About fifty years ago now, a workmate, a former motorcyclist, (Vincent Comet among others) gave me some issues of the British “Motorcycle” magazine from the 1950s. One of them contained an item about an NZ motorcycle dealer (John Dale?) riding a 350 single (Matchless ?) from Wellington to Auckland on a single tank of gas, as a sort of publicity stunt. He got extraordinarily low fuel consumption figures, way over 100 miles per gallon. And those old Brit singles didn't even have a particularly large tank.
If the details seem vague, please understand, all this was a long time ago...
Until recently I hadn't read anything much about fuel economy in a long time, the last few decades have been all about horsepower, and the easiest way to get more power is to burn more fuel. Recently though, amid forecasts of diminishing oil supplies accompanied by predicted hugely escalating gas prices, there is renewed interest in fuel economy. This has lead Dorna to impose an arbitrary fuel limit on GP bikes in an effort to force manufacturers to develop more fuel efficient engines.
Apart from such PC silliness, some manufacturers have begun introducing fuel efficient bikes for their own reasons. The BMW 800 parallel twins reportedly give outstanding fuel consumption figures. The G650GS even more so, about 80mpg. The new KTM Duke is also capable of sipping fuel at an uncommonly miserly rate. Honda has entered the low consumption competition with the Honda NC700S for which the manufacturer also claims 80mpg.
The engine of the NC700S (670cc actually) is basically half a Honda Jazz car engine. This results in a red line under 6,500 revs. Riders harbouring fantasies of being the next Casey Stoner won't like this bike at all. But that's OK, they are not the intended market. Sharing parts with the Jazz engine though must help keep the price down. Honda have thought about this and there are other cost saving measures. The outside diameter of the rear (wavy) disc is less than the inside diameter of the front disc so that both can be cut from the same piece of steel. These things and whatever other measures they took mean the bike is intended to be keenly priced on the shop floor.
Honda describe the bike as a commuter. I haven't seen any on the road here but “BIKE“ magazine reports that they are selling in the UK, presumably to people who want a bike for that purpose. My daily commute is less than 5K but in a place like Auckland where many people have to rent or buy a house increasingly distant from their place of work, a bike like this would make sound financial sense. It could also be fun.
The fuel tank is under the seat, the filler cap accessed from under the pillion seat. What would normally be the fuel tank is a lockable storage compartment, big enough to fit a helmet and the small toolkit. I've seen that claim before, however, and not been able to fit my helmets. So I got my helmets out and tried them.
The Shoei XR1000 was an easy fit, and the slightly larger Arai Quantum/f fitted snugly. The AGV GP Tech was too big, but then the shape of the latter must make it one of the biggest helmets around. Still, the space is big enough to be useful. Not ever having had such a compartment available I'm not sure what you'd use it for. Sunglasses, hat, camera and lunch? A change of underwear, a toothbrush, and a set of tie downs? Lots of possibilities...
The low(ish) 790mm seat height means the bike is accessible to the slightly vertically challenged.
That and the narrow seat mean the rest of us get a really good foot plant.
On start up the 700 feels and sounds like a bike. A very quiet bike. Honda resisted the temptation to put balancers on the balancers, they intended that the power plant feel like a motor bike engine. It does.
Although modestly enough, it does pull from idle. That, with the suspension, more touring than sporting, make it a pleasure to ride around town. The low weight and low power mean that the frame is not stressed and the bike handles and steers nicely in town - and on the open road.
The first time I hit the open road speed limit, I also hit the rev limiter. That was the only time I did that though. You have to recalibrate your riding style, and your expectations. Short shift like a diesel car, or maybe a Harley. There's no point in wringing the Honda's neck – nothing much happens. Except, of course, that you will hit the rev limiter.
Although there are six gears, top gear functions as an overdrive. If you want to accelerate on the open road you pretty much have to change down. At 100kph in top the rev counter reads 3000RPM. That's about 1000RPM less than any bike I've owned in recent history. The 700 is supposed to be capable of 185kph, but it may take a while to get there. Still, the bike has no trouble keeping up with other traffic.
The acceleration is definitely not going to wrench your arms out of their sockets. The 700 is apparently rated at a modest 47HP. There are several new bikes around that level now, or with that power level as an option. This is apparently to meet a new licensing requirement in the EEC. Forty seven ponies doesn't sound like much, and these days it isn't, but when I started riding we'd have thought that was pretty flash; Manx Norton territory... We've come a long way.
Although it is primarily intended to be a commuter or utility bike, the Honda is nicely finished. The designers reportedly intended the bike to offer owners reasons to feel pride in their purchase. Some welcome sunshine revealed that the white paint is, in fact, a metal flake finish.
As I traversed a mixture of city streets, main highways, and country roads, I was thinking that although the stated purpose is commuting you could definitely tour the 700. Touring at a necessarily leisurely pace admittedly, but that way you get to see more. My only reservation in this regard came when I experienced numbness in my unmentionables in under thirty minutes. That's a first. It may only have been a one-off as it didn't happen again in the couple of hours I had the bike.
A bike deliberately designed for these straitened economic times? Whether the Honda NC700S is the beginning of a new direction, or another blind alley in the development of motorcycles only time will tell. If, however, you are looking for a sweet handling new bike that runs on the smell of the proverbial oily rag - and shouldn't require a second mortgage - check out the Honda NC700S.
Thanks to Craig at Energy Honda for the loan of the bike.
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Originally Posted by pritch
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