Hondas frugal twin NC700C. Not so...

[nbsdave]

When I read some of these 75 and 80 mpg figures, I'm thinking short shifting <3000 rpm, never exceeding 3500 rpm, and an inability to calculate mileage with odometer readings at the beginning with a full tank, and at the end, after fill up.
I know the NC700 is a pretty good bike but come on.
Maybe the rides are all downhill to do that.
Call me a skeptic,

[chadhargis]

Wonder what my Ninja 1000 gets at 100 mph?

Humm, time for an extended 100mph run. :)

[GrahamD]

Originally Posted by Bugz

Do you have a thread on that fuel tank O__O ? Please share!

Yeah, that is really shhhmick!!

Don't own an NC but I can appreciate a good looking tank when I see one.

[GoonerYoda]

Originally Posted by chadhargis

Wonder what my Ninja 1000 gets at 100 mph?

Humm, time for an extended 100mph run. :)

I could get to 100mph on my W650. It'll take a bit, but it'll get there.

[HONDABIKEPRO]

Originally Posted by Bugz

Do you have a thread on that fuel tank O__O ? Please share!

you can go to nc700-forum and see more pic on the tank, look for hondabikepro post and fuel tank and skid plates.

[dduelin]

Originally Posted by nbsdave

When I read some of these 75 and 80 mpg figures, I'm thinking short shifting <3000 rpm, never exceeding 3500 rpm, and an inability to calculate mileage with odometer readings at the beginning with a full tank, and at the end, after fill up.
I know the NC700 is a pretty good bike but come on.
Maybe the rides are all downhill to do that.
Call me a skeptic,

When I calculate exact mileage I use a correction figure for the odometer that changes over time as the rear tire wears or I just use GPS mileage. I also ride a loop and buy gas for a mpg check at the same station and same pump at the beginning and end to eliminate pump calibration errors.

After 9,600 miles I don't check the mileage much any more as I pretty much know what it returns for what kind of riding I am doing with it. The really high mileage numbers I get are just as you think. In order to get 80+ US mpg you are staying in the most efficient range of the engine and staying under 60 mph in flat terrain. I don't ride like that often but sometimes it is fun to try and eke out the phenomenal numbers this bike can give.

Take a look at this and tell me how I made mistakes and what you would do differently:

Comparative gas mileage ST1300 vs NC700X

One of the magazines I like to read, Bike, has a gas mileage loop that they ride test bikes on in order to gather a number for MPG comparisons but I don't know how they control the variables. The EU has a rolling road test (dynometer) that all new motorcycles are given in order to get a MPG figure similar to our EPA test for cars and trucks but I don't know how well the EU figures relate to the real world. These published numbers piqued my curiosity however and it had been eons since I checked the ST1300 mileage so I laid out a 100+ mile loop of local roads and rode my NCX and ST on it back to back on a recent weekend morning. I tried to simulate a cross country ride the way I actually would ride it which included passing vehicles at highway speeds and riding briskly. The loop included about 25% interstate and the rest posted 55 mph country roads that run through a few small towns. Within my own limitations I tried to ride both loops identically and surprisingly the loops came out 2 minutes apart and within 1 MPH moving average. I filled up at a particular pump at a gas station and refilled at the end of the loop at the same pump to reduce variation from different pump calibration. I filled the tanks to approximately the same mark on the fill area of the opening. I rode the first loop alone and the second one with my friend Steve on his Moto Guzzi Griso. That is a beautiful Italian machine.

First up was the NC700X:





Then the ST1300:





I was not surprised the NC delivered an increase in mileage of 54% over the ST1300. The average mileage on the ST's information center has been at 42.1 MPG for thousands of miles and and have been getting between 65 and 75 MPG practically every tank on the new bike but what I think is surprising to me is how the NC has made me think about how I ride and the compromises that manufacturers have been selling us based on horsepower wars of the last forty years. The NC700X is basically a 50 hp, 475 lb bike that tops 110 mph. My recently departed 1981 BMW R100 was basically a 50 hp 475 lb. bike that topped 110 mph. The R100 delivered an average 40 MPG on regular gas. Of course the ST1300 does things the NC700X cannot do as well but if some of the efficiencies of the new Honda can be designed into big touring bikes large increases in MPG can be achieved with little loss in performance. It's nice to have a tourer with 150 hp but I find it really isn't needed, at least for me and what I need a bike to deliver. There are large differences in weather protection of course but the little bike actually has a higher allowable passenger and cargo weight. If buyers want a touring bike like this I hope Honda provides it. A lot of us are looking for Honda to bring us a new ST and I hope it brings some of these efficiencies to the sporty tourer class.

[Davidc83]

I dont know why a 700 cc twin cant easily get to 100mph. I have a 650cc thumper and i can get it to 100mph fairly easy, with the top end of over 110mph. I know how to calculate MPGs, have done it for years. My 650 thumper gets 70mpg at 70mph, if I run extended miles at 80-85mph, I get around 60mpg; however, if I ride extended miles at 45mph (Blueridge parkway) my bike gets over 80mpg.
I am going to the Indy bike show in a couple of weeks; I am going to look at the nc700 and the cb500x.
I also have a 805cc cruiser which gets 52-55mpg doing 70mph (and it weighs 600lb).

[Bazzaz]

So Bazzaz is really wanting to make a fuel controller for the NC700X. My concern is that we're not going to be able to get it to do any better than the fuel millage numbers it's supposed to do stock, like 70mpg or something ridiculous. So those of you who own this bike, what are you looking for? If I can get you more power, are you going to be happy with that, or will I need to try and make a map that will beat the stock mpg numbers? Or control units do hold two maps which can be toggled between via the map select circuit on the harness; so maybe make a power map and then leave the other one blank so you can go back to stock fueling when you need the mileage.

I value your guys' opinion, consider this a market research question.

And if you're in SoCal and you want yours to be the guinea pig, I'll give you a free fuel controller and custom map.

[Banksy]

Hi Bazzaz

I'm getting 75mpg Imp out of my NC at the moment. Thing is I think Honda did a great job with the fueling, Its smooth, does great mpg and has some nice torque. If you could get more power from it its going to be at the expense of some mpg?
I guess most NC riders would say if they wanted more power they would of bought a different bike... I maybe wrong.. Lets see what some others want...

[eatpasta]

Originally Posted by Banksy

Hi Bazzaz

I'm getting 75mpg Imp out of my NC at the moment. Thing is I think Honda did a great job with the fueling, Its smooth, does great mpg and has some nice torque. If you could get more power from it its going to be at the expense of some mpg?
I guess most NC riders would say if they wanted more power they would of bought a different bike... I maybe wrong.. Lets see what some others want...

im curious about this bike....

when you ride do you find yourself wanting more revs? and how the bike overall?

[Banksy]

Originally Posted by eatpasta

im curious about this bike....

when you ride do you find yourself wanting more revs? and how the bike overall?

In over 3000 miles on this bike i've only hit the rev limiter once. I don't really feel like it needs any more revs. Its a relaxing bike to ride as you ride the torque. The bike over all is great, fit and finish are very good. The storage in the false tank is really useful, it sips fuel, has long service intervals and is kind to its tyres.
It also stops like you've chucked out a really big anchor and corners till the pegs touch down.

[Bazzaz]

Originally Posted by Banksy

Hi Bazzaz

I'm getting 75mpg Imp out of my NC at the moment. Thing is I think Honda did a great job with the fueling, Its smooth, does great mpg and has some nice torque. If you could get more power from it its going to be at the expense of some mpg?
I guess most NC riders would say if they wanted more power they would of bought a different bike... I maybe wrong.. Lets see what some others want...

Obviously I can't say for sure what the case is gonna be until I get this bike in and test it. But since it already gets great millage I'm fairly certain that any power gain will cost you in mpg.

[larryboy]

Real world riders are reporting 42-47 mpg, more power to improve the power to weight ratio can work to improve mpg's.

Build it for power.

[eatpasta]

Originally Posted by Banksy

In over 3000 miles on this bike i've only hit the rev limiter once. I don't really feel like it needs any more revs. Its a relaxing bike to ride as you ride the torque. The bike over all is great, fit and finish are very good. The storage in the false tank is really useful, it sips fuel, has long service intervals and is kind to its tyres.
It also stops like you've chucked out a really big anchor and corners till the pegs touch down.

It sounds like a very, very good bike for lots of things.

I would think all you would need to do is add boxes and you dont really need a car

[Nevada]

Originally Posted by nbsdave

When I read some of these 75 and 80 mpg figures, I'm thinking short shifting <3000 rpm, never exceeding 3500 rpm, and an inability to calculate mileage with odometer readings at the beginning with a full tank, and at the end, after fill up.
I know the NC700 is a pretty good bike but come on.
Maybe the rides are all downhill to do that.

Not downhill, but I've actually gotten a 50mpg tank out of my ST1300 after running all day on the Interstate. It's quite possible when you're running with a front behind you, and 20-30mph tailwinds. I've also had tanks where I've been lucky to break 30. Two up, pulling the trailer, on the Interstate with headwinds.