Very frugal, 250km tank range, lots of torque, tubeless, low compression, 20litre storage built in. Why isn’t this the go-to adventure bike? Ok, it’s marketed as a commuter but it ticks all the main boxes. Or does it?

Mr Scott would broadly agree with you:


https://adventure-motorcycling.com/2...0-mile-review/


Maybe people are afraid to think outside the box the marketing folk have put it in?

You have the answer:marketing.

They are a bit lardy compared to the CB500 but the weight is low. The tank under the pillion seat is annoying if you carry a roll sack there, but it took me an hour to cut an aluminium plate with access hole to replace the vinyl covered plank they pass off as a seat. Shad seats are popular but a pad and fleece work as well. You need to fit spotlights as the LED beam is so flat it is impossible to adjust for slight load variations. The LCD display is based on a 1980's Casio watch and is just a bit annoying.

The biggest killer is idiot journalists. The engine is like a Diesel, so when the MCN cretins try for 10000 rpm they hit the limiter and complain it's flat. They'll cruise at 85mph two up so no actual shortage of power. Either get the DCT or just keep clicking up through the gears.

The UK NC forum is very good, but as they don't break or need anything doing, it's mostly chat about other stuff. There are NC700's that have done a quarter of a million miles with nothing but service work and wearing items like starter motors at huge milages.

Personally, having owned both, I'd take the CB500, but I don't eat many pies, only ever carry me and a bag and swap bikes before I get to huge numbers of miles.

Andy

I test-rode an NC750X DCT. Yeah, the most remarkable thing about it is that the engine behaves non-bike-like. It barely revs past 6000rpm - but it has LOTS of torque down low. It's definitely one of those bikes where the headline figure of 40 kW does not tell the whole story.

I also rode a rented CB500X over 8 days and a few thousand kilometers on holiday. It was equally a good bike, but all things being equal, the NC's luggage, low-down torque, and better wind protection would make it the preferred choice for me.

I think the main problem with an NC750X as an adventure bike is that the CB500X exists. It's smaller (although not better mileage!), meaningfully cheaper, and you have the knowledge that if it ever feels too road-oriented, you can throw 3k worth of Rally Raid parts on it and go anywhere you might reasonably want.

So yeah... if you have a good deal on an NC750X and it appeals to you, go for it! You will be happy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esvgbn6rQlc&t=354s

or

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ipetc9UhZpY&t=859s

Per

its more the fact its boring as hell to ride. half a honda jazz engine with the same image. handle bars made from tin cans.. and frunk up front .no one has ever nicked one and not returned it !

So how many miles did you put on yours, or are you just a MCN reader who's found an adult to help with words other than kneedown and wheelie?

It is not half a Honda Jazz engine, it shares a few components and the "New Concept" being that the fuel maps are based on the same platform to give the economy and production advajtages. Bosch sell starter motors to both divisions of BMW, does this mean a GS is half a 3 series?

It is just like any other motorcycle to ride once you get past the skill level required in video games. You have to recognise the rev limit is low and keep it there. I bet if they gave you a racing 2-stroke the same lack of adaptability would lead to the conclusion they don't accelerate very well.

Andy

I had a nc700x, torquey motor, super efficient, loved the style and trunk, handled great and abs was excellent. Sold it because i found it very uncomfortable, seat was a sloped plank and suspension did not help, even my pillions complained.

why do you think it isn't? I had nc750x for 50k km and been riding all over the Europe plus Morocco. Great, inexpensive bike.

Andy has covered pretty much all of it already (including the myth about 'half a Jazz'), and certainly having spent some time and a couple of thousand miles on an NC750X in the UK, it's an nice, underrated and often overlooked bike - I would much prefer one of these to a BMW F700 for example, particularly since it has the DCT option.

However, as Andy and AnTyx suggest - the CB500X is the better 'all-terrain' platform... it has similar power and fuel economy/range, and is appreciably lighter and more nimble feeling with a much shorter wheelbase/better ground clearance etc.

If primarily highway miles (and unsurfaced roads) are your foreseen usage, plus you might want to carry a passenger in more comfort and/or larger [hard] luggage loads, the NC has a lot to commend it... and you're unlikely to want or need to take a bike of this size and weight into really technical trail terrain anyway.

The under-seat refuelling is a bit of a pain (this is where they could have taken a tip from BMW with the F700/800 model and had a separate side filler), but as a day-to-day errand runner the 'frunk' is useful - and you can put your helmet in it scooter style too.

I wouldn't want to take one particularly far off the beaten track (compared to a CB), but it would be a pretty painless ownership and faithful travel bike for sure.

Jenny x

so three wheels it the best ever ride . its a cheap hack with no sparkle I have ridden a few on my daily trips to work , cant say it did anything very well . its just a work horse mpg was great thats it . I like to ride bikes that involve you in the ride not sterile and dull . after 40 years or riding we can all make our own mind up . whats with the crap comments

conti tkc80 front/rear
which BTW did over 30k km on this bike, mixed roads.

I have mine 3 years done 50k KM and it has never missed a beat. When I tour, France, Belgium and Ireland, I ride with 1200 gs's, and an FJR1300. The bike has no problem running all day with these machines and does so using a lot less fuel. The bike averages between 75 and 80 MPG that gives a range of around 200 miles. I've done 500+ miles in a day with no issues and i'm now pushing into my mid 50's. It has all the carrying capacity you really need.
I do take the bike off the road at times and it has proved competent and rugged.
I can't think of any bike that does everything so well.

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