New 2012 Honda NC700X 700cc Parallel Twin!

[Cortez]

That's the thing.. the bike appeals a lot to folks who are NOT looking for
that kind of a bike, like I wasn't. I was very skeptical about the whole
700X/S/Integra concept, especially the Integra and was laughing out loud
at them.

Until I rode the 700X.

And now I can't think of a better bike for me.
I'd probably go buy an Integra today if I could afford it.

[beemerphile]

Originally Posted by EetsOK

NO FUCKING SHIT

I mean it is not like I working in a hospital or anything.

I have no idea where you work, your profile is as empty as your vocabulary. I'm pleased to find that you are not an English teacher. Go ahead and powder your buns up and wrap them in LDRider underwear and go across the country on a motocross seat. Jeez. You raise your voice when you should reinforce your argument.

[100mpg]

quite a selection of factory accessories. top case, side case, heated grips!
http://powersports.honda.com/2012/nc...s-gallery.aspx

[beemerphile]

Originally Posted by CTDTDI

I wonder how long it will take before the aftermarket addresses the parts that are unacceptable for some riders?

Before you know it some riders will have $12,000 invested in this.

Let the farkling begin. That's half the fun - making the bike perfectly fit your definition of performance, your body, and your mission. I doubled the price of my BMW R1150R with modifications, but it just got back from a comfortable and dependable trip to Prudhoe Bay and northwest Canada. It would have never accomplished that in stock form. I have seen others take the R1150R and make a slick sport bike out of it. This bike should be the same kind of excellent starting platform. The most interesting thing for me at rallies is to see how different people have taken a bike and made it all theirs. You see everything from laughable failures to extreme re-engineering. Both are good entertainment.

Right now I have Givi bags, windshield, and engine protection bars ordered. I plan to add Honda heated grips and a centerstand. It will get grip puppies, driving lights, a Touratech Garmin mount, and heated clothing wiring. The rear will get 15mm lowering links so that a 16mm taller 160/70 touring tire brings it back to stock height. A sprocket change will recover the stock gearing with the larger diameter tire. The front forks will get performance tuned and the rear shock will get replaced with a Wilbers or Ohlins. The stock seat is a disaster and something will replace it. But the basic platform of the NC700x is unique and interesting - especially the engine economy and storage. After the price of gas doubles, touring on a 35 mpg Gold Wing will seem like feeding a motorhome.

And I don't get the statements generalizing this bike as being for novice riders and commuting. I have 40 years and 500,000 miles and plan to put it on the long road out of town. To each his own.

[Cortez]

I think young riders will look more in the direction of Kawasaki's 650R or
ER6n, or something like that, since most of them will not be able to justify
spending the same amount of money on a bike with 20hp less.

That's what happened here with the Z750 compared to the 650R/ER6.

Most bought the Z, and even though it has 30hp more, it's a far worse
bike in almost every way.

As far as farkles go.. I would probably get everything from that Honda site, which
goes to show that the bike is a great fit for me, since I like all of the accessories. :)

[100mpg]

Originally Posted by Cortez

As far as farkles go.. I would probably get everything from that Honda site, which
goes to show that the bike is a great fit for me, since I like all of the accessories. :)

I would too if I were to buy one.

and I really like the faux tank storage.That is a great idea in use.

[Cortez]

Originally Posted by 100mpg

I would too if I were to buy one.

and I really like the faux tank storage.That is a great idea in use.

What gets on my nerves is that in the Integra form, I.E. a scooter, it doesn't
have any storage whatsoever.

That's a proper WTF right there.


I'd still have one, though, even if one of the main reasons I got the scoot
that I have now is 60L+ of storage under the seat, and I still ended up
putting a 50L topcase.

Overkill FTW.

[jules083]

I really want to like this bike. Went to the dealer yesterday to check it out, I don't know.

My intended use would be as a sport tourer for the girlfriend mainly, with me having 'borrowing rights'. Something that I could use as a lightweight version of my FJR, and something she can use to keep up with me on my FJR. She's not quite ready for it yet, probably will be by next spring if she keeps learning at the pace she has been.

I know it's a budget bike, but I think it needs another 3000 or 4000 RPM's and 20 or 30 horsepower, and double front disks. Suspension seems sub-par when bouncing on it, but that's not really a good test in my mind. I've never been able to get a demo ride on any Honda's, so that is probably going to be a deal breaker for me. Some bikes I would buy without a demo ride, but this probably isn't one of them. Too many unknowns in my mind.

[sendler]

The front end of the CBR250R is pretty soft as well.

[GsVs]

Hey ...

It has probably been posted here ... but I didn't see it ...

Just wondering the Spec.'s on the maintenance stuff ...
Miles between checking valves ??
Type of valve adjustment ??
Etc ...

Can someone point me in the right direction ??

Thanks ..

[larryboy]

Originally Posted by 100mpg

quite a selection of factory accessories. top case, side case, heated grips!
http://powersports.honda.com/2012/nc...s-gallery.aspx

Yeah, I like all the extras too. Except for the power port because of where they put it, I can do those myself easy enough. Really like the narrow side bags to keep them out of the wind,

I talked to the dealer in Berkeley yesterday, he only charges actual shipping of $178 since that's what it costs to get a crate from the warehouse in L.A. instead of gouging on freight like my local dealer. He'd get me OTD for under 8k on the basic six speeder.

[sniper1rfa]

Originally Posted by jules083

I know it's a budget bike, but I think it needs another 3000 or 4000 RPM's and 20 or 30 horsepower, and double front disks

If that's what you want why wouldn't you buy one of the other sixteen quadrillion bikes available that do just what you want?

Seems like the people screaming for more power and more revs are completely missing the point of the bike...

[y2blade]

Originally Posted by jules083

I really want to like this bike. Went to the dealer yesterday to check it out, I don't know.

My intended use would be as a sport tourer for the girlfriend mainly, with me having 'borrowing rights'. Something that I could use as a lightweight version of my FJR, and something she can use to keep up with me on my FJR. She's not quite ready for it yet, probably will be by next spring if she keeps learning at the pace she has been.

I know it's a budget bike, but I think it needs another 3000 or 4000 RPM's and 20 or 30 horsepower, and double front disks. Suspension seems sub-par when bouncing on it, but that's not really a good test in my mind. I've never been able to get a demo ride on any Honda's, so that is probably going to be a deal breaker for me. Some bikes I would buy without a demo ride, but this probably isn't one of them. Too many unknowns in my mind.

Have you booked a Demo ride yet?

I rode one and loved it, see my post with pics a few pages back (posted about it last weekend)

[Fictitious]

Originally Posted by jules083

I really want to like this bike. Went to the dealer yesterday to check it out, I don't know.

My intended use would be as a sport tourer for the girlfriend mainly, with me having 'borrowing rights'. Something that I could use as a lightweight version of my FJR, and something she can use to keep up with me on my FJR. She's not quite ready for it yet, probably will be by next spring if she keeps learning at the pace she has been.

I know it's a budget bike, but I think it needs another 3000 or 4000 RPM's and 20 or 30 horsepower, and double front disks. Suspension seems sub-par when bouncing on it, but that's not really a good test in my mind. I've never been able to get a demo ride on any Honda's, so that is probably going to be a deal breaker for me. Some bikes I would buy without a demo ride, but this probably isn't one of them. Too many unknowns in my mind.

Yeah... but they've already built that bike, and that would be totally missing the point of this bike. You can't get tons of power out of a bike and have it get 60-70 us mpg at the same time, it just doesn't work. The point of this bike is you can go for a long time between fuel stops without having a gigantic tank. I mean there aren't really any other bikes that get fuel mileage akin to a 250cc motorcycle that can also cruise the highway with ease.

[dduelin]

Originally Posted by jules083

I really want to like this bike. Went to the dealer yesterday to check it out, I don't know.

My intended use would be as a sport tourer for the girlfriend mainly, with me having 'borrowing rights'. Something that I could use as a lightweight version of my FJR, and something she can use to keep up with me on my FJR. She's not quite ready for it yet, probably will be by next spring if she keeps learning at the pace she has been.

I know it's a budget bike, but I think it needs another 3000 or 4000 RPM's and 20 or 30 horsepower, and double front disks. Suspension seems sub-par when bouncing on it, but that's not really a good test in my mind. I've never been able to get a demo ride on any Honda's, so that is probably going to be a deal breaker for me. Some bikes I would buy without a demo ride, but this probably isn't one of them. Too many unknowns in my mind.

Don't rule the bike out for your girlfriend because of stated reasons. The single disc delivers stopping distances from 70 mph comparable to your FJR, about 50 meters. I am an experienced rider with about 150,000 miles of sport touring in just the last few years, mainly on my ST1300 and the departed BMW R100. I know a thing or two about packing and strapping stuff for long tours and the filler under the rear seat never crossed my mind as a deal breaker. I'll have bags and boxes on dedicated mounts and when a dry bag or duffle has to go on the seat think Rok Straps and that is as easy as unclipping a strap-down tank bag off a gas tank. That's just my take on it.

Honda knows how to make a 500 lb bike feel like a 400 lb bike and the 700 is very easy to ride with light controls, intuitive handling, and a snake's belly center of gravity. The low revving engine has plenty of poke to hustle down the road and it does not need more power unless you cannot shift your paradigm and use the engine as it is designed to be used. Sure, it is slower than all the other sporting middleweights but it still does the ton and cruise all day at 85 mph. If you need bragging rights for willy-waving this is not the middleweight to buy. Honda's budget suspension has always been "good enough" and to meet the price point one is unrealistic to think otherwise. There is always the aftermarket if it isn't good enough and out of the box is easily as good or better than what the other 650's offer as OEM. That is a saturated field and Honda was smart enough not to have to compete on hp or 1/4 times.