Potentially downsizing from a ST1300

[Phred]

I currently ride a Honda ST1300, but am considering downsizing. I don't have the time to do any long distance riding or touring with a small child at home. Most of my riding is commuting to work, which is about a 70 mile ride. Most of that is interstate with a posted speed limit of 70MPH, and traffic flow of about 80MPH. I'm looking for opinions on whether the NC700X would be a good choice for this use, real world mpg at highway speeds, rider comfort (I'm 6'1" and about 185lbs), maintenance, etc.

 

[Bug Dr.]

I've had both the NC and a ST. While the NC is much easier to ride around town due to its smaller size the ST is a much better bike on the interstate. As you know, the ST will munch miles all day long at 90 mph if required. Fuel economy on my ST didn't vary much from interstate travel to back-road travel to in-town travel. It was pretty consistent in the mid to upper 40s. If you run the NC at faster interstate speeds it will drop your mileage......from around 70 to around 50 mpg. Not a big deal for a commute but it gets important on longer rides. Also, there is much more available power to get out of situations on the ST than the NC and better brakes on the ST.

With all of that said, If most of my trip was interstate I'd keep the ST and not even consider the NC.

Just my two cents worth,
Mike

 

[johnakay]

its big drop from a 1300.
the NC is more than capable traveling at 80mph and still return a good mpg.
it is ideal for commuting as well as other rides.
for me its a good all rounder and it does everything adequately .
even off road if thats your thing even though its not designed for off road

 

[L.B.S.]

its big drop from a 1300.
the NC is more than capable traveling at 80mph and still return a good mpg.
it is ideal for commuting as well as other rides.
for me its a good all rounder and it does everything adequately .
even off road if thats your thing even though its not designed for off road

What John said, lol

 

[Vnc]

The NC will help you with speeding tickets. It likes to travel 75 mph or less. My experience with speed and mileage is that the bike starts to lose its 70mpg somewhere between 60-70mph. I get an average of 64 mpg commuting 50 miles to work half interstate half surface streets. The bike seems like it should be easier to service if you do it yourself. I like the NC more than any bike I've owned.

 

[ld_rider]

Most of my riding is commuting to work, which is about a 70 mile ride. Most of that is interstate with a posted speed limit of 70MPH, and traffic flow of about 80MPH.

I'm guessing at those speeds the NC and your ST will get almost the <exact> same mileage. Guess which one will be 100x more comfortable?

My director has a ST1100 and when we ride together on the interstate at those speeds (80ish) I end up getting a whopping 5 to 10 percent better mileage. Of course with the itty-bitty tank on the NC I have to stop for fuel about twice as often. Last weekend we ran I-95 through Maine to New Hampshire and then to the Kangamangus Highway...He averaged 48 mpg and I did about 53 mpg over the same 300+ mile ride. I refueled twice, he never did...

Oh, and he was two up, I was solo....

I commute every single day 60 miles on I-95 @ 75mph or so....Average is about 52 mpg which means I fill up every two or three days...A royal pain..Right now I'm in the process of plumbing a 3.5 gal aux tank in an effort to reduce the time I spend at fueling stations.....

I run a DCT with a full Givi hard panniers and a top case. Geared up I'm about 170lbs so not exactly huge...

The wind is brutal, you will get blown around like a leaf. Tried commuting with bags off and top trunk off and was still blown around like a twig. My commute is right along the coast so maybe you wouldn't get the winds I do...My morning commute is very serene (winds are usually calm @ 6am) but by 3pm they kick up. Very nasty.

Like you, I came to the NC from a shaft drive bike and I can tell you I really don't like dealing with chain drive. I put about 144,000 miles on my last bike and never touched the drive train...Don't try that with the NC ;-)

My advice? Get a used NT700V instead ....Much longer range, more "road hugging weight"...It comes with plenty of storage and a full fairing from the factory, has a maintenance free (compared to a chain) shaft drive, is available with ABS and will run for hundreds of thousand miles...Yes, it is probably as "boring" as the NC due to low HP, but I think it would be a better alternative to a ST than a NC700x would be if your main mission is high speed commuting while reducing weight compared to a ST..

 

[Alfred_bham]

That's what I did!! The ST was a remarkable motorcycle!! To me, , it did exactly what it was designed to do!! That said, , , when sitting still it is a big, top heavy bike!! (And) it ain't very good on gravel roads!! the NC in comparison is light, , great on Twisty Roads & can actually be ridden on Forest roads!!

Now, , , , er, , , when my Africa Twin arrives..........

I currently ride a Honda ST1300, but am considering downsizing. I don't have the time to do any long distance riding or touring with a small child at home. Most of my riding is commuting to work, which is about a 70 mile ride. Most of that is interstate with a posted speed limit of 70MPH, and traffic flow of about 80MPH. I'm looking for opinions on whether the NC700X would be a good choice for this use, real world mpg at highway speeds, rider comfort (I'm 6'1" and about 185lbs), maintenance, etc.

 

[Bug Dr.]

That's what I did!! The ST was a remarkable motorcycle!! To me, , it did exactly what it was designed to do!! That said, , , when sitting still it is a big, top heavy bike!! (And) it ain't very good on gravel roads!! the NC in comparison is light, , great on Twisty Roads & can actually be ridden on Forest roads!!

Now, , , , er, , , when my Africa Twin arrives..........

I totally agree but the OP is looking at commuting on the interstate. Off-road capability is irrelevant to this thread. That top heavy bike is quite comfortable when moving at any speed over 5 mph. I only found my ST unwieldy when I parked it fully loaded with the side stand a little down hill. BTW, I'm 5'9" with a 30" inseam.

Also, a note to the OP: don't come to the NC owners forum looking for un-biased information about the road worthiness of the NC......just sayin'

Mike

 

[Cyclerosis]

+1 on the ST for a long distance commuter. I loved the NC for commuting to work and the occasional highway ride, but for comfort, I'd stick with the ST. I recently purchased a Concours to add to the stable and found I preferred it the majority of the time.

 

[showkey]

I am not selling my ST anytime in the near future..........................and..........Each bike has it's merits and purpose

 

[Alfred_bham]

I am fully aware of the ST at most any speed!!

I am 5'8" with a 28 inch inseam!!

To Phred: The NC is a Great Bike & will do your Highway Commute comfortably!!

This is is my 06, Fully loaded on the Blue Ridge Parkway!!

I totally agree but the OP is looking at commuting on the interstate. Off-road capability is irrelevant to this thread. That top heavy bike is quite comfortable when moving at any speed over 5 mph. I only found my ST unwieldy when I parked it fully loaded with the side stand a little down hill. BTW, I'm 5'9" with a 30" inseam.

 

[Phred]

Thanks for the input so far, my commute to work consists of about 55 miles of interstate, the remainder of it is back roads/surface roads. I certainly didn't expect completely unbiased opinions on a bike specific board, but rather wanted real world, first hand knowledge about a bike I'm considering. I've been on ST-owners forum for a while, and several members there have/had NCs, and have spoken highly of them, so again, I'm just looking to gather as many facts as I can. I stopped by the local honda shop today, but they didn't have an NC in stock. I may go up to Greenville tomorrow and throw a leg over one.

 

[BerndM]

I downsized from a BMW R1200RT because I never really used the Beemer for its real intended long distance touring purpose.
The NC700X-DCT that I bought has put the "fun" back into riding. It is so much easier to handle and with the DCT transmission, a true joy to ride and lets me concentrate on the surroundings rather than ensuring I'm in the right gear, especially here in SoCal with all the traffic.
Gas mileage in the 60-70 mpg range is a real bonus.
You probably will absolutely HATE the lack of wind protection in the Honda, as I did, after coming off the big bike, but the right windshield will take care of that.
I don't think you'll be disappointed. I strongly recommend the DCT, which BTW you can paddle shift manually anytime you want.
Good Luck 2 U

 

[MZ5]

I use my NCX almost exclusively for commuting ~40 miles each way, each day, nearly entirely on interstates and a few miles of 'country' road. Traffic flow is 70 - 75 mph, until/unless it gets heavy and slows down. I average 70-ish mpg, but am rarely riding faster than 70 - 72 mph. Running 80 mph hurts mpg noticeably; into the 60s for me. I do NOT like the factory seat. If I was doing it over again, I'd take a very hard look at the CTX 700. It's more comfortable for me, but not as utilitarian. Or _maybe_ I'd pull the trigger on the NT700V the dealer had for so long before the NCX hit the market.

 

[Antarius]

I use my NCX almost exclusively for commuting ~40 miles each way, each day, nearly entirely on interstates and a few miles of 'country' road. Traffic flow is 70 - 75 mph, until/unless it gets heavy and slows down. I average 70-ish mpg, but am rarely riding faster than 70 - 72 mph. Running 80 mph hurts mpg noticeably; into the 60s for me. I do NOT like the factory seat. If I was doing it over again, I'd take a very hard look at the CTX 700. It's more comfortable for me, but not as utilitarian. Or _maybe_ I'd pull the trigger on the NT700V the dealer had for so long before the NCX hit the market.

That's great mileage.

I only see 63-65 when running 65mph. The instant I move it up to 70mph, or 75, it drops to 60 or 55. Lately I've been getting 53. Don't know why.

 

[mtbmike]

I have put miles on my NC that would rival any st1300 I to have come from liter sportbikes and have had zero issues transitioning from the power what I found is it runs like a 600 you need to shift more its no different from any other 6-700cc bike out there when comparing to a liter plus bike.

 

[Bug Dr.]

I have put miles on my NC that would rival any st1300 I to have come from liter sportbikes and have had zero issues transitioning from the power what I found is it runs like a 600 you need to shift more its no different from any other 6-700cc bike out there when comparing to a liter plus bike.

Except the NC will run out of power in a head wind or going up hill at 75 mph. The NC is light and flickable but my ST was faster in the twisties into, out of and through the corners. The ST is a pig at slow speed but dances with grace for a 720 lb bike when moving.
Mike

 

[mtbmike]

Except the NC will run out of power in a head wind or going up hill at 75 mph. The NC is light and flickable but my ST was faster in the twisties into, out of and through the corners. The ST is a pig at slow speed but dances with grace for a 720 lb bike when moving.
Mike

For the 80% commuting vs the 20% touring the NC hands down yes the NC will suffer with headwinds just like any other 600cc bike that is the point I'm trying to make a liter bike will handle this much better however I still managed 75-90 with no troubles in Texas I just had to use the gear box a little it wasn't bad at all. Not sure it gets much worse than that state when it comes to wind. The NC will get the job when you ask it to. To me its worth the sacrifice for as good as it is commuting. In my opinion the NC does a better job at touring than the ST would be at running errands and slow speed heavy traffic and commuting.

 

[agia]

Not sure how I missed this thread... I sold my ST1300 of 7 years to get my NC. For long distances, the ST was awesome; however, I was tired of hefting the weight of it as most of my riding was shorter trips/distances. I began looking for something smaller, lighter, and less expensive to maintain. I didn't pick my NC due to tons of research but a "smoking" deal came my way from a friend looking to get rid of his. I've come to like it -- the early torque as you twist the throttle, low center of gravity, great gas mileage, and cheaper maintenance.

As far as MPGs go, I get high 60s with the NC but got high 30s/low 40s with my ST. I also had a similar experience of "hitting a wall" in a head wind on the highway with the NC. Required a lot of extra throttle -- not something I was used to coming from the ST which overcame those issues with ease. But the type of riding I do these days (errand running and in-County day rides/Mini-touring), the NC suits me well.

 

[mtbmike]

Not sure how I missed this thread... I sold my ST1300 of 7 years to get my NC. For long distances, the ST was awesome; however, I was tired of hefting the weight of it as most of my riding was shorter trips/distances. I began looking for something smaller, lighter, and less expensive to maintain. I didn't pick my NC due to tons of research but a "smoking" deal came my way from a friend looking to get rid of his. I've come to like it -- the early torque as you twist the throttle, low center of gravity, great gas mileage, and cheaper maintenance.

As far as MPGs go, I get high 60s with the NC but got high 30s/low 40s with my ST. I also had a similar experience of "hitting a wall" in a head wind on the highway with the NC. Required a lot of extra throttle -- not something I was used to coming from the ST which overcame those issues with ease. But the type of riding I do these days (errand running and in-County day rides/Mini-touring), the NC suits me well.

Correct it is 1300cc bike no shifting required no matter the head winds similar to my 919 105 hp 67 torque and weighed in at 460 wet with a red line of 9500 rpm it was a monster everywhere in the power band no matter how windy I never had to down shift ever on that bike and could run 90 all day long. The trade off though is worth it despite the power decrease I can still cover massive amounts of comfortable miles on the NC and the NC has successfully slaughtered every sport bike as well my 919 as far as commuting and running quick errands goes and the 919 is a dam good city bike by anyone's standards. I could not imagine commuting on a ST for me that bike would sit more than its ridden. If you have aspirations of doing "sport" touring the NC will not fit the bill it will however tour just fine there is a difference.