2022: What did you do to/with your NC700/NC750 today?

[kebrider]

Your oem pads are probably glazed and is probably the main culprit in your issue. Put on some EBC HH pads or EBC Road Race pads and you'll be much happier. I ride my 2016 NC hard on long trips through twisty mountain roads on stock brakes without issue, although, I can tell at around 12k miles, the oem pads are nearing the end of their life and will be replaced with EBC in the near future. I also do trackdays on my other 2013 NC, which is a dedicated track bike now, on road course tracks at an advanced pace on stock brakes other than the EBC Road Race pads on the front only. Had EBC HH pads on front only, then swapped to the Road race pads after they glazed and was a significant improvement. The NC's braking system is quite sufficient so long as you maintain fresh fluid and good pads. Although steel braided lines are a good modification too. The main reason that sportbikes have dual front brakes is that they are designed to slow down to cornering speeds from much higher speeds than the NC is capable of, in environments that the NC is not designed for, aka road course tracks. However, the NC can be made to be quite capable on track, too.

I believe you're right about the pads glazing JD. I had a similar problem with one of my 6th gen VFRs but I cured them by cleaning the rotor and installing new pads. I tried EBC's and they had an even rougher feel than the OEM. They had a little better initial bite until they overheated and then they felt about the same. I overwork the brakes occasionally riding with sport bikes in the hills. I am on my 4th set of pads and I did a solid job of cleaning/prepping the rotor between pad sets but the roughness was always there with the oem rotor.

I wore out my original front pads at 7,200 miles and went to EBC. The braking was so rough I changed the first set of EBCs out for another set of EBCs and spent a great deal of time cleaning the rotor, but still got the same result. I then did another deep clean of the rotor and installed oem pads and same result. I had about 400 miles on the oem pads when I installed the new rotor and lines and I didn't clean them even though they had felt terrible with the old rotor. The first couple of stops were longish and I wondered if I made a mistake reusing the old pads but one good run bedded things in and the performance has been great ever since. I brake hard and I rarely use the rear brake. My modified front forks perform well under hard braking and give excellent feel while trail braking so I make up for a lack of go by using quite a bit of last second whoa.

The oem rotor was usually a pretty deep shade of blue as I gave up riding sport bikes without fully giving up sport riding. The NC can't keep up with truly hard ridden sport bikes but it keeps a respectable pace, sufficient to safely wear the sides bald on a set of Q3+'s in less than 1,500 miles. I recently bought a new Triumph Tiger Sport 660, another budget adv style bike, that is much better suited to sport riding, though it is still not going to keep up with very well ridden sport bikes. The Triumph and Honda are so very different. The NC is still my favorite, though my heavily modified CRF250L is so close it's practically a dead heat. I really enjoy my budget Hondas and they both have aftermarket rotors on them.

 

[dduelin]

I believe you're right about the pads glazing JD. I had a similar problem with one of my 6th gen VFRs but I cured them by cleaning the rotor and installing new pads. I tried EBC's and they had an even rougher feel than the OEM. They had a little better initial bite until they overheated and then they felt about the same. I overwork the brakes occasionally riding with sport bikes in the hills. I am on my 4th set of pads and I did a solid job of cleaning/prepping the rotor between pad sets but the roughness was always there with the oem rotor.

I wore out my original front pads at 7,200 miles and went to EBC. The braking was so rough I changed the first set of EBCs out for another set of EBCs and spent a great deal of time cleaning the rotor, but still got the same result. I then did another deep clean of the rotor and installed oem pads and same result. I had about 400 miles on the oem pads when I installed the new rotor and lines and I didn't clean them even though they had felt terrible with the old rotor. The first couple of stops were longish and I wondered if I made a mistake reusing the old pads but one good run bedded things in and the performance has been great ever since. I brake hard and I rarely use the rear brake. My modified front forks perform well under hard braking and give excellent feel while trail braking so I make up for a lack of go by using quite a bit of last second whoa.

The oem rotor was usually a pretty deep shade of blue as I gave up riding sport bikes without fully giving up sport riding. The NC can't keep up with truly hard ridden sport bikes but it keeps a respectable pace, sufficient to safely wear the sides bald on a set of Q3+'s in less than 1,500 miles. I recently bought a new Triumph Tiger Sport 660, another budget adv style bike, that is much better suited to sport riding, though it is still not going to keep up with very well ridden sport bikes. The Triumph and Honda are so very different. The NC is still my favorite, though my heavily modified CRF250L is so close it's practically a dead heat. I really enjoy my budget Hondas and they both have aftermarket rotors on them.

Nice conversation going KB. What do you use to deep clean the rotor?

 

[Luke’d]

My 2019 750X continues to evolve. The Lust Racing Raising Link gave it much improved ground clearance and the YSS suspension (fork kit and shock) refined its road-holding feel when riding technical mountain roads, where the bike spends most of its time. With the improved handling the bike's only remaining issue was braking. The 320mm front disk does a great job most of the time, but extended runs involving repetitive hard braking took its toll on the oem rotor and rubber lines. The brake fade was alarming, with each phase of heat build-up requiring a stronger/longer lever pull and I began to notice a sore right hand after a 300 mile day chasing motards on the local goat trails.

On top of the annoying lever grip required, the feel through the lever had a perpetually gritty, pulsating sensation (progressively worsening with grip effort) that was out of character for the otherwise "smooth" to the touch NC. To improve things I added a Spiegler braided stainless steel brake line kit (ordered directly from Spiegler USA) and a "conventional" Brembo rotor that I ordered on ebay from Perfomoto in the UK.

View attachment 50084

It was a nice improvement. The lever effort is still somewhat higher than a true sportbike, and some level of fade can be induced, but both issues are improved dramatically. I am running stock pads so perhaps there is some potential for improved performance but I don't feel the need just yet. The complete lack of the grainy, pulsating feel makes the change worth the time and cost, around $250 to $300 (based on the Euro to Dollar exchange rate). I have about 1,500 miles on the new brakes (17,000+ total on the bike) and when the bike is ridden at a sport touring pace the suspension and brake upgrades add an almost luxurious feel to the humble and versatile NC.

KEB

That was an awesome & very informative post!
Thank you for all the detail.
I am just getting back into riding after almost 40 years off & I am loving my 2014 NC700X.
It is so cool to hear people talk about doing track days or trail riding or the mountain twisty’s on these bikes. It is exciting to hear all the different ways these bikes can be imagined!

 

[kebrider]

Nice conversation going KB. What do you use to deep clean the rotor?I

With the first replacement (EBC) set I cleaned the rotor with hot soapy water and then scrubbed it with brake cleaner on a clean rag until the rag collected no more residue. I thought I might have been too rough with that set before they bedded in so I pulled the pads and cleaned them with 90% alcohol and I also cleaned the rotor with the alcohol and propane torched the pads and the rotor to possibly burn off any deep-seated residue. No difference in feel so I replaced the pads again with a new set, cleaning the rotor with brake cleaner and 90% alcohol. I was very careful to give the pads a couple of hundred break-in miles but it still felt rough under hard braking.

Through it all the feel during mild braking was decent, but I could always feel just a touch of roughness, something I don't have with any of our other 4 bikes. I may obsess a bit over the control "feel" of my bikes but it's important to me that all of our bikes have controls with a smooth and polished feel as it lets us focus on the feedback from the road. You've ridden with me so you see the types of roads I ride and the dangers they present, tire feedback is crucial, especially when trail braking into a corner, trying to catch up to some speed addled hooligan on an S1000XR. Just because she's my wife it doesn't mean she makes it easy for me to keep up!

On the other bikes when I change pads I just clean the disks with brake cleaner and no complaints.

 

[dduelin]

With the first replacement (EBC) set I cleaned the rotor with hot soapy water and then scrubbed it with brake cleaner on a clean rag until the rag collected no more residue. I thought I might have been too rough with that set before they bedded in so I pulled the pads and cleaned them with 90% alcohol and I also cleaned the rotor with the alcohol and propane torched the pads and the rotor to possibly burn off any deep-seated residue. No difference in feel so I replaced the pads again with a new set, cleaning the rotor with brake cleaner and 90% alcohol. I was very careful to give the pads a couple of hundred break-in miles but it still felt rough under hard braking.

Through it all the feel during mild braking was decent, but I could always feel just a touch of roughness, something I don't have with any of our other 4 bikes. I may obsess a bit over the control "feel" of my bikes but it's important to me that all of our bikes have controls with a smooth and polished feel as it lets us focus on the feedback from the road. You've ridden with me so you see the types of roads I ride and the dangers they present, tire feedback is crucial, especially when trail braking into a corner, trying to catch up to some speed addled hooligan on an S1000XR. Just because she's my wife it doesn't mean she makes it easy for me to keep up!

On the other bikes when I change pads I just clean the disks with brake cleaner and no complaints.

I was just curious to your method. My R100 was prone to EBC pad residue sticking to the discs and I used brake cleaner and a Scotchbrite pad to clean the discs when the lever began to pulse like a disc was warped.

 

[the Ferret]

Just another day of blitzing curves over in SE Ohio with my Mens Fall Trip group

 

[TacomaJD]

I believe you're right about the pads glazing JD. I had a similar problem with one of my 6th gen VFRs but I cured them by cleaning the rotor and installing new pads. I tried EBC's and they had an even rougher feel than the OEM. They had a little better initial bite until they overheated and then they felt about the same. I overwork the brakes occasionally riding with sport bikes in the hills. I am on my 4th set of pads and I did a solid job of cleaning/prepping the rotor between pad sets but the roughness was always there with the oem rotor.

I wore out my original front pads at 7,200 miles and went to EBC. The braking was so rough I changed the first set of EBCs out for another set of EBCs and spent a great deal of time cleaning the rotor, but still got the same result. I then did another deep clean of the rotor and installed oem pads and same result. I had about 400 miles on the oem pads when I installed the new rotor and lines and I didn't clean them even though they had felt terrible with the old rotor. The first couple of stops were longish and I wondered if I made a mistake reusing the old pads but one good run bedded things in and the performance has been great ever since. I brake hard and I rarely use the rear brake. My modified front forks perform well under hard braking and give excellent feel while trail braking so I make up for a lack of go by using quite a bit of last second whoa.

The oem rotor was usually a pretty deep shade of blue as I gave up riding sport bikes without fully giving up sport riding. The NC can't keep up with truly hard ridden sport bikes but it keeps a respectable pace, sufficient to safely wear the sides bald on a set of Q3+'s in less than 1,500 miles. I recently bought a new Triumph Tiger Sport 660, another budget adv style bike, that is much better suited to sport riding, though it is still not going to keep up with very well ridden sport bikes. The Triumph and Honda are so very different. The NC is still my favorite, though my heavily modified CRF250L is so close it's practically a dead heat. I really enjoy my budget Hondas and they both have aftermarket rotors on them.

Oh, but the NC CAN keep up with hard ridden sport bikes. I do it every trackday I attend in Advanced group. Are there people out there that are faster than me? Yes, just as there was when I used to ride a ZX10R in Advanced group on track over 12 years ago. There are a couple limitations on the NC, but I can keep up with, and pass, sport bikes in corners on track...of course I get smoked on the straights, but in the corners, I'm not so different than the sport bike riders. With a few simple mods, that is. Front forks are sprung to my weight and have Racetech Gold Valve Emulators, peg risers, oem rear shock preload maxed out to raise height and better geometry, stock brakes other than EBC Road Race pads, and running Michelin Power Cup Evos. Next mod will be Ohlins rear shock, then there's not much more left to modify after that. The only thing that really limits the NC compared to sport bikes, other than lack of power, is the lean angle clearance. I've nearly dragged a hole in my exhaust midpipe, and even with 30mm peg riser, it still drags at times even with good body position. But it works, and is fun as hell!

 

[the Ferret]

Ditto yesterdays post, another day of curves. I swear there is not a bad road out here and some of them are downright awesome.

Rain coming tonight and tomorrow

 

[kebrider]

Oh, but the NC CAN keep up with hard ridden sport bikes. I do it every trackday I attend in Advanced group. Are there people out there that are faster than me? Yes, just as there was when I used to ride a ZX10R in Advanced group on track over 12 years ago. There are a couple limitations on the NC, but I can keep up with, and pass, sport bikes in corners on track...of course I get smoked on the straights, but in the corners, I'm not so different than the sport bike riders. With a few simple mods, that is. Front forks are sprung to my weight and have Racetech Gold Valve Emulators, peg risers, oem rear shock preload maxed out to raise height and better geometry, stock brakes other than EBC Road Race pads, and running Michelin Power Cup Evos. Next mod will be Ohlins rear shock, then there's not much more left to modify after that. The only thing that really limits the NC compared to sport bikes, other than lack of power, is the lean angle clearance. I've nearly dragged a hole in my exhaust midpipe, and even with 30mm peg riser, it still drags at times even with good body position. But it works, and is fun as

Oh, but the NC CAN keep up with hard ridden sport bikes. I do it every trackday I attend in Advanced group. Are there people out there that are faster than me? Yes, just as there was when I used to ride a ZX10R in Advanced group on track over 12 years ago. There are a couple limitations on the NC, but I can keep up with, and pass, sport bikes in corners on track...of course I get smoked on the straights, but in the corners, I'm not so different than the sport bike riders. With a few simple mods, that is. Front forks are sprung to my weight and have Racetech Gold Valve Emulators, peg risers, oem rear shock preload maxed out to raise height and better geometry, stock brakes other than EBC Road Race pads, and running Michelin Power Cup Evos. Next mod will be Ohlins rear shock, then there's not much more left to modify after that. The only thing that really limits the NC compared to sport bikes, other than lack of power, is the lean angle clearance. I've nearly dragged a hole in my exhaust midpipe, and even with 30mm peg riser, it still drags at times even with good body position. But it works, and is fun as hell!

Passing any bike in a corner is a racetrack thing and I passed several at a time at your track when I had my 700 at Barber. Straightaways not so much fun. Unlike the track the street is not a great choice to pull off in-corner passes so hard ridden sport bikes dispense of my NC easily on the straights. I pass plenty of high end stuff on the humble NC but it's not because the NC is a faster bike. I also get passed by bikes on the NC, so like all things motorcycle it's not always the choice of bike that determines who gets there first.

You and I have similar mods JD. My YSS emulator is a RT knock-off and my fork springs give perfect sag with just 1.5 turns of preload. The rear YSS shock damps way above its price point but I will probably get something much more sophisticated in the future. Rear spring adjusts within the specified preload range to give perfect sag as well.

I have other bikes for sporty riding so I do handicap the NC slighly with lowered pegs that I hacksawed back 3/4". They support my feet great and my feet only touch occasionally.

I recently pulled my fork emulator and adjusted the valve until the damping was squishy soft. Then I kept changing/mixing the fork oil with heavier weights until I got the plushness and firmness I wanted. The end result was approximately the same compression damping I had with the lighter oil and much improved rebound damping. Now the NC is much more composed in fast bumpy corners and the front wheel feedback is greatly improved.

Just a simple and fun old school roadster that I enjoy tinkering with to try and match its performance potential to the world class frunk.

 

[the Ferret]

Got absoluetly soaked lol. Still rode some great rodes. 347, 664, 56, 180. Been a great week. Headed home tomorrow. If weather isnt too bad (rain predicted) will be stopping in Portsmouth at Ribbers for a nice ribeye and baked potato.

 

[Deleted member 1183]

Got absoluetly soaked lol. Still rode some great rodes. 347, 664, 56, 180. Been a great week. Headed home tomorrow. If weather isnt too bad (rain predicted) will be stopping in Portsmouth at Ribbers for a nice ribeye and baked potato.

Had one similar day last week. 250kms in fog, drizzle and heavy rain in varying degrees. It was not expected at this time of year so I wasn't ready for it. Everything was soaked, boots, crotch, neck, hands etc etc. However at least it was a warm day

 

[dduelin]

Satilla River Loop.

 

[the Ferret]

Soaked again today but made it home safe and sound. NC never missed a beat as expected. Turned over another milestone on the way home. My 9th one this year lol

 

[670cc]

Soaked again today but made it home safe and sound. NC never missed a beat as expected. Turned over another milestone on the way home. My 9th one this year lol

A milestone of another thousand miles, eh? Reminds me of the card game Mille Bornes, which I guess translates roughly to English as thousand milestones.

 

[670cc]

By noon it got too hot and humid to ride today, so I worked in the garage a bit to clean out that awful accumulation of dirt, sand, gravel, and chain lube from under the countershaft cover. Yuck.

 

[JustinNM]

I mostly use my bike for commuting, and carry my stuff in a 46 liter Givi top case. I'm hoping to take a longer trip through northern NM and CO before it gets cold, but have been stumped on luggage options. I've had my eye on the Givi side racks and the V37 side cases for awhile, but can't justify the price tag for something I'll use a couple times a year.

Recently, a set of used Tusk Highlander rackless bags showed up on Craigslist. They are mentioned favorably a few times on this forum, but as far as I can tell not by anyone who has put them on an NC. Today I picked them up, strapped them on the bike, stuffed them with random camping gear, and went for a short test ride.
These are the first generation bags, and do are missing the improvements and to the newer version, like dry bag inserts (but everything definitely seems waterproof). It came with the medium sized duffel bag on top. I adjusted the angles of the straps so nothing was twisted, but didn't change the position of the side bags from the way the previous owner set them up on his Yamaha T7. There is a ton of space: more than I have in my backpacking pack, and plenty of loops and straps for attaching things in the outside.

In the position I have them they hang over the rear seat somewhat. The seat opens, but not far enough to stay propped open. I'm not sure if this will bother me refueling or not, so will need to test that before a longer ride. It would also be uncomfortable for a passenger.

I didn't notice them at all riding. The duffel is less obtrusive than my hard top case. The stuff I loaded it with was probably about as heavy as I would take on an actual trip, and less well balanced, but maybe slightly less bulky. I did notice it (with my right foot) getting off the bike, which may be another reason to try shifting it further back on the rack, or just transferring the accessory bags to the rear/bottom of the side bags.

 

[LanceK]

Rode to the local tool store. When I got off, I dropped my jacket into the frunk. When I went in the store, they employees were asking what kind of motorcycle I had. I pointed out the window and said “the black one” because no one knows what a Honda NC700x is. Then they had to know where the fuel tank was since they watched me load up the frunk. I have yet to figure out how to answer the question of what kind of motorcycle I have. The best I have come up with is a cross between a street bike and a dirt bike. That seems to satisfy most people.

 

[Luke’d]

Rode to the local tool store. When I got off, I dropped my jacket into the frunk. When I went in the store, they employees were asking what kind of motorcycle I had. I pointed out the window and said “the black one” because no one knows what a Honda NC700x is. Then they had to know where the fuel tank was since they watched me load up the frunk. I have yet to figure out how to answer the question of what kind of motorcycle I have. The best I have come up with is a cross between a street bike and a dirt bike. That seems to satisfy most people.

Yeah I typically say a cross between an Adventure Bike &. Commuter. Then I have to explain Adventure Bike…
Some of the comments on the site before have been “Not a Harley”, “A quiet one”, “A Honda”… She is quite the unique bike.
I will tell you my neighbor who has 2 kids under 4 & twins on th way appreciates it. The guy down the street has a Harley & does as she calls it “Victory Lap”. He doesn’t just pull into his driveway down the street, he has too circle this part of the neighborhood revving his engine…

 

[Luke’d]

I mostly use my bike for commuting, and carry my stuff in a 46 liter Givi top case. I'm hoping to take a longer trip through northern NM and CO before it gets cold, but have been stumped on luggage options. I've had my eye on the Givi side racks and the V37 side cases for awhile, but can't justify the price tag for something I'll use a couple times a year.

Recently, a set of used Tusk Highlander rackless bags showed up on Craigslist. They are mentioned favorably a few times on this forum, but as far as I can tell not by anyone who has put them on an NC. Today I picked them up, strapped them on the bike, stuffed them with random camping gear, and went for a short test ride.View attachment 50124View attachment 50125View attachment 50126
These are the first generation bags, and do are missing the improvements and to the newer version, like dry bag inserts (but everything definitely seems waterproof). It came with the medium sized duffel bag on top. I adjusted the angles of the straps so nothing was twisted, but didn't change the position of the side bags from the way the previous owner set them up on his Yamaha T7. There is a ton of space: more than I have in my backpacking pack, and plenty of loops and straps for attaching things in the outside.

In the position I have them they hang over the rear seat somewhat. The seat opens, but not far enough to stay propped open. I'm not sure if this will bother me refueling or not, so will need to test that before a longer ride. It would also be uncomfortable for a passenger.

I didn't notice them at all riding. The duffel is less obtrusive than my hard top case. The stuff I loaded it with was probably about as heavy as I would take on an actual trip, and less well balanced, but maybe slightly less bulky. I did notice it (with my right foot) getting off the bike, which may be another reason to try shifting it further back on the rack, or just transferring the accessory bags to the rear/bottom of the side bags.

I gotta say I am intrigued. I don’t love the normal saddle bags that are popular. Even when you take the bags off you typically have the frame still on the bike. This looks like you could just add what you need for that particular trip…..

 

[JustinNM]

I gotta say I am intrigued. I don’t love the normal saddle bags that are popular. Even when you take the bags off you typically have the frame still on the bike. This looks like you could just add what you need for that particular trip…..

That's the idea. Everything can be cinched up pretty compactly, even empty, and the duffel on top is separate, so I can use just the side bags if I wanted.

This used set of 1st gen bags were very inexpensive, but even the new current model would have been much less than the racks and cases I was looking at.