New to the forum, New to Adventure bikes. Looking for suggestions.
- Thread starter Wyo4x4
- Start date
ld_rider
Elite Member
Would it "hold up"? Sure....same as any other street bike.
Is it the best (or even in the top five ) tool for the job?
Heck no.
Too heavy, itty-bitty fuel tank, tiny cast wheels, zero front fender clearance, insanely complex (but reliable) DCT, no easy way to toggle ABS on or off.
You need an inexpensive, air-cooled old school dual sport that will blend in to the local landscape. The cheaper, the better. That way, when it gets stolen, it won't hurt too much ;-)
If that isn't your cup of tea and you want something a bit more modern, I would look at the Kawasaki 300 dual sport Versys which is about 125lbs lighter than the porker NC and is actually designed to go off pavement.
Check out this adventure ride from Connecticut to the Darien Gap for some ideas. A long video that you might find interesting: YouTube
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Rapturee
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Hey Wyo, welcome to the ride and a hearty welcome from north IDAHO! I have been to a few other countries and even briefly ridden there. Here in north Idaho I regularly ride logging/forest service roads like that and even way worse than what you pictured with just a set of Shinko 705's! As several of the others have all stated, "NO" the NC would not necessarily be your first choice....however, i don't believe you will be beating it to death (or whatever bike you decide on) on those roads, right!?
Though i do agree with many of the others' wise advice, I am in-camp-of the NC would be my first choice to ride there, but the manual version simply for simplicity(keep it simple). At 6'6" and 240lbs it is difficult to find a bike that'll take me the places i want to go on a budget. I like riding my NC in those conditions and rather enjoy doing that often. There are times i air my tires down for a little better handling for extended periods of time on roads like you described and there are times i do not. Riding at an appropriate speed, picking your track/path, i rarely ever hit anything with my bash/skid plate though i do stay away from deep mud! Though i'll rip through a small area of it if i need to, i'd def raise the front fender if it became frequently(seasonally) necessary. Here is a short video my son and i made of just one of the mountains i regularly ride. In 27 years i have never seen another "Street bike" up there, ever.
YouTube
May i suggest the Honda CB500x, which IMHO makes a really nice bike that i believe would serve you very well for what you have described. I've seen one up close and it is a very capable on/off road bike with a low seat height. It was outfitted with touring bags, wide off-road pegs, an adventure type windscreen, tank bag and lots of 12v/usb outlets The R.E. Himalayan 410cc would also make a great choice, "DrDubb" here just bought one and is enjoying it. Here is a little gal that has/is riding hers all over the world. She currently in South America and slowly riding her way up to Alaska! You'll enjoy her many videos Vlogging her travels around the world on her RE Himalayan 410cc bike!
Just to list a few others, the Yamaha WR250r has a great reputation for being a capable bike on and off road and it'll run at 10,000 rpm all day long(not that you'd need to). The Honda CRF250L is another capable bike that also gets incredible mpg like the NC! ...and many others that have already been mentioned all are fully capable of filling the bill for you.
It really boils down to what you would like/expect in a bike. I know that you are retiring(i'm still a couple of years away) and that tells me you will not be beating it to death. Drawing from that, i would think you'd be less interested in a dedicated Dual Sport bike but not a full on street bike either. Furthermore, i'd believe you would be leaning more towards a street worthy but still off road capable bike which "could" still be the NC with a few modifications(skid plate, bark-busters, 70/30 tires(many good ones around for cheap) aftermarket muffler (one that doesn't weigh 30lbs) and some good crash bars. The Honda CB500x(a miniature Africa Twin IMHO) or the Himma 410cc would be contenders on my list as well. All very capable on road and each would easily handle what you have described, and also returning you great mpg!
Just my $.02 worth.... I'm interested in seeing what you choose. Good luck and enjoy the ride! :{)
my rear tire
my front tire
Though i do agree with many of the others' wise advice, I am in-camp-of the NC would be my first choice to ride there, but the manual version simply for simplicity(keep it simple). At 6'6" and 240lbs it is difficult to find a bike that'll take me the places i want to go on a budget. I like riding my NC in those conditions and rather enjoy doing that often. There are times i air my tires down for a little better handling for extended periods of time on roads like you described and there are times i do not. Riding at an appropriate speed, picking your track/path, i rarely ever hit anything with my bash/skid plate though i do stay away from deep mud! Though i'll rip through a small area of it if i need to, i'd def raise the front fender if it became frequently(seasonally) necessary. Here is a short video my son and i made of just one of the mountains i regularly ride. In 27 years i have never seen another "Street bike" up there, ever.
YouTube
May i suggest the Honda CB500x, which IMHO makes a really nice bike that i believe would serve you very well for what you have described. I've seen one up close and it is a very capable on/off road bike with a low seat height. It was outfitted with touring bags, wide off-road pegs, an adventure type windscreen, tank bag and lots of 12v/usb outlets The R.E. Himalayan 410cc would also make a great choice, "DrDubb" here just bought one and is enjoying it. Here is a little gal that has/is riding hers all over the world. She currently in South America and slowly riding her way up to Alaska! You'll enjoy her many videos Vlogging her travels around the world on her RE Himalayan 410cc bike!
Just to list a few others, the Yamaha WR250r has a great reputation for being a capable bike on and off road and it'll run at 10,000 rpm all day long(not that you'd need to). The Honda CRF250L is another capable bike that also gets incredible mpg like the NC! ...and many others that have already been mentioned all are fully capable of filling the bill for you.
It really boils down to what you would like/expect in a bike. I know that you are retiring(i'm still a couple of years away) and that tells me you will not be beating it to death. Drawing from that, i would think you'd be less interested in a dedicated Dual Sport bike but not a full on street bike either. Furthermore, i'd believe you would be leaning more towards a street worthy but still off road capable bike which "could" still be the NC with a few modifications(skid plate, bark-busters, 70/30 tires(many good ones around for cheap) aftermarket muffler (one that doesn't weigh 30lbs) and some good crash bars. The Honda CB500x(a miniature Africa Twin IMHO) or the Himma 410cc would be contenders on my list as well. All very capable on road and each would easily handle what you have described, and also returning you great mpg!
Just my $.02 worth.... I'm interested in seeing what you choose. Good luck and enjoy the ride! :{)
my rear tire
my front tire
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rippin209
Well-Known Member
It was not easy (I doubt it would be on any motorcycle [emoji28]) but I just got home from riding in the Sierra mountains (I live about 90 minutes away) and yes logging roads and dirt roads are entirely possible, with relieve comfort at realistic speeds
The dirt was like talcum powder towards the top
The last picture was as far as I could go, I took 3 tries at it and couldn't get over the rocks without bottoming out, the dirt was such fine powder it was worse then rising in sand, my tire would sink in almost to the rim
My center stand and side stand Mount took the brunt of it my I scratched my exhaust a little as well
The dirt was like talcum powder towards the top
The last picture was as far as I could go, I took 3 tries at it and couldn't get over the rocks without bottoming out, the dirt was such fine powder it was worse then rising in sand, my tire would sink in almost to the rim
My center stand and side stand Mount took the brunt of it my I scratched my exhaust a little as well
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Wyo4x4
New Member
Thanks for the pictures. Beautiful country and exciting looking roads. How did she handle in loose rock and deep gravel?
Wyo4x4
New Member
Thanks for the consideration and your suggestions.
I've been eying the Suzuki V-Strom 650 and watching a lot of videos of that bike staying right up with nearly every other (true) adventure bike, even the africa Twin and the GS1000. Pretty remarkable ability.
What got me considering the NC750 was watching the adventures of a german guy called GoAlex on YouTube YouTube His is a real testament to that bikes abilities.
Yes, at near retirement age and a bad back I'm being optimistic about my ability to ride the rough roads very much. The reason I'm looking at a heavier bike is more ride comfort. My wife and I plan to travel many of the back roads in Honduras, as well as paved roads, and cover some significant distances. I've spent several months in Honduras and I know there are some technical travel I'll want to do but most will be decent dirt roads. Only real concern is picking a big bike up.
A good vid on the Vstrom keeping up. YouTube.
And this guy just tortures his Vstrom. YouTube
rippin209
Well-Known Member
The pictures don't do a good job showing just how rough the road/trail is, the dirt was such fine powder the tire would sink in almost to the rim and the rocks are slick so traction was my biggest problem.
I also wrecked in April (same motorcycle) and I'm barely going back to work on Monday, so riding alone and on the motorcycle I commute to work on in the middle of nowhere I wasn't comfortable risking hurting myself or my motorcycle (more then I already did that day) it would have been difficult on a proper dirt bike.
It did handle the rest of the roads (logging roads) great.
So that day was 38 miles on logging roads 240 miles of black top on a motorcycle that has over 90,000 miles and has never left me stranded (I did have to replace 1 air temp sensor, my fault I sprayed a cleaner on it and the water temp sensor went bad within a week if the air temp sensor) but even when those sensors went bad the bike still ran, just not perfectly
rippin209
Well-Known Member
Reliability and performance I'm confident the NC would be perfect for you (especially a manual transmission) the only thing I'm not sure about would be if the suspension is good enough, at least the stock suspension
Dellaster
Site Supporter
Ground clearance is a firm limiting factor, suspension not so much. You can compensate by slowing down. On the other end it sounds like the OP might be doing 2-up? No fun at all on a dual sport or even a 500-ish cc bike if it involves any distance. Like, my older sister’s licensed Honda 350 w/nobbies would have been much better *at* The River than myolder brother's CB750, but no way would I have ridden pillion on that thing for 400 miles of tarmac & superslab with high speeds, dense traffic and gusting winds over 50 mph. Absolutely not on your life!
Finding the right balance is hard.
rippin209
Well-Known Member
Ground clearance is 6.5" stock, people have raised the NC but that's not something I would personally do, I still have the original suspension on my NC but many have upgraded the front internals and replaced the rear shock for comfort.Ground clearance is a firm limiting factor, suspension not so much. You can compensate by slowing down. On the other end it sounds like the OP might be doing 2-up? No fun at all on a dual sport or even a 500-ish cc bike if it involves any distance. Like, my older sister’s licensed Honda 350 w/nobbies would have been much better *at* The River than myolder brother's CB750, but no way would I have ridden pillion on that thing for 400 miles of tarmac & superslab with high speeds, dense traffic and gusting winds over 50 mph. Absolutely not on your life!
Finding the right balance is hard.
With my wife weighing 150lb and me weighing 210lb the stock suspension and seat work fine for us and we live in California (the worst roads in the U.S.) my wife only rides with me 6 to 12 times a year so she gets uncomfortable after 3 hours or so, if she rode more I think that would increase how long she could ride comfortably.
This is with the frunk loaded with 15lb of stuff and side cases that are full any time we ride together
For regular travel on anything trying to identify as a road the NC's ground clearance is fine, I was on a 4X4 rock crawling trail
Hank
Well-Known Member
I have put crash bars, a skid plate, and a radiator guard on my 700. That is so I can ride gravel roads with confidence. Here are those modifications.
YouTube
I realize some people call gravel roads or forest roads “off road,” but those are not actually off road.
This creates confusion about a bike’s capability. The NC can handle rough roads.
I think you would be better off with a Honda dual sport, 250 or 650. I guess the new street legal 450 would work.
That said, here I am riding my NC700 off road.
YouTube
YouTube
I realize some people call gravel roads or forest roads “off road,” but those are not actually off road.
This creates confusion about a bike’s capability. The NC can handle rough roads.
I think you would be better off with a Honda dual sport, 250 or 650. I guess the new street legal 450 would work.
That said, here I am riding my NC700 off road.
YouTube
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