SteveADV
New Member
I've had my '18 750 DCT for a couple months and approx 2,000 miles. Previous recent bikes were BMW R1200GSA and Triumph Tiger Explorer 1200. Really world class great bikes and I am not seriously comparing the NC to either of those....except for the utility factor. Ok, not off-road utility or suspension/electronics, etc. but walk out to the garage and jump on a bike to ride around town and maybe a last minute trip utility. And, for me, the travel capability of the NC is just fine.
Plus the DCT has surprised me. I like it a lot and find I rarely use the manual shift. A number of years ago I had a BMW touring scooter with a CVT, which was pretty great, but found myself spending more time on my other bikes that had manual clutches (Harley Road King Classic and one of my favorite all-time bikes, my KLR650). Maybe the CVT was boring. It was smooth as all get out, but, I don't know, maybe it kept me from being part of the machine. Does that make sense? Sounds a lot more zen-like than I am, for sure.
For some reason, the DCT makes me feel involved. Maybe I would like a manual version of the NC more, but I doubt it as I can get my RPM matching jollies with the manual setting. Thought I'd miss being able to control the bike with a manual clutch, especially in tight turns, gravel, etc., but I don't. Admittedly, part of that is the 17" tires, but still I feel like Honda did a lot of things right with their out of the box set-up and the bike's customization/personalizing capability. It is an excellent mid-size low cost platform in which to customize should one want to do so.
Maybe I'll do some suspension work down the road and certainly I miss cruise control, standard heated grips/seat, TPMS, and, if really honest, probably miss the ability to blast through xxxMPH on the highway with a small turn of the wrist. That said, and especially considering the relatively low cost, I am liking the NCDCT a lot. Honda did good with this machine.
Plus the DCT has surprised me. I like it a lot and find I rarely use the manual shift. A number of years ago I had a BMW touring scooter with a CVT, which was pretty great, but found myself spending more time on my other bikes that had manual clutches (Harley Road King Classic and one of my favorite all-time bikes, my KLR650). Maybe the CVT was boring. It was smooth as all get out, but, I don't know, maybe it kept me from being part of the machine. Does that make sense? Sounds a lot more zen-like than I am, for sure.
For some reason, the DCT makes me feel involved. Maybe I would like a manual version of the NC more, but I doubt it as I can get my RPM matching jollies with the manual setting. Thought I'd miss being able to control the bike with a manual clutch, especially in tight turns, gravel, etc., but I don't. Admittedly, part of that is the 17" tires, but still I feel like Honda did a lot of things right with their out of the box set-up and the bike's customization/personalizing capability. It is an excellent mid-size low cost platform in which to customize should one want to do so.
Maybe I'll do some suspension work down the road and certainly I miss cruise control, standard heated grips/seat, TPMS, and, if really honest, probably miss the ability to blast through xxxMPH on the highway with a small turn of the wrist. That said, and especially considering the relatively low cost, I am liking the NCDCT a lot. Honda did good with this machine.