do everything I can to avoid brushing against another bike while climbing on or off.
Picked mine up yesterday. Don't have a full licence yet though so at the moment it's an expensive garden ornament.
Just a reminder that fram shows two filters that fit the nt700v. One will get banged by the center stand mid deployment. Make sure to compare filter lengths before you install them.
If anyone know of any long distance ride reports here on advrider where someone have used the NT700 I would love to read that report.
Hey ... Here is a long distance ride report for a NT700 ... altho it's not here on ADVrider ... but it's a nice one http://jimbronson.com/tom/Tom_2012/Toms_Run_2012.htm
Wow, he's really got a lot of gear packed on there. I've never loaded nearly that much stuff, but I guess it did OK, he made there and back.
I was on my Tiger 955i, but saw that guy at D2D this year. Even took a picture for my wife as I bought her an NT last Christmas. He did have alot on that bike.
Hi All, Looking to revive this thread. I picked this NT700 a couple of weeks ago with 3k on the odo. Very happy with it so far!
Greetings from a fellow NT rider Adventurestahl. I think it's one of the best all-around road bikes there are. Not the fastest, or coolest looking, but a great commuter, tourer, daily rider. Comfortable, super reliable, economical to buy and operate. I like machines that are well designed and do what they're supposed to without drama, and that's the NT for sure. Enjoy!