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Long Distance Touring

I put a sit-n-fly on the stock seat around 40,000 miles ago and it's had the tall OEM Honda screen sense I bought my NC 5 years ago, most of my rides are around 60 miles but I've gone 300-400 miles plus a couple dozen times, the slope fix for the seat and bar risers helped a bit for longer rides but as it's been pointed out that's personal size and preferences
 
I love my NC for commuting as well as day trips over the weekend but now I'm itching for some long distance, week-long touring. I'm faced with the question of whether to invest in the gear which will make such touring possible / more enjoyable (i.e. bags, seat, shield, etc.) or invest in a purpose built machine with more power and shaft drive while keeping my friendly commuter.

Instead of tossing $$ at the NC in the hope that it will eventually with enough modifications be a suitable long distance tourer why not just pick up a used ST1100/1300 or FJR for $3-4k and call it a day? You see, the solution is really to have more than one motorcycle!

The NC is a great motorcycle with a reasonably wide mission statement but it is nothing like a "real" tourer or sport tourer. I kinda wish I didn't drop so much $$ on modifying my NC and instead just bought a used $3,500 FJR/ST1100/1300/Triumph Trophy and kept the NC reasonably stock.

Yamaha FJR 1300 2006 - motorcycles/scooters - by owner - vehicle automotive bike sale
 
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Instead of tossing $$ at the NC in the hope that it will eventually with enough modifications be a suitable long distance tourer why not just pick up a used ST1100/1300 or FJR for $3-4k and call it a day? You see, the solution is really to have more than one motorcycle!

The NC is a great motorcycle with a reasonably wide mission statement but it is nothing like a "real" tourer or sport tourer. I kinda wish I didn't drop so much $$ on modifying my NC and instead just bought a used $3,500 FJR/ST1100/1300/Triumph Trophy and kept the NC reasonably stock.

Yamaha FJR 1300 2006 - motorcycles/scooters - by owner - vehicle automotive bike sale

I get this. I've nearly always had more than one bike. That is not to say the NC is not a great platform upon which to build. We all know the bike (or bikes) that work for you is the one(s) that fit you best physically and emotionally. I loved my R1200GSA. It was far better than an out of the crate NC for touring applications. Of course it cost 3x as much so it should have been.

But now I am down to only the NC. I may change a couple of the ingredients (but probably not) and certainly will add a few accessories (throttle lock, highway pegs, etc), but the basic super reliable bike is what I will be counting on. A couple friends were surprised when I bought the NC versus my "normal" bike. I can't really say why I feel like it's a fit for me now. Is it the relatively light weight? The super reliability? The modern classic looks? Maneuverability? Don't know, but as a guy who has done my share of touring/urban riding, I can tell you the NC fits me personally.

To the OP, you might want to rent a BMW R1250GSA (or some other high end adventure/tourer...the RT?) for a weekend trip as see what you think. No doubt you'll love the power, suspension, and all the bells and whistles. You won't like the weight compared to your NC, maybe not the seat height, and perhaps the not slow speed riding compared to the NC. But the GSA (and similar) is a great bike. Having it instead of (or in addition to the NC) is a tough one based upon $$ and time available for riding. I sold my GSA and bought my NC because I went back to golf (which was a big part of my life before a couple injuries) and didn't think I'd have much time for riding. Turns out I am riding my NC far more and practicing/playing golf far less than I thought.
 
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