That's the one I would have predicted.
Now, if you were going to get rid of three and only keep one, which one would it be?
CTX 'Bust'?
- Thread starter Miairhead
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Now, if you were going to get rid of three and only keep one, which one would it be?
If I had to choose JUST ONE for the rest of my days. The Wee is the bike of choice. It does 95% of what the other bikes do, even with the chain. Jack Of All Trades. Come on Honda, give us some "do every thing" bikes. IE: CrossRunner....
Last edited by Chucksklrst; Today at 11:39 AM.
I rode an ST1100 and 2 ST1300's for a total 18 years. Then the NT for about 2. Almost nothing but Hondas for the 45 years I've been riding. Switching to the '13 FJR was unique (my first Yamaha), but it's been great. Honda's unwillingness to refine the ST in any meaningful way, while Yamaha continues to tweak and add features to the FJR and price it below the ST is what did it for me. The only thing I gave up from ST's is a bit of range. But like the weight, the range also sits between the ST's and the NT. The NT does win the fuel mileage hands-down.
My first bike had a chain and it seemed to always need to be cleaned and lubed. I was just using "chain wax". It was part of the reason I decided for the NT instead of other bikes. I wanted a touring bike with a shaft. As many here know, I purchased a DR650. It has been incredibly easy to keep the chain lubed and clean. I attribute this to changing my routine. I discovered Dupont teflon in the blue can. http://www.amazon.com/DuPont-Teflon-Multi-Use-Lubricant-Aerosol/dp/B000GL19TY/ref=sr_1_4/177-4450109-6673352?ie=UTF8&qid=1388626364&sr=8-4&keywords=dupont+teflon+chain-saver.
This stuff makes chain maint. about as easy as it can be. If your just riding asphalt then it doesn't seem to get dirty. When riding gravel and dirt roads the dirt and gravel dust just doesn't seem to stick to this teflon/silicone stuff. On my big trip this past summer, I only cleaned the chain every 3-4 days of street riding. At first I was worried I wasn't cleaning enough, but it hasn't shown any issues or wear. The chain and sprockets are the original ones with almost 10,000 miles and I don't think I will need to replace them anytime soon.
So I simply have not found touring with a chain a problem. It wasn't even an issue over 2.5 weeks of travel and 5300miles. I understand the prefernce for a shaft in a bike like the NT, but please, lets not exagerate the chain maintenace issue. Complaining about having to spray a little lube on a chain every so often is kind of a first world problem.
Having said that, I do find it interesting that Honda has not tried belt drive in more bikes. If HD, BMW, and others can do it..... I think belt drive is a great choice for street bikes.
This stuff makes chain maint. about as easy as it can be. If your just riding asphalt then it doesn't seem to get dirty. When riding gravel and dirt roads the dirt and gravel dust just doesn't seem to stick to this teflon/silicone stuff. On my big trip this past summer, I only cleaned the chain every 3-4 days of street riding. At first I was worried I wasn't cleaning enough, but it hasn't shown any issues or wear. The chain and sprockets are the original ones with almost 10,000 miles and I don't think I will need to replace them anytime soon.
So I simply have not found touring with a chain a problem. It wasn't even an issue over 2.5 weeks of travel and 5300miles. I understand the prefernce for a shaft in a bike like the NT, but please, lets not exagerate the chain maintenace issue. Complaining about having to spray a little lube on a chain every so often is kind of a first world problem.
Having said that, I do find it interesting that Honda has not tried belt drive in more bikes. If HD, BMW, and others can do it..... I think belt drive is a great choice for street bikes.
I did not find chain maintenance to be a big issue touring with my first FJ1200 back in the mid 80's. I just needed to remember to carry a can of PJ-1 with me in my tank bag. With the newer O-ring chains and lubes available now it is even easier to maintain the chain on my current FJ1200.
I do as well... For me belt drive beats chain or shaft hands down. Belt drives require very little maintenance, and are both lighter in weight and much less complex than shaft drive. And in some cases, mostly H-D's, you can use optional sprockets to "tweak" your gear ratio just like on chain drive bikes.
With this said, anybody want to buy a slightly used ST1300 and or a NT700:rolleyes1:
Of course they could just make this again.
http://autobestpics.com/Honda-GL-1100-Gold-Wing-Interstate1.jpg.html
http://autobestpics.com/Honda-GL-1100-Gold-Wing-Interstate1.jpg.html
Warren
2
I don't care how easy it is to do chain maintenance, when you commute in the winter and you don't have a garage the last thing I want to have to mess with is a chain. Checking my tire pressure when it's below freezing is bad enough.
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RedBird
Site Supporter
I remember this autumn when Chuck asked me if I liked my new to me 2009 FJR compared to the NT. I said that I liked it, but the response was a bit weak. Well, now that it has a Russell saddle, I REALLY like it. Amazing what a difference a seat can make.
I would have guessed the NT. I'll bet it was a close second!
Well said!
Mellow
Admin
Absolutely, if a chain is a deal-killer for you then that's that. I never wanted a chain but now that I have one on the VStrom it's not that bad. I have a squirt bottle of the teflon stuff and I put some on at every gas stop, doesn't take more than maybe 10 seconds.
I'd prefer the lesser maint of a shaft drive but I was also one of the few ST1300 owners that had a u-joint failure so in that particular case, a chain would have been less of a hassle.
It's good to have options and I'd still prefer a shaft drive to just not have to deal with the oil but it's only a minor inconvenience to me.
It is a good thing you did not have a chain failure (break) at speed. I think that would be worse then a U-Joint failure at speed.
Mellow
Admin
I agree... I didn't have the u-joint failure at speed either.. noticed it in the garage so it gave me some indication... those that have had them at speed it was a bit ugly. Not sure how much more ugly a chain would be but I'm sure I'll replace the chain long before it's used up. 14k miles last year.. I may chainge (<--- like that, new word I just made up) it at 20-25k or may even go 2 years.
elizilla
Guest
My V-Strom handled *great* when it had a good chain and clutch. It was also more comfortable for me than the NT, and the luggage was more convenient. When it was good it was really good, when it was bad it was horrid. After five chains and three clutches I'd had enough. The straw that broke the camel's back was the chain that went horribly, scarily bad in the middle of a cross country trip. When you get two weeks off all year, and spend *days* slogging across the plains so you can ride in the mountains, and then spend what would have been your mountain riding time sourcing and replacing a #$%& chain just so you can slog back home across the plains in time for work on Monday? It's heartbreaking. I never toured on the V-Strom again. That's why the NT replaced my V-Strom.
Just FYI, mine was the DL1000. I hear the DL650 doesn't have clutch problems, and is bulletproof. And with less horsepower maybe the chain lasts longer. If Honda hadn't brought the NT in 2010 I'd probably have bought a Wee instead. And I see the DL1000 is being updated and the new one has a slipper clutch. I'm looking forward to seeing it. If I didn't have to buy stock in the company that makes those single-use clutch cover gaskets I might have forgiven the bike for having a chain, especially since I have now done intensive testing on several chain oilers and found they worked *great*.
Just FYI, mine was the DL1000. I hear the DL650 doesn't have clutch problems, and is bulletproof. And with less horsepower maybe the chain lasts longer. If Honda hadn't brought the NT in 2010 I'd probably have bought a Wee instead. And I see the DL1000 is being updated and the new one has a slipper clutch. I'm looking forward to seeing it. If I didn't have to buy stock in the company that makes those single-use clutch cover gaskets I might have forgiven the bike for having a chain, especially since I have now done intensive testing on several chain oilers and found they worked *great*.
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Mellow
Admin
Yeah, that's one of the reasons I swayed away from the DL1000... saw a lot of chain issues and very few issues with even the previous model DL650.
My first bike, Suzuki GS500F, had a chain. At 15,000 miles the dealer said it still looked new. All I did was lube it every 500 miles with Motl chain lube.
That said, i don't miss the routine.
No direct experience but I have noticed the recurring thread that the DL1000 has chain life issues while the DL650 does not. Could it be that these components, chain and sprockets, are the same size on both bikes and the higher HP DL1000 just eats them up?
That said, i don't miss the routine.
No direct experience but I have noticed the recurring thread that the DL1000 has chain life issues while the DL650 does not. Could it be that these components, chain and sprockets, are the same size on both bikes and the higher HP DL1000 just eats them up?
Mellow
Admin
Could be, saw a sweet Ducati Multistrada and that chain looks a lot more heavy duty than the one on my DL650.
I'd rather have a chain than a vine like on Gilligan's battery charging stationary bike!
You hit on something there, Joe and Chuck
The chain on my brother's 'Busa looks almost agricultural...a serious chain