HONDA NC700X (2012 - 2013) Review

Version: Nc700xa manual

Year: 2012

It's super easy to do everything you want. I got mine for £3000 and I I very happy with it

Year: 2013

Annual servicing cost: £300

Best feature is easy self maintenance, Valve clearance can be done in the street in a couple of hours. Worst feature is lack of power but has ample to ride to speed limits.

Buying experience: Bought from new £5500.one owner that's me.

Version: Semi-auto

Year: 2013

A great commuter, and good European tourer.

Buying experience: From a dealer

Version: Both X and S

Year: 2012

Does what it says on the packet and is actually a sleeper. I bought this bike to keep myself out of trouble. Riding with mates who are on Ducati etc and the NC easily keeps pace until they open up on the longer straights. With a pillion on board you'll want to change down a gear to make best use of the power to overtake but it still passes rapidly enough. This is the second NC that I've had. I had the S version first with shorter stiffer suspension until it was stolen. (they have a RFID immobiliser key but I left the key in the bike - idiot!) Ironically you won't outrun the cops on this bike - and the thief found out the hard way! I'm a reasonably aggressive rider on sunny days and after doing 30,000km on both the S and the X, I think I prefer the S version as its better suited to my riding style. X is a bit softer and taller. I would buy another S.

Version: manual

Year: 2012

Best universal Japanese motorcycle available

Buying experience: Purchased new from dealer.

Version: DCT

Year: 2013

Well built. Cheap to run. Great storage in the false petrol tank. You tend to feel every pothole through the front shocks. Seat a little slippy. Could do with a larger wind shield if using motorways a lot.

Buying experience: No problems from dealer.

Year: 2012

Not everyones choice but I like it. Red lines @ 6500 rpm.

Year: 2012

Honda quality at a cheap price

Buying experience: Dealer, second hand. No movement on price due to low cost of bike.

Bought a NC700X from new. I have done 5kmiles and have sold it. Good bits; Engine - grunty (up to a point) and economical (avg'd 75mpg), storage compartment, light, good handling, mirrors Bad bits; Awful seat - slippery and thinly padded, Suspension on bumpy roads - here's where you see/feel the cost cutting, Aerodynamics - screen not big enough, not really suited to lots of high speed work, you get blown around too much. Riding position, a bit cramped. Not really a criticism but be aware that 40- odd bhp is ok for commuting but I missed a bit of oomph out of town or when i needed to overtake quickly. Summary; economical, good handling low-ish speed commuter. Be prepared to spend on suspension and/or seat upgrades.

There has been a lot written about the NC series of bikes so I thought I would make a few general points and then write a bit more specifically about the Dual Clutch Transmission. For starters with the NC you are getting a machine that is actually built in Japan, not just designed there, and for what is a very low price. It will probably be a few years yet before production is shipped abroad. In the mean time you get excellent welding, deep paint and quality fit and finish for what amounts to peanuts. The suspension for the price point is good with a rising rate linkage at the rear and fairly decent forks. The brakes are very good indeed despite using a single front disc. The ABS/CBS is unobtrusive unless very severely provoked. The handling has been a revelation to me and entirely a consequence of the low centre of gravity, it’s a fairly chunky bike but you don't feel it at all. Slinging it into corners makes you smile a lot, it's an unexpected bonus. The engine however will never be enough if you like a regular adrenaline hit but if you are happy making smooth progress and use good forward planning (don't we all?) overtakes are easy. The engine characteristics are all about low revving torque, it feels lumpy but not at all vibey if that isn't a contradiction in terms. It's swift over distance but no one is ever going to accuse it of being quick and of course it’s very economical. But everyone knows that by now. As for the storage, everyone loves it even if they hate the bike. And while on the subject of hates and likes the Dual Clutch Transmission is Marmite! There are a number of myths and misconceptions surrounding it already, one guy insisted that the drive would drop out on slow corners, it doesn't, another insisted it had a power sapping fluid drive, it doesn't. There is a very good video explaining how it works on YouTube, it isn't rocket science but it is very clever and entirely computer controlled. That alone might put some off. Quite a few people will find it anodyne and boring. It would be a dull world if we all liked the same stuff. Get a test ride. So how does the DCT on the NC700x work in practice? The answer is very well most of the time. The two modes are distinctly different in behaviour. Drive mode short shifts at two and a half thousand revs and is best on steady A-roads and motorways (I hate m-ways but it copes easily) also Drive is best for slow town/filtering work. You can feel like you are in too high a gear sometimes but the engine just chugs away and you will never stall it or lose drive but there is little or no engine braking in Drive. This is where the linked brakes come in handy especially when filtering, you can balance on the foot brake and auto-clutch down to a dead crawl and with the low centre of gravity putting your feet down becomes a rare event. Sport (sic) mode is a little snatchy at town speeds so I don't use it in town anymore, and this is the thing, I'm learning as I go. This is all new stuff, like switching from a hand change to a foot change must have felt in the nineteen twenties. Sport mode really comes alive on twisty B-roads and so far doesn't seem to pick a gear I wouldn't have chosen myself, except it changes super smoothly and with no lag and doesn't get tired after a long day in the saddle. I have used manual shift on roads like the A32 for instance and it is interesting to do as an exercise but you soon find yourself thinking “what's the point?” In auto you still get all of the sensations of the gear-changes, the acceleration and the attendant lovely noises of down changes on the over-run. You just don't have to move your foot anymore. That will appal some people and if it does then DCT is not for you. The manual buttons might appear to be superfluous in light of what I've written but that couldn't be further from the fact. They are useful in a number of situations that I regularly encounter and I expect to learn of a few more as time goes on. The handbook mentions hills and recommends sport mode when encountering them so as not to lug the engine too hard but I simply select manual (right forefinger) and knock it down a gear or two (left thumb) switching back to auto at the brow of the hill. If you live in the West Country or somewhere similar you might never get out of sport or manual mode though! I also use the manual buttons while in Drive approaching slow corners in town knocking down a gear for a little more feeling of control, though the bike could care less and in truth the difference is negligible and more about me getting used to how low this thing revs in Drive. The other time I use the down shift button is for overtakes especially on fast A roads in Drive, if you whack open the throttle it will eventually take the hint and downshift but if you shift down manually and open the throttle it gets straight to it. In Sport mode this isn't an issue as it responds pretty much instantly. As I say it's just learning how to use it, there's no book on it. Finally you can switch between all modes while on the move so if you fancy a change you don't have to stop to switch over but you'll be glad to know you can't select neutral until you are at a dead stop. Personally I love Marmite just be sure you do too before ticking the DCT box. As I said get a test ride. Latest news from MCN: Looks like the new Yamaha R1 will be getting a version of DCT, very interesting times we live in! (MCN reader reviews have no formatting making anything beyond a few lines totally unreadable so I am pasting a copy of my review from a word doc and hoping the formatting travels with it. If it doesn’t, all I can say is sorry, I tried!)

There has been a lot written about the NC series of bikes so I thought I would make a few general points and then write a bit more specifically about the Dual Clutch Transmission. For starters you are getting a machine that is actually built in Japan not just designed there and for what is a very low price. It will probably be a few years yet before production is shipped abroad. In the mean time you get excellent welding, deep paint and quality fit and finish for what amounts to peanuts. The suspension for the price point is good with a rising rate linkage at the rear and fairly decent forks. Brakes are very good indeed despite using a single front disc. The ABS/CBS is unintrusive unless very severely provoked. The handling has been a revelation to me and entirely a consequence of the low centre of gravity, its a fairly chunky bike but you don't feel it at all. Slinging it into corners makes you smile a lot, it's an unexpected bonus. The engine however will never be enough if you like a regular adrenaline hit but if you are happy making smooth progress and use good forward planning (Don't we all?)overtakes are easy. The engine characteristics are all about low revving torque, lumpy but not at all vibey if that isn't a contradiction in terms. It's swift over distance but no one is ever going to accuse it of being quick and of course its very economical. But everyone knows that by now. As for the storage,everyone loves it even if they hate the bike. And while on the subject of hates and likes the Dual Clutch Transmission is Marmite! There are a number of myths and misconceptions surrounding it already, one guy insisted that the drive would drop out on slow corners, it doesn't, another insisted it had a power sapping fluid drive,it doesn't. There is a very good video explaining how it works on youtube, it isn't rocket science but it is very clever and all computer controlled. That alone might put some off, quite a few people will find it anodyne and boring. It would be a dull world if we all liked the same stuff. Get a test ride. So how does the DCT on the NC700x work in practice? The answer is very well most of the time. The two modes are distinctly different in behaviour. Drive mode short shifts at two and a half thousand revs and is best on steady A roads and motorways (I hate m-ways but it copes easily) also Drive is best for slow town/filtering work. You can feel like you are in too high a gear sometimes but the engine just lugs away and you will never stall it or lose drive but there is little or no engine braking in drive. This is where the linked brakes come in handy especially when filtering, you can balance on the foot brake and auto clutch down to a dead crawl and with the low centre of gravity putting your feet down becomes a rare event. Sport(sic) mode is a little snatchy at town speeds and I don't use it there any more, and this is the thing I'm learning as I go this is all new stuff, like switching from a hand change to a foot change must have felt in the nineteen twenties. Sport mode comes alive on twisty b-roads and so far doesn't seem to pick a gear I wouldn't have chosen myself, except it changes super smooth and with no lag and doesn't get tired after a long day in the saddle. I have used manual shift on roads like the A32 for instance and it is interesting to do as an exercise but you soon find yourself thinking what's the point? You still get all of the sensations of the gear-changes, the acceleration and the attendant lovely noises of down changes on the over-run. You just don't have to move your foot anymore. That will appall some people I know and if it does then DCT is not for you. The manual buttons might appear to be superfluous in light of what I've written but that couldn't be further from the fact. They are useful in a number of situations that I regularly encounter and I expect to learn a few more as time goes on. The handbook mentions hills and recommends sport mode when encountering them so as not to lug the engine too hard but round town I simply select manual (right forefinger) and knock it down a gear or two (left thumb) switching back to auto at the prow of the hill. If you live in the west country or similar you might never get out of sport mode though! I also use the manual buttons while in Drive approaching slow corners in town knocking down a gear for a little more feeling of control,though the bike could care less and in truth the difference is negligible and more about getting used to how low this thing revs. The other time to use the down shift button is for overtakes especially on fast A roads in Drive, if you wack open the throttle it will eventually take the hint but if shift down manually it gets straight to it. In Sport mode this isn't an issue. As I say it's just learning how to use it, there's no book on it. Finally you can switch between all modes while on the move so if you fancy a change you don't have to stop to switch over but you'll be glad to know you can't select neutral until you are at a dead stop. Personally I love Marmite just be sure you do too before ticking the DCT box. As I said be sure to get a test ride.

Have had all types of bike in the past and loved them all for various reasons. This is something else though, it's the usual Honda good at everything but even more so and brilliant in value, cost to run, ride quality and comfort crowned by that engine and box which complement each other perfectly to make an unbeatable commuter that you can have fun on and is uber practical to boot. One demo ride convinced me very quickly that this is a sensible choice.

I've owned every type of bike over the years but I find the NC700X to be the ideal all-rounder and incredible value for money.