Because my Suzuki XF650 Freewind has a broken gearbox, I was required to sell the XF650 to get money for a new second-hand bike.
I removed all the useful parts from the Freewind to use on my new one and sold the other stuff to not lose everything 🙂
I searched online for 2 days for a new bike and found a Honda NC700X nearby with 35kW which is also compatible with my drivers license.
I asked an OK for the bike with my parents and they said yes, because it was necessary and it is a very functional bike. My dad even searched a lot of information on the bike himself. He didn’t have time to come with me to the dealer, so I asked my mom and sister to come with me.
When I saw the bike, it already looked nice, and looking closer, it looked even better. It looked like the bike was cleaned thoroughly and has gotten a big inspection before it went in the showroom. I only found one scratch on the topcase and it was minimal.
The tires, chain and sprockets were practically new, and the bike also had a lot of farkles.
These are a Givi Top box + carrier, bigger windshield, centrestand, ABS, and even a gel seat. The bike only had 9k km on the clock, it’s like a new bike.
The salesman didn’t want me to test drive it alone, so he had to be a pillion. I’ve never ridden with a pillion before, and it felt really weird. The bike still steered very light with the salesman on the rear seat, and there’s enough torque to get the bike going.
My parents loaned me 60% of the price of bike that I will pay back in the coming months.
I had to pay 40% myself, and that also hurt my wallet, no money for extra farkles. Be prepared to see some DIY Farkling!
Let’s talk specs:
My Honda NC700X has a twin 670cc, 35kW, undersquare, SOHC, 8 valve, 270° crank engine. That are a lot of specs in one sentence :’)
The 270° crankshaft should make it possible to get a V-twin feel with a parralel twin engine. The undersquare also gives it a low revving, but high torque personality.
The bike weighs about 220kg wet (full tank without farkles), but is still nimble because of the low centre of gravity. It also should get figures of  78MPG, but the tank size is only 14,1 litres.
Sportiness and ride quality
It is said that the NC700X isn’t a sporty bike. I partly agree. It does have a sporty, adventure look, but the rpm range is too narrow to get it going fast.
It does steer lighter than the XF650, but it needs a bit more oomph enginewise.
You can get the bike going in all 6 gears, accellerating from 50km/h to 100km/h in 6th gear is totally possible without bogging the engine.
I’m still worried about dropping the bike when doing slow manoeuvres because my feet can’t reach the ground. Only tip toeing on my boots.
Getting a nice deep rumble when idling, but when giving it some gas, it seems to quiet down a lot. Even with the Ixil Hyperlow XL without the baffles it is still too quiet. Maybe a decat pipe would help, but that will also cost an arm and a leg.
Brakes
The Honda NC700X has only one brake rotor (and caliper) in the front, and one in the back. Because Honda cheaped out on the brakes, it looks like the brake rotors come from the same steel plate, but that’s not a problem, because the brakes are very nice.
I have to say that my NC700 has ABS, and let me tell you, that ABS is gripping good.
I tested the brakes at a reasonable speed and didn’t brace myself on the bike. That resulted in almost sliding over the frunk.
Build quality
It’s a Honda, ’nuff said. All joking aside, the plastics and frame are just perfect. The only thing that bothers me is the swingarm. It looks cheap, and it feels cheap. A mudguard for the rear shock also would’ve been handy. Looks like it should be a DIY fix then.
Touring
The Honda NC700X is a real commuter. It doesn’t use a lot of gas, has lots of space to hide and store all your stuff. Highway cruising at 120km/h goes at around 4500rpm. That’s 2000rpm lower than the redline of 6500rpm. Seems a good range. When changing the front sprocket to a bigger one, or the rear to a smaller one, it is possible to get lower rpm readings, which makes it very touring friendly.
Just don’t forget to get a speedo healer.
Pros:
– Storage under the ‘tank’
– Commuter
– High MPG
– Heaps of torque
Cons:
– Heavy
– Too quiet
– No creature comfort
– The problem of having no radiator guard and rear hugger
My bike farkels
– Givi Topcase
– Givi D1111ST windscreen: http://amzn.to/2goGwH2– OEM Honda Touring windshield
– Givi HP1111 handguards: http://amzn.to/2gpRNag
– Knockoff “Givi” windscreen spoiler: http://amzn.to/2wnRCjA
– Handlebar crossbar: http://amzn.to/2iHS9Kb
– SW-Motech 2 inch handlebar risers
– Original centrestand:Â http://amzn.to/2gpg3tf
– IXIL Hyperlow XL Slip-on: http://amzn.to/2iGRyIC
– DIY fork protectors
– DIY rear shock protector
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