NC700X... or BMW or Gold Wing for serious touring?

[werdigo]

Perhaps this belongs in the non-700 area, but it's primarily about the 700X so I'll start it here.

My 2014 NC-700X, purchased "new" in 2016, is my return to motorcycling after a near-50-year absence. Earlier this summer I rode from Maryland to Alaska, with camping and motels about 50/50; 16 days up and 14 days back, round-trip 10,600 miles. I got along just fine, longest day 475 mi but I aimed for about 350. Stock windscreen, Givi Trekker Outback luggage, lots of common accessories.

I saw many tourists on that trip --- Fast Eddy's (Young's Motel) in Tok was packed with them --- but NONE as small as my 671 cc. There were many BMWs (I think most were a 1200 model... I forget the exact name; adventure touring I think) and many Gold Wings. I saw only a few other makes of bike. (At campgrounds several people stopped by to chat who had Harleys at home, but I recall seeing only one HD actually on the road.)

I enjoyed that trip (well, wind gusts across the Canadian prairie and rain on the Cassiar were less than pleasant) and plan more touring next summer, but wonder if I should try one of those more-typical touring machines. I've been away from this board for a while but as I recall we have well-known contributors who could afford one of those bigger bikes but actually prefer touring with the 700. Any advice, guys? I'm fortunate to have a good Honda dealer, and a good BMW dealer, nearby.

 

[happy]

Ok I will bite.
Any bike can tour. The level of comfort and money-no-object will determine whether it is a Honda NC or a BMW 1200GSA.
An African Twin is also ideal if you want DCT with loads of off-road prowess.

So what exactly do you mean "touring"?


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[werdigo]

By "touring," first of all, I mean roads. Nearly always paved, but perhaps some good unpaved roads or (as I encountered on the AK trip) construction areas with smooth gravel or dirt. No off-road stuff. I don't visualize being interested in anything a full-scale touring motorcycle, and especially an adventure-touring bike like the 700X, couldn't handle.

I am aware that "any bike can tour." In the 1960s I put 21,000 miles on a 305cc Super Hawk, including several multi-thousand-mile cross-country (US) trips... no windscreen or fairing, flat stock handlebars, Boy Scout knapsack for luggage. Like Pirsig in "Zen...," though he may have had a windshield.

PS. I don't understand the "bite".

 

[670cc]

I’ve taken long trips on both the NC700X and the GL1800 Goldwing. I have not yet ridden to Alaska. I used to have a Honda ST1100 as a big tourer, but I swapped it for the Goldwing so the wife would ride with me more.

Which bike I take depends on the nature of the trip. First of all, if I have a passenger (wife), it’s definitely the Goldwing. For solo trips, it depends on the destination. If I was going to Colorado from Illinois, Goldwing. The overall comfort on the ride across the plains would dictate that. If I was going to the North Carolina - Smoky Mountains area, the NC700X. The nimble handling in the twisties outweighs the need for long term comfort.

I’ve thought a lot about which bike I’d take to Alaska. The scales are tipping toward the Goldwing. I can sit on it’s seat a lot longer than I can on the NC’s. The Goldwing’s barn door fairing allows for handling a wider range of weather situations (although engine heat makes it miserable in hot weather). The lack of required chain maintenance (shaft drive) means I could probably run a 10,000 mile trip with no need for any maintenance along the way. Some good oil and new tires would run the whole trip. If you’re looking for a larger touring bike, I suggest making shaft drive mandatory.

An occasional packed gravel road is a non-issue on the Goldwing, but mud or deep sand would be a show stopper.

To me, the bigger bike has nothing to do with it having more power, rather it’s about comfort and weather protection.

 

[Grey1one]

I have the same set up (other than my Wing is a '98) for the same reasons.

I am looking to replace the Wing, the new one debuts on Wed from what I've heard.

 

[Old Can Ride]

The new 2018 Africa Twin patient applied for shows a larger gas tank. A six gallon tank would get rid of the gas long distance between gas stops problem of the NC7 on long trips. I got 10,000 miles on the stock 90/10 tires. The seat on a Africa Twin is a lot more comfortable than the stock NC7 seat. As many times as I have dropped my bikes on trips, weight is very important to me. I did have to spend a night lying on a dirt road next to NC7 one night in Canada, as I could not pick up the bike, even after removing the bags.
The 525 chain on the Africa Twin with a turto chain oiler is good for 20,000 miles.

If traveling with a passenger on the rear, I would recommend the Gold Wing. Help in lifting the bike is on the rear seat. Besides you have help in getting the tent up quick. The new 2018 Gold Wing with the DCT transmission is tempting...

 

[670cc]

If traveling with a passenger on the rear, I would recommend the Gold Wing. Help in lifting the bike is on the rear seat.

Haha! I never thought of it that way. Make a large bike to handle a passenger so the passenger can help lift the large bike!

That’s like building a tower to put a light on top so airplanes won’t hit the tower.

 

[Wcmike]

First, great job on the trip. You did what I only get to read about. And from what I've read, any bike with a brake light (street legal) is a touring bike - or at least a bike you can tour on. It is all about what the person that is doing the riding wants. Comfort maybe? Street handling or off road? Light and nimble? Or something that can really chew up the miles? Matbe even something you know you can get parts for almost anywhere you go? Goldwing, R1200RT, Africa Twin, TW200, FJR1300, and the good old NC700X.

I'm a romantic. I would like to think of the bike as a travelling companion. The NC is like an old friend to me. Kind of quiet and trustworthy.

But being pragmatic works too. Where are you going next?

 

[drdubb]

When I bought the NC, I didn't want something big and powerful. In fact, the NC is bigger and heavier than I really want, but I thought it was the best match for me. I do one or two three day rides a year. Try to ride out into the countryside about once a week. I did a bucket list, 6500 mile trip last year. Hope to do one or two more. The NC performed flawlessly. I see no reason to get another machine.

 

[drdubb]

Or..you could try this concept.

Minnesota to Cabo in 8 days on 8 -- $1,000 bikes leaving in early Oct. | Adventure Rider

 

[werdigo]

First, great job on the trip. You did what I only get to read about....

But being pragmatic works too. Where are you going next?

Thanks! I had tried to get to Alaska (from PA) on the Super Hawk in 1965 but (prudently) backed out at Lake Louise AB, so this 700X trip was the completion of the dream. Only took 50 years!

I have never seen the southwestern USA and have actually traveled little outside the northeast. A friend of mine knows Piet Boonstra (now 92 years old), and told him about my plan for the AK trip. Piet sent me a copy of his wonderful book "Motorcycling Stories" with a nice personal note. What an inspiration. A former enduro champion, Piet (then in his 50s) took up long-distance touring in the 1970s, soon settling on a Gold Wing. He covered continental US pretty well but his specialty was taking that GW on remote and unpaved roads in AK and the Canadian north: Dempster, Dalton, Canol Road, stuff I can dream about (the roads have probably improved a lot since ca. 1980) but am not planning (yet).

So the 2018 summer plan is to roam around western USA. Maybe get back up to AK, where my daughter and her husband live.

 

[happy]

Having read your post, I can derive your profile a bit more.
If money is ok, go get a brand new BMW R1200 GSA. You won't regret it and no looking at other bikes.



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[Grey1one]

Looking at the new Goldwing it may be time for an upgrade.

 

[misterk]

I have a 13 nc dct and a 2010 goldwing. The last two years I have done the big as texas iron butt rally on the NC. The 2 years before that on the wing. I felt much better after doing 1100 miles in 18 hours on the NC than I did on the wing. furthermore, I was on dual sport tires on the NC . I can stand on pegs a lot longer on the nc than I can the wing.




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[ld_rider]

I've done some pretty long rides (2011 Iron Butt Rally, Mexico, Arctic Circle, etc,) on my GL1800 and two long rides on my NC700XD (2013, 2015 Iron Butt Rally). I've put on about 144,000 and 50,000 miles respectfully on each.

For me, there is <no> comparison. For long distance travel give me the GL1800. Every. Single. Time ;-)


My Goldwing did ok on the trip to Alaska, even while running the 600+km of unpaved road found on the Dempster Highway (Dawson City to Eagle Plains and back). Can get a little sketchy when running in deep gravel but I think all motorcycles are sketchy in deep gravel...and I found lots of it while on Top of The World Highway heading to Chicken, AK..Lucky me!

And yes, I am following the new trunkless model GL1800 w/DCT very closely ;-)

But, I'm with the other poster that suggested the best tool for an Alaskan (or other out of the way adventure) might just be a big honkin' Beemer.

EDIT: Nah, forget the Beemer...a <perfect> excuse for a DCT African Twin!

 

[Grey1one]

If you get the "regular" Goldwing you don't get the electronic suspension and a few other things. They also change the color options for some reason.

You can get the Tour model and a trunk delete kit to look like the other model but get all the bells and whistles along with the trunk when needed.

 

[GregC]

"To me, the bigger bike has nothing to do with it having more power, rather it’s about comfort and weather protection."

This. I'm not terribly interested in more weight, but more comfort and weather protection would be great. The Goldwing is too much weight at 800+lbs, but that R1200RT seems like it might be the ticket. Now, if they had DCT on the RT ... yeah!

 

[showkey]

LONG days in the saddle trying to make mileage there is no substitute for weather protection........but

I am still thinking of selling my ST1300 and replace it with a VFR1200x DCT.

 

[Hashbrowns]

Check out the thread I just posted in this forum. It should remove any doubt that an NC700X is not capable of being a "real" touring bike. The post is "I've been everywhere, man - literally"
This is a different guy who has also done some serious riding on his NC and mentions what you said about seeing lots of GW and BMWs in Alaska but that's about it NC700XD Alaska ADV Motorcycle - YouTube

 

[MalcolmReynolds]

If you were comfortable and happy with the NC's performance then why change it? If however you are looking for more comfort, or maybe the ability to chew up more miles in a day and possibly faster then certainly you mentioned some great bikes. There are lots of guys who ride Harley's that do the Alaska trip as well as KTM's,, Ducati's etc. So I would say prioritize what you are looking to gain by the change.

For me it would be greater comfort and the ability to chew up a lot of miles in a day so comfort, greater fuel capacity, and larger displacement for mile gobbling days on the slab at a rapid clip. But I am also very weight conscience so that would probably have me looking at the BMW bikes due to the lower weight such as an R1200RT. With a bike like that you are looking at a 7 gallon tank and 50-60mpg bike so your looking a long hauls between needing fuel and you could do it at a pretty rapid clip and have all the bells and whistles.

But bikes are a very personal thing and our needs and wants vary. Don't get me wrong the NC works very well within the design parameters of a 670cc multipurpose bike. But if your looking for something more specialized in its abilities then by all means go find something you like and have some fun.

Congrats on your Alaska trip, that is a big deal!