melensdad
Well-Known Member
Redesigned frame shaved weight. Plastics changed, claim to provide more weather protection. Expanded Frunk. DCT changes. Drive by wire. New display panel. More HP. Multiple drive modes.
2021 NC750x overview. Lower weight, new plastic, new dash display
- Thread starter melensdad
- Start date
Looks like some nice improvements, but the engine, frame, and body changes are small and hardly worth getting excited about. I sure would have liked to see fuel capacity increased, instead of frunk capacity. Also would like to see a significant improvement to the final drive system, either to shaft or belt.
Other changes on the European 2021 not likely to be in the headlines:
Suspension travel reduced by about 30mm
Fuel economy slightly worse.
Peak power moved higher in the rev range, deviating farther from the NC’s original character.
There are certainly not enough changes to make me want to replace my 2012 NC. For the features important to me, the CB500X is looking more attractive: more fuel, more suspension travel, less weight, better seat, better ergos, ABS available without DCT.
It remains to be seen whether American Honda imports this latest version of NC750X.
Other changes on the European 2021 not likely to be in the headlines:
Suspension travel reduced by about 30mm
Fuel economy slightly worse.
Peak power moved higher in the rev range, deviating farther from the NC’s original character.
There are certainly not enough changes to make me want to replace my 2012 NC. For the features important to me, the CB500X is looking more attractive: more fuel, more suspension travel, less weight, better seat, better ergos, ABS available without DCT.
It remains to be seen whether American Honda imports this latest version of NC750X.
Last edited:
Doc True
Site Supporter
I'd be interested in whether they softened the suspension. My 14 is way too harsh
Right. Since the travel is reduced, it’s possible the new suspension is the same stiffness or stiffer.
DTMWAP
Active Member
Looks like they finally understood and removed the seat's forward slope. I really like the new styling.
Doc True
Site Supporter
I'm curious where they moved the battery. Will it be as hard to get to as the air filter now?
dduelin
Site Supporter
It's probably not coming to a Honda store near you if you live in the USA.
Of greatest interest to me (of short inseam!) is the 2021's reduced seat height from 32.7" that is 1.3" shorter than previous models! And finally having a flatter seat will be nice. I'm not too wild about ride-by-wire but it's the flow of things these days.
As dduelin said, who knows if American Honda will bring the 2021 model here and a lot of that is related to how many crated NC700Xs and NC750Xs are still in the unit warehouses.
Doctrue - as far as I can see, there is no other location for the battery without a major redo of the bike. With the gas tank under the rider's seat, there is absolutely no space at the back of the bike.
As dduelin said, who knows if American Honda will bring the 2021 model here and a lot of that is related to how many crated NC700Xs and NC750Xs are still in the unit warehouses.
Doctrue - as far as I can see, there is no other location for the battery without a major redo of the bike. With the gas tank under the rider's seat, there is absolutely no space at the back of the bike.
Doc True
Site Supporter
I can't figure it out either, but to be fair, they did say they repositioned the battery. Who knows?
TacomaJD
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2019
- Messages
- 1,561
- Reaction score
- 1,012
- Points
- 108
- Location
- Northeast Alabama
Doubtful suspension is any different. The stiffness comes from the damper rod style front forks. They can't absorb fast bumps due to the small size of the orifice fork oil has to travel through. Unlike shim stack valving in other forks where the shims deflect more when greater force is applied. This is why you can get on your NC sitting still, hold front brake, and push on the front end and it feel spongey as hell.....but as soon as you hit a reflector in the middle of the road, it feels like you ran over a racoon.
Installing the Racetech Gold Valve Emulators and springs to my weight in the forks on my track bike, greatly reduced that insane stiffness when hitting a bump. Now the ride is firm and provides plenty feedback, but isn't brain jarring stiff when hitting bumps at speed. All at the price of about $650. The rear shock isn't the greatest either, but 90% of what you feel in stiffness of suspension derives from the forks.
TacomaJD
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2019
- Messages
- 1,561
- Reaction score
- 1,012
- Points
- 108
- Location
- Northeast Alabama
I think the 2021 model looks great, especially the pics of it with the newly designed oem luggage! I think the cosmetic redesign is a tasteful change. Still can't believe they only tweaked 4 more hp out of the engine though.....LOL.
www.asphaltandrubber.com
The Practical Honda NC750X Gets Faster, Smart, & Lighter for 2021
Maybe not the pavement-pounder that immediately jumps to mind, but it is hard to argue with the practical side of the 2021 Honda NC750X.
www.asphaltandrubber.com
Symcity
Member
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2020
- Messages
- 21
- Reaction score
- 26
- Points
- 13
- Location
- Loch Lomond Scotland
It’s a definite improvement for sure - I’ll have one in red in dct format please
wheel_of_steel
Member
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2018
- Messages
- 85
- Reaction score
- 81
- Points
- 18
- Location
- Perth, Western Australia
What's good:
-Wider spread of gearbox ratios - the torquey NC motor suits wider steps between the gears. Shorter first gear for lane splitting and drops the highway RPM at the same time.
-750 engine stays in production. The rumoured 850's unicam head = welcome to the painful world of valve shims
-Overall NC platform stays in production - longer parts support in future
-Crisp S suspension, 17in rubber, X wind protection is the perfect combo for sport touring
-More frunk space
-Reliable LCD display remains
-E throttle means future cruise control is possible
Not so good:
-Still no rear hugger, still an absurdly short front mudguard?
-Slightly reduced MPG with the same tank size
-E throttle might produce rev hang
-Lighter frame won't handle heavy luggage as well
-Asymmetric factory luggage
-All those ride mode buttons look distracting and pointless on an NC
If my 2012 nc700sa ever dies, the culmination of 10 years of updates would be nice to get all at once.
-Wider spread of gearbox ratios - the torquey NC motor suits wider steps between the gears. Shorter first gear for lane splitting and drops the highway RPM at the same time.
-750 engine stays in production. The rumoured 850's unicam head = welcome to the painful world of valve shims
-Overall NC platform stays in production - longer parts support in future
-Crisp S suspension, 17in rubber, X wind protection is the perfect combo for sport touring
-More frunk space
-Reliable LCD display remains
-E throttle means future cruise control is possible
Not so good:
-Still no rear hugger, still an absurdly short front mudguard?
-Slightly reduced MPG with the same tank size
-E throttle might produce rev hang
-Lighter frame won't handle heavy luggage as well
-Asymmetric factory luggage
-All those ride mode buttons look distracting and pointless on an NC
If my 2012 nc700sa ever dies, the culmination of 10 years of updates would be nice to get all at once.
TacomaJD - the very modest gain in HP may be related to the need to pass the latest Euro emission standards.
EastTenn
Member
The seat alone might be enough for me to bite.
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2013
- Messages
- 2,885
- Reaction score
- 897
- Points
- 113
- Location
- North Central Florida
From the advrider forum: " Honda also included Showa’s dual-bending valve design in the NC750X’s front forks (Dont know if this is a change from the current forks or not). the Honda NC750X gets a new exhaust and some changes to its valve timing. Not only does it now meet the new EU regs, it also supposedly makes more power, with higher redline. Sadly, it only revs 600 rpm higher, and anyone who’s ridden an NC-series machine knows there’s room for more revs. Furthermore, Honda’s changed the gearbox to tighter ratios on first through third, which may or may not improve the NC’s rideability. Only a road test will tell that. The changes mean the bike now makes just under 59 horsepower at the crank, at least in Euro spec. Max hp kicks in at 6,750 rpm; max torque is 51 pound-feet at 4,750 rpm..... three-level traction control (ranging from a gravel-friendly mode to a cautious rainy-roads mode). There’s a slipper clutch now, too (or optional DCT, which also saw updates for 2021). "
Thunderstick
Member
Why O Why no cruise control? I would trade up in a heart beat for cruise control!
dduelin
Site Supporter
The dual bending Showa forks were part of the 2014 NC upgrades that never came to the USA. I still lurk in one of the UK NC7xx forums and by most accounts these forks were not a significant suspension upgrade.
That author lost NC credibility when they wrote that line (above, in underlined bold). Perhaps the author doesn’t understand the New Concept. Once I read that, I no longer had faith in the accuracy of anything else in the article. The use of the word “anyone” implies that all NC riders would want more revs, but that is not true.
