riding hard?

[widowmaker]

howdee, just wondering, as this is the first outa-box bike I've treated mysef to (had lotsa used bikes though) and want to give it a proper life, whilst still enjoying mine.

How hard are these engines? I mean, it was made as a commuter on the other side of the world and I know Honda have a good reputation, but seeing that seemingly it is half a Jazz engine, should we ride it like a Jazz?

In a car you would gladly permit me to drive your grandmother and your lovely mother-in-law - hell they'd probably have a nice nap, but give me two wheels and something else happens inside. I am sure I am not alone (and hope nobody reads this that can affect my resale value).

Made it sound worse than it is, not attempting any world record jumps or anything (yet, and my chicken strips are well, kinda chickenish still), but would like to know the opinions.

 

[Beemerphile]

The prescribed break-in period is quite short. Surely you can restrain your enthusiasm for a couple of weeks. Having said that, some ride them like the devil was after them from the start. I doubt you could hurt it if you tried.

 

[searsboy]

Since this is a new motor...on a new model, the jury is still out on this bike. I think you should ride it like you stole it...and let us know if something breaks!!! lol...kidding of course.

 

[Dannodog]

i'm a little on the large side - 5-11, 300+ lbs... i ride it hard. the way i see it - you have a warranty if needed. i've hit the rev limiter on a couple of occasions and do alot of 65mph + highway riding. the bike just goes and goes. I have 1200 miles on it now. I ride in wind, rain, cold..no matter. just throw a leg over and ride brother...but - I had a similar conversation with the mechanic at my dealer when i took it in for the 600 mile service. His exact words - "If it's not DCT, just ride it. DCT has lots of moving parts and I haven't seen one with more than 5000 miles yet, so time will tell. Just ride it, outside of DCT parts, it's pretty cheap to fix."

i like mechanics that tell you the truth and not the company line. He also said that he hasn't seen one with a problem yet. Shadow's? yep. CBR's? Yep. Silverwings? Yep. NC700's? nope. so that's reassuring...

 

[ron700]

Lifecycle on the Shadows, CBR's and Silverwings is quite long and there is bound to be some history. The jury is still out on the NC as they only started selling early last year +/- few months depending on Geo. Really hard to gauge one way or the other for some time.

 

[Nortwestrider]

I bought mine last week and I asked the salesman what the break in period was and how to do it and his reply was
" There isn't one ".
I just ran thru the first tank of fuel today ( 155 miles before the red bar started flashing ) and it was 60% highway and 40% stop and go so there was not alot of steady throttle.


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[Texican88]

I bought mine last week and I asked the salesman what the break in period was and how to do it and his reply was
" There isn't one ".
I just ran thru the first tank of fuel today ( 155 miles before the red bar started flashing ) and it was 60% highway and 40% stop and go so there was not alot of steady throttle.

This is what my dealer told me to. I just went after it. Dragged knee the first day (in no way did I actually drag knee).

 

[searsboy]

I bought mine last week and I asked the salesman what the break in period was and how to do it and his reply was
" There isn't one ".
I just ran thru the first tank of fuel today ( 155 miles before the red bar started flashing ) and it was 60% highway and 40% stop and go so there was not alot of steady throttle.



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That's why he's a salesman and not a mechanic!

 

[Chris]

Engines haven't needed much of a running in period since the 1970's. The NC700 manual says: During the first 500 km (300 miles) of running,

● Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid
acceleration.
● Avoid hard braking and rapid down-shifts.
● Ride conservatively

That's all you need to do these days -

Cheers

Chris

 

[Naked_Duc]

The bike should handle everything you throw at it within reason. If you are going to ride it hard, just remember to break it before the 1 year warranty is up.

 

[frozenpoet]

ask 50 people and you'll get 50 different answers. I took mine near red line a few times my first ride out to seat the rings than just drove normal and made sure I didn't spend a long time at one Rpm.

 

[Freak]

I ride mine with my sport bike buddies (since I sold my 2011 R1) and rail it pretty hard, not abusive but rolling along nicely
With no issues, the bike handles and runs extremely well for a bike that only cost $6999.00.

 

[mercurydog47]

Despite the reservations I hear about the rev limiter I can't imagine a circumstance where I would put the RPMs in the red zone. A person would have to be crazy.

 

[rexbaum]

I can't imagine buying a Honda Fit (which has the full size version of our motor), and the sales person saying anything about break in procedure!

Lets be honest, this is a slow bike; it is a special class motorcycle where comfort and fuel economy is the intent. Just hope on and enjoy, this isn't a CBR1000 with a complex engine that needs to "set." (In my opinion)

 

[widowmaker]

I did take it relatively easy to give it a 'break in' period, necessary or not. I have also by now learned how to 'feel' where in the rev range I am and pretty successful in staying clear of that nasty rev limiter - caught me off guard once while midway in a turn and do not want to go there again! Why did they make the thing so over the top anyway - or must I be grateful that they didn't cut the engine completely?!

What I do do is accelerate pretty abruptly, yanking open the throttle, which you wouldn't normally do in a car, hence my question. I have learned to ride it like an offroad... brap brap brap

In the "don't brake too hard" department - is it just me or is the front brake rough? Feels like it has ABS, which it doesn't. I put it down to it being new and that the pads will smooth them out over time. Never had a brand new bike before and all.

I am now standing on 2500+KMs - they still make me cringe a little bit like nails on a chalk board!

 

[happy]

Although it is fun to run at red lines all the time, but how often can you do this and for how long?
I do this say 10% of the total time of my riding of any bike.
You should have seen me when I was on my Shadow ACE, leaving some sportsbike riders scratching their heads, asking if that was really a cruiser on mountain twisties.

And at USD 7k, I'd say your cost of ruining the bike is small. If it breaks, there is the warranty. If it is trashed, just smile and save up for the next bike. Bike prices are coming down for this range.

Having said that, perhaps you will prefer a KTM, Ducati or BMW. Those bikes have much more exhilarating specs.

 

[widowmaker]

only when they introduce a frunk my friend!

 

[Luis Rosa]

I've had mine since last fall and have put about 1000 miles on it so far with no issues. Had a long conversation with the mechanic at my shop when I did the 600 mile service and he basically said that the engine is modeled after the car engines in the Accord and Civic basically one half of an Accord engine. The oversquare dimensions along with the low compression is what makes the mileage and reliability what it is. Yes its a tad on the boring side as far as performance but I'll take that tradeoff for the longevity of the engine and bike overall. In short the bike is what it is a reliable, comfortable everyday commuter and short of running it on a supercross track I don't think that there will be many issues as far as performance and reliability. The Break in period is just what Chris from Switzerland said, take it easy for the first 3 to 5 hundred miles then let er rip.

Happy riding !!

 

[Chris]

ask 50 people and you'll get 50 different answers. I took mine near red line a few times my first ride out to seat the rings than just drove normal and made sure I didn't spend a long time at one Rpm.

Ask the guys who designed and built the engine though and you'll at least get an answer based on analysis and testing hundreds of engines and following thousands of them in operation. Modern engines don't generally need much running in so revving the engine hard from the beginning isn't likely to do any harm.

The advice the manufacturer's give in their documentation is always on the cautious side to try and minimise probablility of problems but it is based on facts - unlike the stories salesmen and mechanics cook up from time to time.

Cheers


Chris

 

[deedub]

My guess is the engine will be the last thing to ever break on an NC. The engine is the crown jewel, while the rest of the bike is specced pretty cheap to keep the price reasonable.