Anyone ridden one? Sat on one today, and the 70ish MPGs with a low price tag have me interested. Not to mention the sweet helmet storage. But the 50HP and the increased weight have me thinking I'd want something more in no time.

I can't get past the looks of the front end, it ranks up there with the multistrada.

http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/Gallery%20B/Honda%20NC%20700X%2012%20%201.jpg

I sat on one at the local dealer, I liked the seating position and liked it's function aspect but the HP would scare me away too.

I like the look of em. They're sharp but not over the top. Different strokes I guess!

Yeah if it had 60-70 I'd be all over it...

Looks pretty good and the price is right. Not sure if I would like the auto trans though. I like shifting.

I know a guy who has one. Nice bike to ride but doesn't have enough punch. If you're mainly commuting I guess it's alright but it lacks spirit.

*IMO* Honda has created something so lacklustre it seems they couldn't be bothered to give it a name other than its numerical designations. Dumbed down and made as cheap as possible it seems a hastily assembled way to get in with the adventure/commuter all rounder genre and sell as many as possible in order to get in on the huge success of duc and bmw.
No style, No go, No shifting. Sure if you wanna pay $7000+ it seems a great bike/commuter. That is, if, you actually don't have the energy or ability to shift, care about looks or want something useful off road.
Also bothersome are the boneriffic rave reviews seen everywhere, praising the genius of honda at having nearly re-invented the wheel or curing cancer with this bike. In the same category and for the same price, kawasaki and suzuki have been making far better bikes for years.
The lads at "SuperBike!" wrote an interesting article in which after thorough testing they said it "handled like crap, felt cheap and lacks any kind of spirit"

Final words were that "Honda should have named it the Hubris".

Phew... anyway that got away from me. Rant over. Just my :2cents:

There are two versions. One has the DCT, one has a standard transmission. The cheap one might be the one preferred by most motorcyclists. But you can only get ABS (for now, anyway), on the pricier one with the auto transmission.

A friend of mine got one for his kid, and he himself uses it for commuting reasonably often. Says it's comfortable, easy, gets stellar gas mileage as advertised, and the built in luggage option is useful. Not a bad deal for under $7K.

Probably not on the list to put in my garage, but I have no reason to believe Honda won't sell a ton of them.

Saw THIS this morning when I turned on my computer. A little fuel for the fire.

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I think they liked it more than I did. Btw, I got a chance to ride the manual, don't know how the auto drives.

It feels like Honda has designed the NC range for the non-enthusiast. Thanks for the link to the video comparison of it, the BMW, and Versys. Versys looks great in white and is on my short list to replace the DR-Z400SM if I sell it.

So it would appear as if the general consensus on these are good but not great. What then do you guys recommend to someone who wants a great combination of power, fuel efficiency, and low cost? Obviously, theres no one bike that can be great at all three, but does that mean there isn't one thats solid at all three?

So it would appear as if the general consensus on these are good but not great. What then do you guys recommend to someone who wants a great combination of power, fuel efficiency, and low cost? Obviously, theres no one bike that can be great at all three, but does that mean there isn't one thats solid at all three?

I love my FZ6R. 7k otd brand new, starting to see them around 4k used where I live, can run about a 12 second quarter mile, and can get fuel mileage in the 50s. Coming from any 250 or 500 you will be very pleased.

My money would go to Kawasaki's Versys. I'm looking at a few low mileage ones now and just have to convince myself to sell the DR-Z400SM. Others you might want to consider are Suzuki's SV650, VStrom, and GSX650F, Kawi's Ninja 650, ER-6n, Yamaha's FZ6R, and even Honda's CBR500R, X, and F models. I do like the storage in the NC700 but reviews don't make it sound like a very exciting ride. Watching the video of it and the Versys together backed up everything I assumed. The only thing holding me back on the Versys is waiting to see if/when KTM releases the Duke 390. I came close to buying a 690 back in 2007 when I picked up the 400SM bu couldn't justify the extra cost at the time. Sorry to ramble but hope it helped somewhat. Go get some test rides on lots of bikes and you'll find the one that suits you best :)
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Here's a good video comparing the Versys and the NC700. I didn't realize the engine in the NC700 is based on the Honda Fit (half the car engine) and only redlines at 6500. I think the video sums it up well at the end: "The Honda makes a better beginner bike and the Kawasaki makes a better sportbike".

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