There is no way one can compare the Ninja to the NT. The Ninja is a lot more fun to ride--it is, after all, a sport bike. It would be like comparing a Lotus Super 7 to a Lincoln Continental. What stands out on the NT is Honda's meticulous attention to detail. The finish is superb, the chrome is flawless. No expense was spared in the way the bike was put together. Of course, Honda was not concerned about weight and other performance concerns. That is handeled with their VFR Line. The bike is classified as a Sport Touring bike and it seems to handle that category well. Ergonomics and comfort appear to be paramount, as is appearance. There are a lot of things to tweak on the bike. The adjustable height windscreen is very well executed. It is not electric. You simply grab both sides of the screen and either push up or down. There are five positions. The second thing to tweak is the suspension pre-load. That can be done on the fly by simply reaching down past the base of the seat to a large knob--which one can twist right or left. This knob is on the left so that you do not need to take your hand off the throttle to make an adjustment. At lower RPM the bike is still a little rough--partially because it is not broken in yet, and beause it is a V Twin. Acelleration is quite snappy. It acellerates faster than the Ninja but doesn't feel as fast as the Ninja does when going through the gears. That is because on the NT, Redline begins at 8500RPM. That RPM is comfortable cruising on the high revving Ninja. The NT also has a 5SP transmission. On rough roads the NT is really at home. That bone jarring ride is not there. The NT also does not get particularly bothered by crosswinds or irregularities in the road surface. I comfortably cruised Rte 1 at 60 to 65 with winds gusting to 30mph and the bike just kept on track without any complaints, Fuel economy at 65 in 5th gear on a flat stretch was 55mpg. On hills it was a bit less. In my 100mi run, I averaged 50mpg. There was no fatigue after the ride. It was a bit cold, 48F, but with proper gear it was not an issue. The fairing and windscreen offer excellent protection from the wind. As mentioned earlier, the brakes are incredible. It is without a doubt, the best overall touring motorcycle that I have ridden. When my tyres are properly scuffed in and the pavement is not too cold, I'll see how low I can lean the bike. That will probably have to wait till spring. The press has not been kind to this bike. They seem more impressed by 200HP multi cylinder bikes that can go over 150mph. So they call the Deauville(the European designation) "Dullsville". I can't wait till "Rider" magazine evaluates this bike. One thing the press was consistant with was the engine's exceptional reliability and the ease of owner maintenance. The Owner's Manual is quite good. I will get the Shop Manual. What I found strange is that there is no tool kit--it is optional. I'll find out what is in it and put my own together. The kit I put together so far is a set of Metric Wrenches, a set of Metric Allen Wrenches, a pair of pliers, and a multi bit screwdriver. I also have my Stop and Go tyre plugger kit and mini compressor. So far so good. I hope this answered at least some questions.

Happy to hear you enjoy your Honda!

As long as it's comfy enough for you to continue riding, that all that matters.

enjoy the bike. :thumbup:

Great bike review. Glad you found a comfortable bike that let's you keep riding.

Cool Alex. Its funny the CBR's tool kit is one allen wrench and a metal strap for the helmet lock.

Ride on down to RI in 2011. As I said I will show you a collection of bikes that you will be very familiar with.

You meet the nicest people on a Honda. Honda bikes are my favorite hands down. But even saying that my last 5 *02 ninja 250, 09 versys, 07 ninja 250, 03 klr650, 01 Concours* were Kawis. ha

^^^ ah old slogans. Right up there with Kawasaki lets the good times roll, both much better than someday you'll own a yamaha.

Greg, I am really looking forward to getting together with you. I sense that you also appreciate the classics that have gone before the modern rides we have today. I now have 216mi on the clock of my new NT-700. Thanks to new technology in riding gear, I was not the least cold riding in 38F temperature for 100mi today. I did get some condensation in my helmet but it was no big deal. The V Twin will take some getting used to, but the ergonomics of this bike are great. The ergonomics of the Ninja were just as good--the problem was that I could not adjust the suspension soft enough without bottoming out. I still maintain that the 250R is by far the best 250 on this planet. Kawasaki has done this since 1986--funny that no other manufacturer got the hint. They have done it right. I still think that the ZZR is one of the most stunning bikes around.

Report: NT-700 after 200mi. No change. Not as fun as the Ninja, but a great bike. Sad to admit: a bit more age appropriate. I will miss the comments from the young riders--"Aren't you a little old to ride that?" Still not old enough to ride a H-D.

"Age" is in the mind!

You need to upload some pictures, I had to look up the NT700 on Wikipedia. It reminded me of the old Honda Silver Wing; v-twin, sport-touring layout, etc.

Glad you got a ride that lets you do the mileage. Have fun!

It is a lot like the old Siver Wing. The bike has been around in Europe for over 10 years--used a lot for police work and courrier work--you see a lot of them as support vehicles in European bicycling events. The bike has been somewhat modernized by Honda. The ABS Brakes are unreal. I also like the adjustability of the handlebars and levers. Being able to adjust the pre-load on the rear shock on the fly is really nice. The Dashboard is very user friendly. So far the only PITA I have found is the oil filtre. The Honda one requires a strap wrench. The more expensive K&N will handle a regular Metric wrench. I have two Honda filtres which I will use prior to my 600mi check. After that, I will go with the K&N and Shell Rotella Synthetic 5W40. The Rotella worked exceptionally well in the Ninja, which redlined at 13K. The NT-700 is redlined at 8.5K. That will take some getting used to. The feel of a V-Twin as opposed to a high revving Parallel Twin will also take some getting used to. The NT-700 is not revvy, but sure has a lot of torque. I think that I made a good choice.

bah....
:worthlesswithoutpic


;)

I agree Picts please.
Age appropriate ? Give yourself some credit :)


About the coolness factor...
Is a ninja cool if it has a squid on it? No!!
So it is the rider that brings the coolness factor to a bike!
You'll be cool,no worries!

Will get pics as soon as the wife comes back from SanJose on Dec 3. She has the camera. The bike is fine. The only issue I have is with the oil filtre. It is in a confined space and requires a band clamp to get it loose. Homda filtres are $14 as are K&N. The K&N has a 17mm fixture on the filtre which makes it easy to remove. I'll stick to K&N. The K&N also is set to be safety wired. To that end, I drilled a hole in the 17mm oil drain plug and safety wired it to the oil filtre. Less worry about anything coming loose. On the Ninja, the bolt that handled the oil filtre was drilled to accomodare a safety wire as was the oil drain plug. Took the worry out of having each component coming loose.

i do love that the pre-load in the rear on my honda, like yours, can be adjusted by a turn of a knob. i don't know why honda decided to take away the tool kit. i think the year before my bike, they still had it. now all i have is the pin spanner and extension bar.

i do dislike that i have to take off my fairing to change my oil. also i don't like how heavy my bike is, but yours is even heavier by about 10 pounds. :) it is nice that gusts of wind doesn't affect the bike though.

Rode the bike to church this morning. It was around 34F. With the FI, it started right away. It takes about three minutes before she shows anything on the water temp guage. The fairing and adjustable windscreen offer a lot of protection. The weight will also take some getting used to.. I returned the two Honda filtres and got two K&N filtres. Messing around with a strap wrench in such a confined space is a PITA. The crossbar on the centrestand is in the way. If Honda moved the crossbar three Cm up or down, the problem would be solved.

Congrats on the NT, I think that is the best all around tourer right now and in a very sweet spot since like you mentioned before anything under 1000cc is considered small, LOL. I'm sure the added weight will help smooth out the ride and those cross through saddlebags are SWEET!!!

Enjoy and keep us posted. :thumbup:

I'm wanting something that feels less sporty. I think that would solve a lot of my current "speedy gonzales" issues. I think you adapt to the ride. I want to be more relaxed when I ride a motorcycle, I'd like a less buzzy ride, a little more power, a better seat, less vibes in the pegs and bars, decent fuel mileage, 17" wheels for better tire selection, hard case luggage, and better wind protection. I was thinking a cruiser (which may still happen) but I think that NT of yours would be a better move for me than a cruiser. I was also thinking about a KLR 650, but I think the NT would better suit me (though the thought of hitting trails does appeal to me quite a bit).

Wish they had a couple I could test ride. They have 3 KLR's at the dealer priced very well, but since we are planning on doing some more upgrades to the house, I shall live through you for now. :) :lol:

Mark, As you have probably gathered, I research things to death. I took into consideration all under 1L touring bikes in the 9 to 10K price range. I read up on the bikes and talked to owners. I have years ago had great sucess with BMW, so that was considered. A friend here in town owns a 1200cc BMW and an NT-700 in Sweden. He has had the Deauville for six years and has nothing but good to say about it. The Honda 700 V-Twin has been around for a long time and is, in his opinion "Bulletproof" He suggests doing the 600mi service--which, in effect checks that everything is OK. (They check valve clearance in the 600mi service) He also recommends doing the 4000mi service which checks valve clearance and checks to see that all bolts are torqued to spec. The clutch is also sdjusted. Fluids are changed, as are the spark plugs. In this service the FI is adjusted for the post-break in map. After that the bike can be owner maintained. Just to play it safe, I got a 48mo warranty for an additional $600. I don't expect any problems with this bike.

Mark, another bike you might want to look at is the Suzuki V Strom. They come in a 650cc or 1000cc and they have literally tons of after market stuff for them. There is also the KLR 650. They are Dual Sport bikes. Both are a touch tall for me. In a sense I am old fashioned insomuch that I am skeptical when something is hawked as doing two things well. Coming from the sailing world, it reminds me of the old Motor Sailers. They did motor ok, but would not go to windward. The industry figured correctly that "Motor Sailer"was not a terribly cool marketing name, so they came out with "Pilothouse, sloop, ketch, cutter" That sold a few. The latest now is "Raised Salon". Shakespeare once said that a Rose by any other name is still a Rose. The designation Sport Touring is a good one. The best one on the market--no longer available new was the Honda ST 1100. It had detachable hard luggage, ABS, heated grips, etc, Honda still makes the ST but it is 1300cc. I think that the NT-700v is just right. Since my wife is terrified of bikes, it gets used as a solo machine. 700cc is plenty for that purpose. I have a friend who has three bikes, a Ducati 999 , a Honda VFR 600, and a V-Strom. He had a Suzuki cruiser and traded it for the V Strom. He has it looking like it could do the Dakar Rally with the lights, luggage boxes, bash plate, hand guards, the works. He also has topo maps, and bashes around the back roads. We have many more dirt roads than paved. So for touring on paved he has his VFR (which he bought from a guy in San Antonio) and rode back to Maine. It,s a 1995 in pristine condition--never been dropped. You don't strike me as the cruiser type. You look more like an NT or ST type.

Greg, I am really looking forward to getting together with you. I sense that you also appreciate the classics that have gone before the modern rides we have today. I now have 216mi on the clock of my new NT-700. Thanks to new technology in riding gear, I was not the least cold riding in 38F temperature for 100mi today. I did get some condensation in my helmet but it was no big deal. The V Twin will take some getting used to, but the ergonomics of this bike are great. The ergonomics of the Ninja were just as good--the problem was that I could not adjust the suspension soft enough without bottoming out. I still maintain that the 250R is by far the best 250 on this planet. Kawasaki has done this since 1986--funny that no other manufacturer got the hint. They have done it right. I still think that the ZZR is one of the most stunning bikes around.

Alex, glad you are enjoying the NT. Here is a link to an article about the local shop I was telling you about with the great collection of British, Italian, and Japanse bikes, with some pics.
http://joejay2010.blogspot.com/2010/06/visit-with-gordon-razee.html

Sailariel - How tall are you, can you flat-foot the bike? Do you find it top heavy at slow speeds? Can you fit a full face helmet in those bags?
I also looked at that (from a distance), haven't sat on or rode one yet.
There's an owner's group at NT-owners.com if you haven't found it already.
And you got the ABS, so your bike is silver, right? Good luck with it.

I am 5'10" and can just barelyflatfoot with both feet. The bike does feel a little top heavy at slow speed. The bags that come with it will not hold a helmet unless it is one of those beanies the cruisers use. They make larger lids that are not yet available in the US. They will hold a helmet. There is also a top trunk available--which I did not get because I think it detracts from the lines. I mistakedly said that my bike has ABS. What it has is that when you apply the rear brake, the front also engages and vice versa. The difference is that when the rear brake is applied, the front is not deployed vigorously. When you apply both together, you definitely stop quickly. That will take some getting used to. The bike is a deep metallic Burgundy. For 2011 the ABS model, $1000 more expensive will also be offered in the red. I will probably order the baseplate for the topper and use it as a luggage rack.

They (Honda) call those "combined brakes".
I like the red/burgundy color better but the ABS model for 2010 is only in silver.
I was looking at getting one of those, still thinking about it, and I would probably opt for the ABS model, but the old Honda PC 800 (Pacific Coast) keeps popping up into my mind. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with my Suzuki S50 but something in your brain wants you to get another bike at a certain point in time.
And I think a lot of us are way past the image age, just want to go out for a comfortable, no hassle, enjoyable ride, be it short or long. And not have to mess with the bike to keep it running. It's the rest of them out there more concerned with their image than those riding a Honda NT700, and it's jealousy, not disdain. Enjoy that bike. I'm sure you will, and check out the website I mentioned before.:):thumbup:

Marc, You are the second person who has mentioned the PC-800.. That bike actually has more cargo carrying capacity than the NT-700. At my age, image is meaningless. My life continues to be interesting and full of new challenges. I always joked that I would like to grow old enough to become an embarassment to my kids. So far I have not suceeded. I like what I ride. It is a completely different ride than the Ninja and I am glad that I had the opportunity to have owned one of these super advanced Cafe Racers. The 250R is in a class all its own. There is nothing in its price point that can touch it--and it has been around since 86. The surprising thing is that there is no one who has tried to compete with it up until now. I, quite frankly, do not see the new Honda 250 as competition--maybe in performance, but I doubt that they can compete in price unless they sell it as a loss leader to get a toehold on the market. There are some very sharp people at Kawasaki who really know the market. I suspect that they will see how the more expensive Honda 250 does against the less expensive Ninja. If then the only real difference is FI, Kawa does not have to do R&D on FI since they already have it. They will just drop an FI Ninja on the American market slightly less expensive than the Honda without having to retool, etc. Honda is going to have to come up with some slick marketing to knock Kawa out of the ring. I am not sure how well the NT-700 and the DN-1 will sell. The DN is very pricey and may be too much too soon. The NT is not inexpensive, but a little bit more realistic. How well the American motorcyclist accepts "old technology" will remain to be seen. I look at it from the point of view of reliability and ease of maintenance. Certainly parts will be no issue since three of Honda's offerings have the 700 engine.

You have to be nice to your kids - they're the ones who get to pick out your nursing home.
And nothing wrong with spending their inheritance when you can still enjoy it.