Owners Chat (with pics!): Honda NC700X

[beemerphile]

Originally Posted by rowdymoose

Well crap, I literally just pulled the trigger on that Givi screen! Will be here in about a week...might call to see if I can cancel...still wanting to try that MRA screen but it's on backorder til mid September

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

If you bought it from Revzilla, it can be returned within 30 days. It is a two-minute four screw install. Save the packaging and don't pull the warning stickers off of it until you try it out. I think I would test it first since it is already ordered. Nothing really to lose but return postage.

[rowdymoose]

Originally Posted by beemerphile

If you bought it from Revzilla, it can be returned within 30 days. It is a two-minute four screw install. Save the packaging and don't pull the warning stickers off of it until you try it out. I think I would test it first since it is already ordered. Nothing really to lose but return postage.

No... Bought from the dealer where I bought my bike cause they gave me a discount. Not that it's small money, but yeah ill probably try it out and see how it feels compared to stock.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

[beemerphile]

Here are some pics of the Garmin Zumo 665 GPS mounted on my NC700x. The mount adapter was a universal crossbar mount from Enduro Engineering. The mount is a Touratech MVG lockable designed for extreme vibration. It is overkill for this application, but I had it as a take-off from my Husqvarna TE-610 when it sold.

[turbodieseli4i6]

Tagged!
If I could get a extra set of seat pans I would send one set to Russell day long.

[Grainbelt]

Originally Posted by beemerphile

You beat me by an hour. We certainly do not need two of them. Can the mods merge them or delete mine and we will use yours. How is that done?

I was up early and needed the practice. You can always PM a mod, they are listed at the bottom of the main RW page.

[dduelin]

Mounting my trusty Garmin 2730 on the NC700X. Ram ball on the handlebar riser.



View from the office.

[Maytag Repairman]

Put on my Givi wind screen this afternoon. I was disappointed to discover that in a full left turn of the handle bars the brake reservoir is hitting it. Oh well. I am getting ready to pull the trigger and order some 2" Rox Risers any way. I have had the handlebar in 3 different positions and my middle-aged back still hasn't fully adapated to the new seating position.

BTW, from a CERTIFIED CLUTZ to any other CERTIFIED CLUTZES out there, you will drop at least one of the nylon (or mylar?) washers on the ground while taking off the original wind screen where you will never be able to find them again (especially on a gravel driveway where you have forgotten to put down a tarp) and will end up making a trip to the hardware store to find a substitute.

I don't really need the wind screen right now. I like the full wind the original puts on me wearing my Shoei Multitec but when the rainy season starts again I'm going to appreciate it.

[Maytag Repairman]

I am slightly off the dimple by maybe 2-3 mm. Hardly enough to make a big difference. I loosened the handlebar clamps and dropped the handlebars several degrees until I cleared the windshield by a reasonable gap.

[Maytag Repairman]

Here is my next project's obstacle. I bought the SW Motech engine guards. The instructions looked easy enough. First, remove a bolt on each side of the bike from the plastic cover(s) at the bottom front. Then on the right side of the bike remove a hose clamp. Next remove the bolt behind the hose. It looks like a hefty bugger. Took a 19mm socket to get on it if I remember correctly. There isn't much clearance between the wrench and the bike and it felt like it was on there pretty tight. I was afraid I might ding something on the side of the bike with the wrench if I had to really put my back into getting it off. It will have to wait until I pick up a socket extension for more clearance. Probably won't find the time to touch it again until Saturday.

[beemerphile]

Originally Posted by Maytag Repairman

I am slightly off the dimple by maybe 2-3 mm. Hardly enough to make a big difference. I loosened the handlebar clamps and dropped the handlebars several degrees until I cleared the windshield by a reasonable gap.

The dimples represent the factory standard setting and they may or may not be right for you. They were correct for me. I mentioned it, because I imagine that was the baseline that the Givi engineers used in determining the shape of the windshield in order to get the best wind protection. It looked to me like they followed it closely. Windshield aside, in setting the bars and levers for individual fit, there is no "correct" setting that applies for everyone, but there are some ergonomic standard practices that usually work for best comfort. In setting the angle of the brake and clutch levers, try this...

In your normal sitting position on the motorcycle, place your palms on the handlegrips with your fingers extended in a straight line (parallel) with your forearm. Your fingers should be lightly touching the top of the levers. If the levers are below your fingers, it will require palmal wrist flexion to reach them. If the levers are high enough that they prevent you from extending your fingers in a straight line with your forearm, it will require dorsal wrist flexion to reach them. Either of these conditions places more strain on your wrists than the straight line position.

Since the forward and back rotation of the handlebar affects this setting, you should first set the handlebar angle to suit you and then rotate the levers to prevent wrist flexion. Setting the handlebar rotation correctly for an individual is more difficult to describe. Some amount of arm bend is needed. This will get a debate started, but a slight forward lean on the spine and forward tilt on the pelvis is the best posture for extended sitting. This also takes some shock off of your spine if you hit a harsh bump or pothole. The bars should not be so high and back that you sit with the pelvis tilted back and your spine arched. But, that is how most people seem to set them up. But I would not let the windshield determine it. I would set it up correctly for me and make a small notch to clear the controls if necessary, or just accept that full lock is somewhat more limited than before.

My BMW is set up to these principles and I have ridden as far as 1,385 miles in one day without ergonomic pain, even though I have arthritis. On that bike I also changed the foot-peg location, seat (needed here as well), and I changed the handlebar to correct ulnar deviation with the stock BMW bar. I just made a reasonably comfortable 13,200 mile trip to Alaska and northwest Canada from Georgia on the motorcycle that would have been unbearable for me in a car.

My point is that adjustment to personal taste is fine, but there are some principles of body mechanics that can help you get to a comfortable position without as much trial and error. Raising the handlebars may or may not be helpful. For sure, a two inch rise will place you at a questionable extension of the control cables unless there is a way to re-route them or replace them with extended cables.

[beemerphile]

Originally Posted by Maytag Repairman

Here is my next project's obstacle. I bought the SW Motech engine guards. The instructions looked easy enough. First, remove a bolt on each side of the bike from the plastic cover(s) at the bottom front. Then on the right side of the bike remove a hose clamp. Next remove the bolt behind the hose. It looks like a hefty bugger. Took a 19mm socket to get on it if I remember correctly. There isn't much clearance between the wrench and the bike and it felt like it was on there pretty tight. I was afraid I might ding something on the side of the bike with the wrench if I had to really but my back into getting it off. It will have to wait until I pick up a socket extension for more clearance. Probably won't find the time to touch it again until Saturday.

I don't remember if it was a 17mm or 19mm (ETA 08-13-12: the bolts are 17mm) but you will definitely need a short extension to get the correct leverage on it. They are extra-fine threads into aluminum, so apply steady slow pressure with enough leverage (read: a long enough bar) to break them loose. They do not have any thread-locker on them. The crankcase vent hose will be in the way, but you can push it up sufficiently to clear the socket. Did SW-Motech provide longer bolts for the guards to make up for the mounting plate thickness? If not, you may want to read my post on the Givi guards. It seems they mount in the same places, except I think that the Givi guard has a clamp to the frame tubing that the SW Motech does not have.

Oh, and be very careful reinstalling the two bolts that hold the clutch cable lower bracket and the crankcase vent hose. They do not require very much torque and you can easily strip the aluminum threads in the engine block. I have a factory service manual ordered for the bike but I have not received it yet. It would contain the torque values for the case bolts. Without knowing what the spec torque is, I would just barely snug them. They are not going to cause a leak and they are not going to fall out. The Givi instructions (which were horrible) did not supply the torque spec for either the case bolts or the engine mounting bolts. If you go too loose on either, you can always go back and correct it. If you go too high, there is often only regret.

[Maytag Repairman]

Originally Posted by beemerphile

I don't remember if it was a 17mm or 19mm but you will definitely need a short extension to get the correct leverage on it. They are extra-fine threads into aluminum, so apply steady slow pressure with enough leverage (read: a long enough bar) to break them loose. They do not have any thread-locker on them. The crankcase vent hose will be in the way, but you can push it up sufficiently to clear the socket. Did SW-Motech provide longer bolts for the guards to make up for the mounting plate thickness? If not, you may want to read my post on the Givi guards. It seems they mount in the same places, except I think that the Givi guard has a clamp to the frame tubing that the SW Motech does not have.

Oh, and be very careful reinstalling the two bolts that hold the clutch cable lower bracket and the crankcase vent hose. They do not require very much torque and you can easily strip the aluminum threads in the engine block. I have a factory service manual ordered for the bike but I have not received it yet. It would contain the torque values for the case bolts. Without knowing what the spec torque is, I would just barely snug them. They are not going to cause a leak and they are not going to fall out. The Givi instructions (which were horrible) did not supply the torque spec for either the case bolts or the engine mounting bolts. If you go too loose on either, you can always go back and correct it. If you go too high, there is often only regret.

From the instructions, SW did provide replacement bolts but I haven't unwrapped them yet.

I had already put everything back so I can ride to work tomorrow. The hose clamp bolts were very easy to get off so I tried to go easy on them putting them back on.

Strangely, on my first read of the instructions I saw nothing about putting the hose clamp back on when the installation is finished.

At this point I'm considering deferring the project to my mechanic. Wrenching was always a mediocre skill for me and with a 3-hour daily commute sometimes spending the money is better on my sanity.

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At the end of the day I often find myself wanting to sit more upright with the bars an inch or two closer to my arms. I've tried rotating the handle bars in several positions but it seems to just move where I ache at the end of the day. I was hoping my body would either adjust or I would try pivoting risers to bring them closer to me. I generally have a mechanic put risers on for me to deal with the cables.

I've tried to take your advice as best as I can and set the handle bar and controls for tomorrow's ride. It fairly easy for me to understand the hand controls but the handlebars are taking more re-reading to soak in. I think I should find somebody to help me out in person.

[gkgeiger]

Originally Posted by Maytag Repairman

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At the end of the day I often find myself wanting to sit more upright with the bars an inch or two closer to my arms. I've tried rotating the handle bars in several positions but it seems to just move where I ache at the end of the day. I was hoping my body would either adjust or I would try pivoting risers to bring them closer to me. I generally have a mechanic put risers on for me to deal with the cables.

I've tried to take your advice as best as I can and set the handle bar and controls for tomorrow's ride. It fairly easy for me to understand the hand controls but the handlebars are taking more re-reading to soak in. I think I should find somebody to help me out in person.

Sounds like you need a set of these, only in 7/8" which he also offers. He doesn't have a picture of them on ebay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-Un...item3cb86f5eb7

[dduelin]

Originally Posted by beemerphile

My front forks will leave this afternoon for RaceTech for serious upgrade. I haven't decided yet whether to send them the rear shock as well or wait for Ohlins or Wilbers to come out with one to fit it. I may let them do their gold valve magic on the stocker in order to get it sorted out faster.



During the two to three weeks that the bike is down, I hope to install some other farkles as well, including:

- projector style HID lighting inside the stock reflector housing
- GoCruise
- proper installation of the Givi engine guards
- first oil and filter change / chain cleaning and lubrication
- Pyramid front fender extender

And if the ordered parts deliver in time...

- Honda heated grips with Grab-on foam grip covers
- Barkbuster BHG48-NP with Storm S3 black covers
- Aerostich PDM-60 power distribution module for GPS/lights/heated clothing
- Lowered foot-pegs
- Honda centerstand

Moderator,

Can we start a new thread "Building a $13,000 motorcycle out of $7,000 motorcycle"?

[TXRKC]

Originally Posted by dduelin

Moderator,

Can we start a new thread "Building a $13,000 motorcycle out of $7,000 motorcycle"?