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Pulling the trigger?

Tal

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So, looking for general advice from the folks here who have been at this a lot longer than I have.

Living where I do (central NE) I have a severe limit in what I can find, test ride, and buy. The nearest city with >50k people is over 3 hours away in each direction. In some ways, it's a utopia where the hassles of massive traffic, never ending suburbia, and urban decay are a distance memory. When it comes to being a consumer whose interested in a more unique product it is a pain.

The only authorized Honda dealer within 150 miles is actually right down the street, but being a Harley/Honda/etc dealer in this region means they have a good selection of cruisers and not much else. They would be more than happy to order up a 2016/17 NC700X with DCT for me, but would charge me full MSRP, 600 in shipping, and 100 or so in paperwork fee's. It adds up to a lot for a bike I would be buying sight unseen. They do have a 2014 manual on the floor and sitting on it it doesn't feel bad at all (5'11", 160 pounds, 32" inseam at least as far as my pants are concerned) but that's hardly indicative of how the bike would feel while riding and even if I did ride the one there, I'm purely interested in the NX due to the DCT option which I'm certain will have it's own characteristics. Also they want 7300 OTD for the 2014 manual, one player markets ftw.

This bike would end up being a daily driver for me over the summer. Back and forth to work approximately 6 times a week, out about 100 miles to the nearest towns once a week or biweekly on state highways, and probably a 1k mile trip to see family in July. Come rain, shine, or 40 mph wind gusts those first two would have to happen and the last would be pretty hard to diverge from barring tornado activity.

So what's a fella who really likes the idea of the simplicity of a computer controlled transmission to do? Buy sight unseen? Or go buy a used DL650 that he can actually touch first?

The only reason I mention the DL is there's one for sale within riding distance home, which greatly simplifies things. I would also rate it at least comparable for my expected uses with it being more annoying in the city, roughly equal on the highways, and slightly more comfortable for 500+ mile days on the interstate by my understanding (*having never ridden either).

I really, really like the idea of the DCT though. I'm not a traditional motorcyclist. I have no deeply ingrained love of mastering powerful machines by way of moving up and down the same set of 6 gears 20+ times a day. I want to buy something that works, and the more convenient it is in fulfilling that purpose the happier I am with it.

Thoughts?
 
I would see if you could take the used non DCT for a test ride, it should answer some basic questions for you Do you like it? is it comfortable?, etc. Check ads at other dealers if you are comfortable with a fly and ride scenario. U Haul motorcycle are the nuts and (around here) $15 / day. Where I live in the Finger Lakes / Rochester NY area, $7300.00 for a leftover '14 is too much by about $1k. then there is also Craig's list and the like if that fits in your comfort zone. Good luck with your quest.
BTW, I did demo a DCT after I purchased my manual and did not notice a marked difference in the mannerisms between the two. Getting used to "nothing" on the left grip was very odd though. I wish I could have has a longer ride though for a more in depth comparison.
 
I took a look in the Forum classifieds and there is a nice looking, nicely farkled DCT for sale in Lincoln NE. I don't know the owner, no interest, yadda yadda yadda, or if it is still available, but take a look:

2012 nc700x dct
 
Fly-n-ride. For that price, you could fly first class to a city with competitive pricing; take a limousine from the airport and show up smokin' on a big cigar and still save money. Plus you'd get a neat ride home on your new toy.

Used, well-farkled bikes are the best value by far. If you want a DCT, the market offers no comparables. If you don't, there are plenty of good options.
 
If there is any bike that you could buy without test riding it that would be the NC700X DCT. If you sat on the bike and it felt like a good fit then I can almost guarantee that its riding manners would not disappoint. It is very easy to ride, the low center of gravity is really the special sauce and the DCT makes an easy motorcycle even easier. I have shifted for hundreds of thousands of miles and I don't think I'll ever go back to a manual.
 
I've owned a gen1 and gen2 dl650. Which year is the one you mentioned? You are about the same size as me so several of my observations may correlate. The NC looks better than the dl650 in many respects but that is definitely a personal thing. You're right about in-town comparison. The DL will require much clutch/shifter action but here is where it gets interesting. On the highway, the DL will be more than just a little better. The width of the bike and winshield will protect better, the longer wheelbase is a little more stable and the 19" front wheel rides over road bumps better. On my 2015 DL, the simple addition of a Chinese spoiler on the stock screen made it quite comfortable. The seat is also better on the DL as well as the suspension. The NC has pretty good aftermarket stuff but it is phenomenal for the DL. With all that said, I absolutely love the NC engine and DCT; hence I'm pretty happy with the decision I made.

P.S. The Vstrom is taller and has the traditional layout (tank, engine) That makes it feel top heavy especially with a full tank. The NC carries its greater weight very low and it makes the bike feel lighter and more nimble.
 
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DCT is cool. If I lived in an area that required dealing with a lot of urban traffic to get out to the good open road stuff, I'd fall in love with DCT instantly. I also like the fuel economy and relatively low maintenance of the NC in general and like its feel.
 
On the highway, the DL will be more than just a little better. The width of the bike and winshield will protect better, the longer wheelbase is a little more stable
I guess you must be talking about hitting bad stuff on the road where the suspension gets harsh or something, because on relatively decent roads I sure couldn't accuse the NC of being "unstable".
 
Joe A: I have been stalking these forums for awhile and did notice the one in Lincoln for sale but not until after it had sold. I'm jealous of the person who got it too! I have no issues buying from craigslist, ebay, cycle-trader posts, etc and have been keeping an eye on them for things in the area. Just so happens the area is pretty barren for folks and as such bikes. I will see about testing the one at the dealer and using it to help my judgement along though.

Beemer: That made me chuckle and then cry a little on the inside. Nearest airport that can get me anywhere significant is 257 miles away and that includes it's own unique set of issues. A mix of how do I get enough time off work to make a two or three day trip, and how do I get my car back when I finally get home with the bike. The limo part almost had me sold though!

Old Can Ride and MJ: I really don't expect to be disappointed with the DCT portion of the bike in the end. I've ridden dirt bikes, scooters, manual cars, humvees, contact trucks, 5 tons, a super old deuce and a half and hemtts (both 5th wheels and a wrecker, though neither were primarily mine). I feel confident I can make anything work just fine and shifting doesn't bother me, it's just never really held any special appeal either. It's just slightly unnerving facing a 9G purchase without being absolutely sure. This will also be my first bike since I was a teenager and that makes me a bit more anxious in the 'lets get this right' regard as I don't have a lot of personal experience to draw from. It may have to happen regardless.

Hunter: If I may I'd like to pick your brain a little more directly. First to answer your question the DL in question is a 2011, 10k miles, comes with (ugly, but it's a Vstrom so that's okay) hard side cases and a top case and a slightly lowered seat that I have the skills to put back to where it was if need be. They are asking 5k for it. If it was a 2012 (gen2) I would be hard pressed to keep from just going to get it.

You mention that you had a 1st and 2nd gen. How much of a difference did the new fairing design and seat make for those bikes in your opinion? Being about the same build as me is important in that regard as a fella whose double my size obviously is going to have a different set of expectations with regards to cushioning and even weather protection to some extent.

Do you still have the 2nd gen or did you trade it in for the NX? If you are a one bike kinda fella do you simply stay off the highways? The roads out here are in pretty good shape and I don't worry too much about the 55 mph highways getting to mini-population centers but the yearly freeway commute is a thing, and a 1k miles each way thing no less. One bit with the DL's is there are enough of them out there that even here they pop up for sale from time to time and me catching a 2nd gen wouldn't be too much of an issue. Another personal note is the NC would have to remain stock until I paid it off (my own rule), so however it came would be how it stayed for the first couple years.

Also I am aware of the lower COG on the 700 and it's one of the other selling factors for me. My right leg isn't quite as good as it should be considering my age and fitness level (24ish 5k times) and the fact it would be more forgiving on the lower extremities in general is not lost.
 
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I used to drive a stick shift car and enjoyed spirited driving and the control that it provides. Never really cared for automatic cars, but that's what I now have (not too many 3/4 ton Suburban/ Yukon XL's around to begin with, let alone with stick as an option - and I have Quadrasteer on mine - even rarer!!). I need this vehicle for my family that includes wife & 5 kids + a dog AND the ability to take them while towing my caravan (camper) that's big enough to house everyone (33'). Even when towing, I miss the stick/ manual control even more - it's not just for performance reasons! I've also driven performance sports cars with paddle shifters. I liked them a lot because they gave me the control I desired when I wanted it, better shifting performance than any human can replicate, and the ease of an automatic the rest of the time. Most of this is the same when it came to buying my first bike after riding a scooter for 3 years/ 10k miles. Rest assured the DCT is a fine option and meets all of my needs. As good as Honda's DCT is, I don't know why anyone would get a manual version because you can just put the DCT in manual mode and change gears as you please, with the ease of two buttons and the performance of a computer driven clutch that you just can't match. Now I'm not trying to start a flame war here because I know there are circumstances where a manual might be desirable, just like in my family vehicle (although if it was offered in a DCT I'd be all over it!!), so it basically boils down to personal preference. And for that there is no right or wrong answer.

Rest assured, the DCT in it's current and previous generation is a well-honed, well-performing, reliable option that you will be well pleased with UNLESS you strongly desire a clutch lever.

So once you've decided on the DCT, you still have options. Here's one way to look at it. You still have the larger sized bikes like the Africa Twin (more off-road capable) and the VFR1200X (more sport touring capable & shaft driven), but you also have three models to choose from in the 700 level: NM4 (lowest seat, part batmobike part futuristic looking, stupidly small storage), the CTX (next lowest seat, feet forward cruiser style, naked and faired options) and the NCX (highest seat, upright position). The bigger bikes have their place, as do the smaller mid-range bikes. Decide on the size, then look closer at the model options. The NM4 generally is love/hate so can easily be on or off your list. The real decision often comes down to the CTX and the NCX. This really will be a totally personal choice, with no wrong option. I test rode both and bought the NCX. And I just recently rode the CTX again as it's currently at the top of my daughters list - the NCX was definitely the right choice FOR ME.

As others have mentioned, and I would probably go broader in my thoughts: you can't go wrong with the Honda bikes > you really can't go wrong with the DCT > you really really can't go wrong with the 700 > you're fortunate to still have a choice of 3 styles at this level and it doesn't really matter which one you pick!! So my thought would be to find ANY NCX and CTX that you can at least sit on and hopefully ride a few miles on, and then you should have a pretty good idea of which bike will fit you better. Then go find one, regardless of where it is!

TL;DR: You can't go wrong with a DCT, so find any CTX and NCX to see which fits you better and then find the best deal you can on either bike!!
 
A mix of how do I get enough time off work to make a two or three day trip, and how do I get my car back when I finally get home with the bike.
If you have a hitch on your car you can rent a m/c trailer cheaply from uhaul and return with the bike. That's what I did when I rode a couple hundred miles from Oregon and bought my bike up in Washington from Dale at South Bound Honda (one of our forum sponsors). Since you live close to a Harley dealer I'm sure plenty of trailers are kept available for them.

Time is a different matter, I'm used to riding a thousand miles in a day, so a weekend off to use seems doable if you can find a bike in a large area of states around you.

Ray
 
I guess you must be talking about hitting bad stuff on the road where the suspension gets harsh or something, because on relatively decent roads I sure couldn't accuse the NC of being "unstable".

Didn't say or mean to imply that the NC was unstable. Just that the DL's longer wheelbase does provide benefit on the highway in straight-line riding.

Tal: The 2012+ models were incrementally better that the gen1's; not huge differences. IMHO, the styling was improved and the wind management for me was a little better as is the tune of the engine. Seat was about the same; maybe slightly better in the gen2. I traded my gen2 in on the NC expecting the bike to suit my desires better and it does that. I'm 66 yo and don't ride aggressively anymore - just love toodling on backroads in no great hurry. I'll have to do something about the seat but that was sorta expected :p ; NC suspension needs something as some of those back roads are not perfect and the ride can get harsh. Also, 5K for the 2011 DL seems a bit high but I suspect it would be negotiable - could you do a test ride on it?. Tuff decision Tal so best of luck !
 
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I bought a 2017 two weeks ago. I took a trailer and drove eight hours there and back to get it. It handles great, looks great and does all I expected from a dct. I drove that far because it was the only dealer that had one in stock. I wanted to ride one before buying. With my 30 inch inseam I wasn't sure about the 32.7 seat height. I don't know how or why but I can still put both feet flat on the ground. I was only disappointed in that it costs a whole lot more to get all the accessories I want for it. The stock windshield is worse than none for me. To get a used bike already farkled does save a lot of money. I have had eight bikes but this is the first new one.
 
I had an 08 Dl650 and currently own a 2012 NC700x. For two bikes that appear to be so similar, the riding characteristics are actually quite different. The biggest difference is in the low redline of the NC. The rev limiter kicks in around 6500 rpm and, having been used to higher revving bikes, took awhile to get accustomed to. Once in 6th gear, the two become more similar. Both cruise at 65 - 70 just fine. Full throttle passing at 80 lets you know the bikes are running out of top end. Around town, either bike will be perfectly capable of whatever you want. Interestingly enough, I found the more top heavy DL easier to maneuver in slow speed situations. I could drag a peg through slow turns all day while I haven't been able to erase the small chicken strips on my NC tires. Might just be the few years worth of common sense that I've picked up since then. I like the factory installed rear rack on the DL but this is easily offset by the frunk on the NC. I've always had saddlebags on all my bikes but, because of the frunk, I haven't found it necessary for daily riding on the NC. I think there is much better aftermarket support for the DL. I wouldn't buy either bike new unless you just have no other option. If so, the depreciation of the DL will be much less than the NC. I'd go with the bike that fits you better after sitting on them. Either way, you'll end up with a bike that has a strong following of riders who will argue that it is the best bike ever. Whether that is true or just the delusions of a group of people wanting to justify their own purchases....well, you'll have to decide.
 
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