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Get Out to Garrapata After Action (2500-ish Miles, 500 Off-Road) NC Limits Tested

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Ponyperformance8

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After 15 days on the road, 13 nights camping out, 4 states, 4 national parks and more than 2500 miles, with about 500 miles of dirt, we have safely returned to our starting point and are beginning the process of taking account.

We'll have full ride reports up soon as well as plenty of video and other updates. In the meantime I want to share my experience with the good-ole NC.

Overall the NC performed great on the road and compared to the other bikes on the trip (KLR 650, DR 650) was smoother and far more fuel efficient for the long-hauls. Even with the top-loaded luggage, I was able to thoroughly enjoy the bike on the twisty roads of the American Southwest, and keep up with riders with much more experience than I on their DRs. I think all riders would agree without a doubt the NC was the best on-road, but off-road I simply could not match the chops of the DRs or KLRs.

With all the bolt-on mods I have made, the bike was certainly more durable and took over half a dozen downs without any damage at all. However the lack of a 21-inch front wheel and more off-road biased suspension made the off-road sections more of a trial on me and my NC. The Slow portions were not more difficult on my bike than the others, and the Shinko 705s performed well with good grip in sand and loose river stones. However on the faster trails, where the DRs could go 40, I managed 20, and where they could hit 60, I did well at 40. I feel like I have a good amount of experience on the NC on Dirt, but after riding with the more off-road biased bunch, I realized that the stock suspension of the NC simply was not made to deal with the same kind of terrain we experienced.

Case in point, 25 miles from anywhere on Saline Valley Road in Death Valley the 1 inch fork extensions I installed here (http://nc700-forum.com/forum/nc700-mods/7380-fork-extension-install-how-video-nc700x.html) which had functioned well to keep from hitting the raised front fender up until then (even at max suspension travel, trust me) gave up the ghost in spectacular fashion when the right-hand fork plug ejected itself from the motorcycle and i looked down to see a gaping hole in the top of my fork. Thankfully after locating the plug a 1/4 mile back on the trail and a 45 minute trail-repair we were back on the road.

Overall I am happy with how the NC performed despite the suspension failure and some lower-than normal gas mileage (which I attribute to bad california gas), I was still by far the most efficient. Would I take the NC again ? Sure, but would i take it into Death Valley again? That I'm not so sure, if I could get a 19 inch front and some longer suspension it would be perfect, but until then I just don't know...
 
Excellent review. I wonder if there is a possibility of a front end swap (19" wheel, brake, fork, and brake lever) for the NCX?
 
The NC was simply not designed for the kind of off road riding you did. I'm glad you survived the trip, and were able to make the needed repairs to complete the journey. And I'm sure with enough modifications the NC could be fitted to handle the off road riding you experienced. But, then, if that is the kind of riding a person wants to do, why not just purchase a motorcycle specifically designed for it? There are many good choices out there.
 
Thanks for the review. Glad you had a safe trip. I would say Mr. Glattstein would be proud. There have been others who have put the NC through similar long distance off road torture tests. Although the NC is a pure street bike and not intended for such off roading it seems to hold up fairly well. A testament to Honda quality and this great little engine.
 
Thanks to both of you. You are right that the NC was not designed for what I took it through. I bought the NC hoping that it was the perfect all-around Dual-Sport Adventure Bike. That it could do all a KLR could but still be the perfect commuter with great gas mileage and the convenience of the Frunk to Boot (pun intended). The truth is that it has limits that Enduro Bikes or true Dual-Sporters (like a GS) don't. However it is a testament to Honda engineering that it made it through, and truth be told, it was my modification that failed, not a Honda OEM Design.

Now I just need to figure out an off-road biased suspension option that can handle a little more of a beating. About an 1/8 of my NC's life has been spent off-road and I don't see that changing anytime soon. :)

A few pics for you...

My NC on the Inside Right with the White Helmet.
SAM_0012.jpg
DSCF2540.jpg
DSCF2629.jpg
DSCF2708.jpg

If you have trouble picking out my bike its the one with the inordinate amount of stuff on it, if that still doesnt help look for the white helmet!
 
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Thanks for the ride summary. I enjoyed reading it and hope to see further postings of your ride.
As I see it, the problems you had on the dirt were directly related to the fact that you were attempting to "keeping up with the Joneses", so to speak.
Had you been riding by yourself (not recommended), or with just one other buddy, you would have been going at YOUR happy pace and the experience and accompanying satisfaction, would have been MUCH greater.
Of course, as always, this is just MY humble opinion. YMMV. :eek:
 
Looks like you fellows had a great ride. I believe every word you have said about the NC700's limited dirt ability, to be exactly as I would have described it! Like you said, I found slowing down is the answer to riding an NC700 in the dirt. There is just no realistic way for an NC700 to keep up with the bikes built for the dirt. The street is a different story.

Very well written, and I truly enjoyed.
 
Chestnut said:
What kind of mileage did you get off road? I'm headed for Death Valley in March and while I'll be sticking to the easy stuff I'd like to have a better idea of range going in.
Click to expand...


My lowest mileage was actually on the highways of CA which was in the low 50's due mostly to that water which passes for gasoline in the state of California.

Directly, though I plan for 55-60 mpg on trails and carry a 30 oz fuel bottle from MSR as a reserve. I plan for 160 miles range at most for trail riding, depending on speed. That would likely be tapping into the .7gal reserve.

Believe it or not that is quite easy to reach in Death Valley, a run from Furnace Creek to Racetrack Playa and back will push the comfor limits rather easily.
 
For most of us, the NC is a great commuter with limited dirt capabilties. We're somewhere between cruiser and dirt bike. I like it right where it is.

Good write up!
 
Good show, PonyPerformance! Great to hear you carried the NCX banner with capable hands ;)

As the others have stated here, if I'm trying to do the same as more dirt oriented bikes go, at the same speed they are, well ya neither the NC or me is going to be in our happy places, lol. Same with issues requiring more ground clearance, and sections where lighter weight is going to be a particular benefit to making it or not.

But if I'm by myself, or with like-minded riders, I'm simply not going to be seeing how fast I can go down a trail or rocky creek bed. I putter and mosy along well within my limits, and for that, it wouldn't matter if I was on a KLR/DR/NCX.

Having spent many years on a DR350 and a lot of seat time on a buddy's KLR, the more "fun" I had off road was directly coupled with how likely I was to be stranded, broken, or all fubarred trying to go somehwere I shouldn't have been in the first place, hee hee.

Since with those bikes I had less fun on the highways getting to where I could have more fun, with the NCX I am very pleased with having more fun on the way to going offroad, than the lack of fun when offroad. If you follow me. :eek:
 
L.B.S. said:
Good show, PonyPerformance! Great to hear you carried the NCX banner with capable hands ;)

As the others have stated here, if I'm trying to do the same as more dirt oriented bikes go, at the same speed they are, well ya neither the NC or me is going to be in our happy places, lol. Same with issues requiring more ground clearance, and sections where lighter weight is going to be a particular benefit to making it or not.

But if I'm by myself, or with like-minded riders, I'm simply not going to be seeing how fast I can go down a trail or rocky creek bed. I putter and mosy along well within my limits, and for that, it wouldn't matter if I was on a KLR/DR/NCX.

Having spent many years on a DR350 and a lot of seat time on a buddy's KLR, the more "fun" I had off road was directly coupled with how likely I was to be stranded, broken, or all fubarred trying to go somehwere I shouldn't have been in the first place, hee hee.

Since with those bikes I had less fun on the highways getting to where I could have more fun, with the NCX I am very pleased with having more fun on the way to going offroad, than the lack of fun when offroad. If you follow me. :eek:
Click to expand...

Well said and I agree. Did the dirt in my 20s on single cylinder enduros (125,175,250,400 cc) and the dirt was fun at speed but then the dirt was within a short distance and i was young. The used Transalp I managed to acquire by accident was an eye opener. Had the 21" tire and a "twin" cylinder motor. I found myself riding it more than my BMW K75 and loving the smooth running in the hwy and ability to off-road, but then in my late 30's more time on the pavement. Now in my late 60's I still yearn for the dirt road but need smooth for the Hwy and something that is balanced like my Wing under 5mph.... Under $12k the NC is the only contender (Wee Strom < 10 mph just uncomfortable for me) I have found that feels good for me. I'm still working on getting the rider to be able to handle the dirt better but the bike is so far ahead of the rider. Heading for Alaska late May 2015, and lots of paved road from Texas to Canada and the dirt, so the NC is a great choice. Like my Wing it has the Honda quality/dependability I need to go it alone and when the dirt becomes bad I'll just slow down a bit. Now finding a tire that can go > 7k on the rear and still handle some dirt challenges ....

Thanks PonyPerformance8 for the excellent write up and WhatsNext, StratTuner, OldCanRide, L.B.S., and others for showing an old fart the "Bike" can do it, if the rider is willing and understands his limitations.
 
L.B.S. said:
Good show, PonyPerformance! Great to hear you carried the NCX banner with capable hands ;)

As the others have stated here, if I'm trying to do the same as more dirt oriented bikes go, at the same speed they are, well ya neither the NC or me is going to be in our happy places, lol. Same with issues requiring more ground clearance, and sections where lighter weight is going to be a particular benefit to making it or not.

But if I'm by myself, or with like-minded riders, I'm simply not going to be seeing how fast I can go down a trail or rocky creek bed. I putter and mosy along well within my limits, and for that, it wouldn't matter if I was on a KLR/DR/NCX.

Having spent many years on a DR350 and a lot of seat time on a buddy's KLR, the more "fun" I had off road was directly coupled with how likely I was to be stranded, broken, or all fubarred trying to go somehwere I shouldn't have been in the first place, hee hee.

Since with those bikes I had less fun on the highways getting to where I could have more fun, with the NCX I am very pleased with having more fun on the way to going offroad, than the lack of fun when offroad. If you follow me. :eek:
Click to expand...

I'm with you... I often felt this way on our trip and I know that I definately had more fun on the blacktop and felt more comfortable doing it. Truthfully the only negative I hve from the ride regarding the NC is that I feel like I pushed it to its limits off road and we each beat each other up equally yet the Honda still kept ticking on.

My ide of adventure touring is an 80/20 (or so) blend of road /offroad through some beautiful country, getting to enjoy myself along the way. The NC Is good for that, but it could be better, the question is if another bike is that much better out there at all these things to make it worth buying.... Hard to say at this point.
 
Nicely written and your thoughts seem about like what I'd expect. I really have enjoyed the NC. And I enjoy also that I still have my CRF250L for fooling around off road. I don't get too adventurous with the NC but certainly feel OK trying gravel and will continue venturing more onto some area trails. Sounds like you had a great time.
 
Come check out our thread on ADVRider and see how we made it from Zion to Vegas without any Interstate (No Easy Task)...

Get Out to Garrapata 2500 mi from Mexican Border to Pacific Coast - Page 2 - ADVrider

You can see some uncut NC700 Beatings too, while you're at it!

7335289_orig.jpg
 
Ponyperformance8, you once told me you enjoyed reading my adventures. Believe me when I tell you I have enjoyed reading about your adventures a lot more. Wish I was still young enough to hang with you - RIDER.
 
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