Going to test ride an NC750X tomorrow
Discussion
Well the Enfield is gone and the Jaguar soon to follow. Its only been a week and i already hate not having a bike in the garage 
Looking at reducing my monthly costs, I have had the thought of buying a do it all bike and using it for commuting. I still have the TVR and Trabant for really rough winter days and the girlfriends car when she is not using it, so it wouldn't be my only transport. The Enfield just wasn't getting used enough as the slow cruising speed and kick start only (which was killing my knee) meant it used to take an extra 20 minutes to get to work on, so was really only used for leisure.
I popped into the local Honda dealer for a chat today and have booked a test ride on an NC750X tomorrow morning which should be good fun as i have never ridden a new bike before, and the demonstrator they have has the DCT gearbox which should be interesting.
What do you guys think about this bike? Reviews all seem favourable and realistically I need a bike that is cheap to run, reliable, practical with luggage (which Honda offer a good deal with) and suitable for occasional pillion use and a bit of light touring.
To be honest I am surprised I have found a new bike i actually like the look of, I normally have odd / old taste in vehicles
Looking at reducing my monthly costs, I have had the thought of buying a do it all bike and using it for commuting. I still have the TVR and Trabant for really rough winter days and the girlfriends car when she is not using it, so it wouldn't be my only transport. The Enfield just wasn't getting used enough as the slow cruising speed and kick start only (which was killing my knee) meant it used to take an extra 20 minutes to get to work on, so was really only used for leisure.
I popped into the local Honda dealer for a chat today and have booked a test ride on an NC750X tomorrow morning which should be good fun as i have never ridden a new bike before, and the demonstrator they have has the DCT gearbox which should be interesting.
What do you guys think about this bike? Reviews all seem favourable and realistically I need a bike that is cheap to run, reliable, practical with luggage (which Honda offer a good deal with) and suitable for occasional pillion use and a bit of light touring.
To be honest I am surprised I have found a new bike i actually like the look of, I normally have odd / old taste in vehicles
I saw one at our HQ when I was on a training course a week or so ago. It looked really well put together and decent quality components. I had a brief chat with the owner and he really rated it (it wasn't the auto one). He did say it was a lot slower than his CBR 600!
But he gets around 80mpg, tank is about £14 to brim and he gets north of 200 miles per tank. There were a few reviews in Bike/Ride when they first came out. The consensus was that if you expect it to be like a bike, you'll hate it. Expect it to be a reliable, two wheeled, economical mode of transport and you'll love it. That said, the reviewers all set off to hate it's practicality but ended up enjoying it for a being a different take on motorcycling and fun in its own right.
But he gets around 80mpg, tank is about £14 to brim and he gets north of 200 miles per tank. There were a few reviews in Bike/Ride when they first came out. The consensus was that if you expect it to be like a bike, you'll hate it. Expect it to be a reliable, two wheeled, economical mode of transport and you'll love it. That said, the reviewers all set off to hate it's practicality but ended up enjoying it for a being a different take on motorcycling and fun in its own right.
My brother has an NC700X and won't stop raving about it. It's not fast, not fast at all, however it doesn't pretend to be and it is brilliant at what it does. The helmet box thing is bloody annoying because he just puts his lid in there and I have to lump mine around.
Brother and I went on a tour to Germany in 2013 and he would put less than half the fuel in his that everyone else was doing. Same roads, same pace, less juice. We went to Italy last year, me on my CBR600F and him on his NC, no bother at all. This year it's south central France then later on he's going down to Barcelona, it'll have over 40,000 on it by then. He's not commuting any more so I told him to buy a faster bike like a Crossrunner. He's tried one and doesn't think it's better enough to justify the extra ££££
Brother and I went on a tour to Germany in 2013 and he would put less than half the fuel in his that everyone else was doing. Same roads, same pace, less juice. We went to Italy last year, me on my CBR600F and him on his NC, no bother at all. This year it's south central France then later on he's going down to Barcelona, it'll have over 40,000 on it by then. He's not commuting any more so I told him to buy a faster bike like a Crossrunner. He's tried one and doesn't think it's better enough to justify the extra ££££
Thanks guys that sounds promising 
My commute is 30 miles each way mixed dual carriageway and flowing A roads. I have never looked at a new bike before as i have always just seen it as an extravagance, but the monthly payment on a brand new NC750X (£110) is less than what I will be saving on fuel running the Jag, and it means I get a bike again that can tour and go out with the misses on.
The only thing I am a bit worried about is getting bored of the performance but I guess I will find that out tomorrow. I used to happily run a CX500 (before the Enfield) so I am used to slowish bikes and it has never really fussed me. I have the TVR for trackdays anyways. I will let you guys know how i get on!
My commute is 30 miles each way mixed dual carriageway and flowing A roads. I have never looked at a new bike before as i have always just seen it as an extravagance, but the monthly payment on a brand new NC750X (£110) is less than what I will be saving on fuel running the Jag, and it means I get a bike again that can tour and go out with the misses on.
The only thing I am a bit worried about is getting bored of the performance but I guess I will find that out tomorrow. I used to happily run a CX500 (before the Enfield) so I am used to slowish bikes and it has never really fussed me. I have the TVR for trackdays anyways. I will let you guys know how i get on!
I've got an NC700X (manual) and agree with all the above. 200 miles from a £14 fill-up. I think you'll get on well with the engine coming from an Enfield. It is like a big ol' British thumper. Plenty of torque but don't expect it to rev like crazy.
Comfy (though the seat's a bit hard after about 2 hours) good for filtering, that nice boot-tank thing (I refuse to call it a Frunk). Pretty tall, I'm 5ft 4in and struggled a bit, so had it lowered slightly.
My commute is pretty much the same as yours.
When buying it came down to a Kawasaki ER6F and the NC. If I was after a weekend toy I'd have got the ER6, but as a tool to commute on and take the long way home you can't beat it.
Comfy (though the seat's a bit hard after about 2 hours) good for filtering, that nice boot-tank thing (I refuse to call it a Frunk). Pretty tall, I'm 5ft 4in and struggled a bit, so had it lowered slightly.
My commute is pretty much the same as yours.
When buying it came down to a Kawasaki ER6F and the NC. If I was after a weekend toy I'd have got the ER6, but as a tool to commute on and take the long way home you can't beat it.
I had the 700X and it bored me senseless. Nice for nipping around town on, but just soulless on open roads. Kept hitting the rev limiter too. I was only commuting 10 miles, so the economy didn't make much difference either
I'm now commuting 100 miles per day again and it would actually make sense again. The frunk is excellent.
I'm now commuting 100 miles per day again and it would actually make sense again. The frunk is excellent.
Thanks for the replies guys, I have had a great morning on the NC750X and an CB500F 
NC750X
Very interesting gearbox and very easy to use. Very quiet and bland though, obviously not very quick. \might be better with the standard gearbox though.
CB500F
Surprisingly I much preferred riding this. Much lighter, more fun, smoother engine, great manual box (a revelation after the Enfield!). Revvy little twin and being lighter than the NC it actually felt peppier to me. Not sure if the performance would get a bit boring though even though it was still more than capable of safe overtakes. Being unfaired it was actually more comfortable to me than the NC as the screen on that seems to throw a lot of wind into my upper body.
I am hopefully going back on Monday to have a try at the CB500X which with the added luggage would be a better fit for me I think, but riding the unfaired CB i seemed to really gel with it so the salesman recommended i try a CB650 as well to see if it gives me the best of both. I love the look of the CB650 but need to do some research on what luggage there are for it so I have the option to do some light touring if wanted.
I think te CB500X is top of the list at the moment though for practicality, riding pleasure and cost (providing it is similar to the F on the test ride)
Big thanks to Norton Way Honda as well as they are being very accommodating
NC750X
Very interesting gearbox and very easy to use. Very quiet and bland though, obviously not very quick. \might be better with the standard gearbox though.
CB500F
Surprisingly I much preferred riding this. Much lighter, more fun, smoother engine, great manual box (a revelation after the Enfield!). Revvy little twin and being lighter than the NC it actually felt peppier to me. Not sure if the performance would get a bit boring though even though it was still more than capable of safe overtakes. Being unfaired it was actually more comfortable to me than the NC as the screen on that seems to throw a lot of wind into my upper body.
I am hopefully going back on Monday to have a try at the CB500X which with the added luggage would be a better fit for me I think, but riding the unfaired CB i seemed to really gel with it so the salesman recommended i try a CB650 as well to see if it gives me the best of both. I love the look of the CB650 but need to do some research on what luggage there are for it so I have the option to do some light touring if wanted.
I think te CB500X is top of the list at the moment though for practicality, riding pleasure and cost (providing it is similar to the F on the test ride)
Big thanks to Norton Way Honda as well as they are being very accommodating
I liked the NC750X, but I rode it on the same day as the Yamaha MT07.
It was night and day: The Yam was smoother, lighter, more powerful and cheaper (and not far short on fuel economy, either).
The Yam feels eager and vivacious where the Honda feels flat and lifeless.
Test ride an MT07 before you decide.
Seriously.
It was night and day: The Yam was smoother, lighter, more powerful and cheaper (and not far short on fuel economy, either).
The Yam feels eager and vivacious where the Honda feels flat and lifeless.
Test ride an MT07 before you decide.
Seriously.
Well a little update:
I have had a chat with the Honda dealer and should be going back this week to try their CB500X, but I am also going to try a CBR650F as I am a bit worried the 500 just won't have enough grunt to keep me happy for any decent amount of time. The price, luggage options and running costs are still drawing me to it though and coming from the Enfield is still way quicker than i have been on for years.
0% finance on the CBR brings the price differential down quite a lot, although the downside being that the bigger, sportier bike has less options in terms of luggage but i have seen some decent aftermarket panniers which would be suitable for the riding I will be likely to be doing.
I am also debating spending a little more and looking at a Triumph Sprint GT which seems a bit of a bargain at only £9000 with all of the luggage and extras as standard. If the dealer is open tomorrow i will take a trip down there too.
The Yamaha is a good shout but to be honest I don't like the way it looks and the nearest dealer to me is ages away.
Any thoughts?
I have had a chat with the Honda dealer and should be going back this week to try their CB500X, but I am also going to try a CBR650F as I am a bit worried the 500 just won't have enough grunt to keep me happy for any decent amount of time. The price, luggage options and running costs are still drawing me to it though and coming from the Enfield is still way quicker than i have been on for years.
0% finance on the CBR brings the price differential down quite a lot, although the downside being that the bigger, sportier bike has less options in terms of luggage but i have seen some decent aftermarket panniers which would be suitable for the riding I will be likely to be doing.
I am also debating spending a little more and looking at a Triumph Sprint GT which seems a bit of a bargain at only £9000 with all of the luggage and extras as standard. If the dealer is open tomorrow i will take a trip down there too.
The Yamaha is a good shout but to be honest I don't like the way it looks and the nearest dealer to me is ages away.
Any thoughts?
I have the 600 version of the CBR650F, it will use about 2/3rds more fuel than the NC, insurance will be more, more expensive tyres and servicing too. It will be a lot faster but not nearly as practical. Try one, but keep in mind the expense when you are using it every day, which I don't.
The engine on the NC700 is half of the one in my Jazz. Having ridden my brothers bike, admittedly not far, its obviously the same engine, they just act and sound the same. It's not an exciting bike, my CBR hasn't even woken up by the time the NC has run out of revs. The NC isn't about screaming around on the rev limiter though and Honda do make bikes for that. When we went abroad, it was fine example of it's not what you ride, it's how you ride it, because the NC was keeping up with machinery with 2 and 3 times the power just by picking the right lines.
The bike is what it is, if that suits your needs great, if not others are available. For commuting 30 miles each way it would be a fair way up my list.
The bike is what it is, if that suits your needs great, if not others are available. For commuting 30 miles each way it would be a fair way up my list.
AceOfHearts said:
I am also debating spending a little more and looking at a Triumph Sprint GT which seems a bit of a bargain at only £9000 with all of the luggage and extras as standard. If the dealer is open tomorrow i will take a trip down there too.
Any thoughts?
Have a look at the Bandit GSX1250 too they seem brilliant value at £8k, for a big bike with luggageAny thoughts?
https://www.suzuki-gb.co.uk/motorcycles/motorcycle...
Jazoli said:
Have a look at the Bandit GSX1250 too they seem brilliant value at £8k, for a big bike with luggage
https://www.suzuki-gb.co.uk/motorcycles/motorcycle...
Great shout I will go have a look https://www.suzuki-gb.co.uk/motorcycles/motorcycle...
AceOfHearts said:
Jazoli said:
Have a look at the Bandit GSX1250 too they seem brilliant value at £8k, for a big bike with luggage
https://www.suzuki-gb.co.uk/motorcycles/motorcycle...
Great shout I will go have a look https://www.suzuki-gb.co.uk/motorcycles/motorcycle...
Big difference in performance from a CB500 or NC750!!
Don't spend £8k on one. Plenty of very good examples with low miles for £4k-£5k.
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