2014 Honda CTX700 Threadfest

[S/W]

[

Part of the decision to buy the nc700x was that I thought the horsepower was a decent match for my wife's vstar 950. I thought she would be able to keep up. Not the case. The low end torque and DCT shift through the gears so fast I just leave her in the dust without much thinking about it. Seeing how well the DCT works for me she now wants to trade her bike for a maxi scooter. I'm hoping I can talk her into one of these instead.[/QUOTE]

In the 70's I had a RD350 and my girlfriend had a CB160. One day she just wasn't keeping up and I offered to swap bikes so she could. Nope, she couldn't keep up on the 350m either!! You are overlooking the fact that your wife rides her own ride. There is a lady in my bike club that rides a Vstar 950, I ride a Honda Silverwing 600. She can't keep up. She rides her own ride. It's not the bikes!! BTW why wouldn't you want her to have a "maxi scooter" she would probably really enjoy it, and you don't have to ride it. I ride with a lot of much bigger bikes, and I try to drive slow so they can keep up.

[xrcris]

Originally Posted by Chuckracer

Who wanted this?

And BTW, Honda is already boring so maybe they're ahead of the curve after all.

ehhh, or they're so far behind they're just getting ready to be lapped.

[RaY YreKa]

Originally Posted by Navin

That ain't the wet weight of a WR250R, but it sure would have been nice.

Further, they built it to the weight of an ancient air cooled 600cc dirt bike! My 570 Burg is under 270!

Right. Husaberg. That major player in motorcycles worldwide.

[Navin]

Originally Posted by RaY YreKa

Right. Husaberg. That major player in motorcycles worldwide.

How much does the new CRF250L weigh again? Like 320?

Yeah, it is cheap, and it has its place, but moto heads have been ignored by Honda and I sure don't feel alone stating that. This board would have lit up if one of these new bikes was a 500cc DS single with 47 HP, (you know, to make the Euro govs happy!), with decent legs, a WR 6 speed box and around 300 lbs. Guys would be dumping the heavy exhausts and lights and racing them in enduros. Others would travel around the world on them, much like the KTM EXCs and Burgs.

There could have been dirty DS, street singles, an Adv and a supermoto.

But Honda can't cause it's too much of a major player?

[mrbreeze]

[QUOTE=dirtdreamer50;20692773
Not sure if Honda will ever attempt to cater to us specifically, as they believe us to be a fickle group that demanded certain styles of bikes, that when made were left to gather dust on their showroom floors...[/QUOTE]


gee I wonder where they ever got that idea.

apparently they know us even better than we do.

There is a problem with constantly pushing the envelope performance wise (several, actually). Every time one of the Japanese manufacturers comes out with a "super" bike, a year later someone else comes out with one that is .03 seconds quicker in the 1/4 mile... Nobody ever wins.

These new Hondas are the most innovative products any Japanese company has produced in a long time. They are a breath of fresh air.

[GrahamD]

Originally Posted by S/W

In the 70's I had a RD350 and my girlfriend had a CB160. One day she just wasn't keeping up and I offered to swap bikes so she could. Nope, she couldn't keep up on the 350m either!! You are overlooking the fact that your wife rides her own ride. There is a lady in my bike club that rides a Vstar 950, I ride a Honda Silverwing 600. She can't keep up. She rides her own ride. It's not the bikes!! BTW why wouldn't you want her to have a "maxi scooter" she would probably really enjoy it, and you don't have to ride it. I ride with a lot of much bigger bikes, and I try to drive slow so they can keep up.

I think that the M/C industry have been doing the "mines bigger than yours thing" for a long time now.

Initially it probably made sense as far as being able to cover ground at a reasonable speed. After a while that reasonable speed became a bit silly. Not content with that it then had to become really silly and after a while it went insane.

I remember going to "top fuel" drag meets in the 70's that weren't getting much better times than the latest sport bikes.

I suppose along the way, more and more people just decided that it was all a bit scary, while some people just got addicted to the adrenalin hit.

SO anyway it seems to me that Honda may be responding to the halving of sales in the States the quadrupling of petrol prices and are thinking that maybe some people may appreciate a bike that is not ridiculous in either power or total chrome mass.

They release a bike that gets about 300HP per ton, which is up there with muscle cars and big MPG when ridden reasonably. The average person is going to think that is pretty fast.

[xrcris]

Originally Posted by Navin

How much does the new CRF250L weigh again? Like 320?

Yeah, it is cheap, and it has its place, but moto heads have been ignored by Honda and I sure don't feel alone stating that. This board would have lit up if one of these new bikes was a 500cc DS single with 47 HP, (you know, to make the Euro govs happy!), with decent legs, a WR 6 speed box and around 300 lbs. Guys would be dumping the heavy exhausts and lights and racing them in enduros. Others would travel around the world on them, much like the KTM EXCs and Burgs.

There could have been dirty DS, street singles, an Adv and a supermoto.

But Honda can't cause it's too much of a major player?

Nah, because they had a "focus" group

(my smilie is drinking the koolaid)

[davevv]

Honestly, I kind of like the look of these bikes. I've never been real big on the beaks and sharp angled, tail in the air styling that make up the "transformer" look of so many of the bikes these days. I don't need huge horsepower and 150mph+ top speeds. I'm pretty sure these bikes will have adequate performance for day in and day out street use under most all conditions. I'm not real big on forward controls, but I'll have to reserve judgement on this one until I get a chance to ride one. If I were in the market for a new daily rider kind of bike, I'd definitely give them a look.

[doxiedog]

Honda's outboards have more soul, than there new motorcycles.

[GrahamD]

Originally Posted by doxiedog

Honda's outboards have more soul, than there new motorcycles.

Care to be more specific.



I am sure that level of soul is the first thing fishermen ask for when they are looking for an outboard.

[vainamoinen]

Did any one spotted this ones yes? The CTX700N and the CTX700T are the first in a new family of future CTX models to come.
Link:
http://motorcycle.honda.ca/news
It seems like brand new models to me.

[ZZ-R Rider]

CTX700N is VERY interesting!

[UnsureFooting]

What cracks me up about the "forward controls" comments is that I had a sportster with forward controls once.... my knees were at 90°! Lol. Once you get above 5-11 or so, most forward controls just ain't all that "forward".

[ph0rk]

Originally Posted by Navin

How much does the new CRF250L weigh again? Like 320?

Yeah, it is cheap, and it has its place, but moto heads have been ignored by Honda and I sure don't feel alone stating that. This board would have lit up if one of these new bikes was a 500cc DS single with 47 HP, (you know, to make the Euro govs happy!), with decent legs, a WR 6 speed box and around 300 lbs. Guys would be dumping the heavy exhausts and lights and racing them in enduros. Others would travel around the world on them, much like the KTM EXCs and Burgs.

There could have been dirty DS, street singles, an Adv and a supermoto.

But Honda can't cause it's too much of a major player?

How many of those bikes would they really sell worldwide?

How many people would buy a bike like that for commuter duty over the variety of road biased limiter-capable twins already available? Everyone would bitch that its a single or not powerful enough or not hooligan enough, etc. Particularly enthusiasts, they're never happy. The only thing I see as much of as cruisers and sport bikes collecting dust on dealer floors are dirt bikes.

I can see tons of new riders on these things, especially if they're comfortable enough in the showroom. Most of that purchase is answering the questions: Does it look ok? Does it fit me? Can I afford it? Will I kill myself leaving the dealer lot?

[flatboarder]

Originally Posted by GrahamD

Care to be more specific.



I am sure that level of soul is the first thing fishermen ask for when they are looking for an outboard.

Definitely. Totally agree.
Not looking for "soul" at machines.

However, what I dislike with these new bikes is: the NC platform was in a way innovative. The NC700 series
combines big riding fun with good mpg, low maintenance, nice styling, an enjoyable engine, up to date technologies and very good practical usage.

But with those two new bikes they take several steps backward.
Ugly outdated styling, looking like cars somehow (maybe this is intended?), extremely bulky, no great trunk, oldstyle fuel tank, even more weight, I guess

I was hoping they would bring the new concept including this special engine into an even more riding fun related class: lower weight, slim and up to date style. However, I am aware this was not a realistic view, but I did not expect them to create these bold oldstyle cruisers out of their latest mid level platform.

Well, after all there is no doubt, buying the NC700X in its first year was a perfect idea. It won't get any better.

Phil