Early Christmas Present

[RedBird]

From Me to Me!



Since I have attained the ripe old age of 81 I started considering a lighter feeling motorcycle. I found this 2017 Honda NC700x for sale. Price was right, the bike had 6700 miles on it and has some nice accessories already installed. So, I pulled the trigger on it.

I lowered it for my short inseam - now I need to take an inch or so out of the side stand as right now it is almost vertical when resting. In fact, if the bars are turned to the right it WILL fall over. It hasn't done that but I have verified that it would if I was not careful about how it was parked. So, that's the next mod. I would have liked for it to have ABS but that only comes with the DCT which this one does not have.

 

[Frosty]

Congrats Ken!
I hope I can see your new bike at Spearfish next year.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Looks great, Ken! I'm looking forward to seeing it. I haven't seen an NC750 yet.

 

[Mellow]

Nicely done sir!... looks brand new. Can't wait to hear how you like it.

 

[junglejim]

Well Merry Christmas to you.

 

[SuperDave]

Excellent choice. I have an older 2015 model. I suggest Shinko 705 tires when a change is due.

 

[Bear]

Congratulations ! Very nice bike.

 

[RedNigel]

That's a pretty bike

 

[coaster]

Nice looking bike, OBTW I am 81 also.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Roy, you and Ken give me hope. I'll be 78 in a couple of months.

Wonder who is the oldest among us?

 

[Frosty]

Roy, you and Ken give me hope. I'll be 78 in a couple of months.
Wonder who is the oldest among us?

Ride on Dudes! (y) You give hope to us young'uns.

 

[Brillot2000]

Congrats and for choosing the NC700X.

I have a 2013 DCT model that I bought new. I really love it. It does not have very many miles on it as I was using other bikes for commuting to work prior to COVID. Now I stay and work at home to stay alive.

Now it's like with COVID running amuck in California.

 

[Brillot2000]

'Tis the season for it.

I just bought a 2014. Similar mileage; but I got the DCT. I wanted to play with that...at my age, I don't wanna wrench or even shift.

I'd be almost a scooter candidate, except that the low-slung seating, doesn't do it - nor the plastic cladding over all the maintenance points (I don't wanna wrench, but sometimes you have to.)

Waiting for the rest of winter to pass to give it a full shakedown. It won't be a replacement for the NT, not unless I decide touring is over; but it'll be a fine daily ride.

Well the good news is that the NC700X is a more common bike. You should not have troubles finding someone to work on it for you, since you don’t want to work on it yourself.

I have to warn you if you still have the stock seat. After 20 minutes of sitting on it, your rump is going to be hurting. I replaced mine with a Corbin seat and that issue went away immediately.

Between 13,000 to 16,000 the drive chain and both sprockets will need to be replaced and probably at those intervals moving forward. I’d recommend either a DID or RK O-ring chains. Using a good quality chain lube and keeping the chain tension within the recommended slack range will ensure a longer service life. Also the wheel alignment relative to chain is quite important. I use a laser chain alignment tool, also the clamp types work just as well. Also clean the chain with a chain brush with either kerosene or chain cleaner after riding in the rain and then lube it. Changing the engine oil every 8,000 miles with a good quality oil such as Shell Rotella will go a long way.

Installing a battery tender will help extend your battery life during his hibernation periods. An OEM battery will last up to 4 years. While aftermarkets will last 2-3 years. Lithium ion batteries are not best suited in cold climates they may not fare well during the hibernation periods if not left on a battery tender.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

 

[Brillot2000]

I'll have to hold that thought. Heaven only knows what kind of social horror awaits this year.

I can tell you with certainty that a COVID Test on my first day back into the office is waiting for me and many others. It is required to be able to come on site either full or part time. Not sure if they are going to test weekly or every other week. Certainly not off to a good start in the New Year.

 

[Mellow]

Ah, the seat. Every cycle has that problem...what is it, payoff from Ben-Gay or liniment makers? Nobody, not even BMW, makes a good factory seat.

The good thing (kinda) is, in my new status as an old-duffer rider...I have to get off the bike, any bike, after half an hour anyway, as my hip goes numb with arthritis. Have to walk around for about five minutes. Makes the need for water, bladder relief, or to rub out the sores, much less obvious.

We'll see where it goes this year, but I had a good experience with Seat Concepts' hard molded foam on my VersysX. They don't sell full seats; you have to strip out the seat pan and then glue the foam in, and staple the cover back in...but, while I did a sloppy job in reupholstering the Versys' seat, it was workable and everything stayed where it had to. AND, comfort improved quite a bit.

I'll have to hold that thought. Heaven only knows what kind of social horror awaits this year.

Actually, for me anyway, the Goldwings I've had were the only bikes I could ride off the factory floor and do 1,000 miles with no problems... all other bikes, I was lucky to get 100-200 miles without some sort of pain.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Actually, for me anyway, the Goldwings I've had were the only bikes I could ride off the factory floor and do 1,000 miles with no problems... all other bikes, I was lucky to get 100-200 miles without some sort of pain.

Well, it was hardly straight off the factory floor, but my '83 GL650i Silverwing had a seat when I bought it that was as comfortable as any I've had. The only thing I didn't like about that saddle was that it had a kind of velvet material on the sittzenplace.

My brand-new '99 Concours was not greatly improved by a Rick Myers saddle I put on it after the first summer. But then I got a Russell Daylong and that saddle outlasted Connie #1 and was still on Connie #2 when I sold it. I probably rode that saddle 120,000 miles.

When I got my NT in March of '10, I rode the stock saddle for about 12,000 miles before buying a Russell. That Russell is on Horse and has been ridden about 128,000 miles. It's going to be replaced this month. I've got a 1/5/21 build date on one of Russell's new Sports Saddles. The Sport Saddle doesn't have the famous Russell suspension and (they say) will settle in at about the same seat height as the stock saddle after a 500-mile break-in.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Interesting, about the GL500. I had the Interstate package on it...when the trunk was in place instead of the pillion seat, I was pushed a bit too far forward. I suppose slimming down the backrest or just removing it, might have been a help...

My GL650i Silverwing had a Markland (IIRC) kit on it. It included crash bars, a heel-and-toe shifter conversion (which I never particularly like), with footboards instead of footpegs and some kind of adapter that let the pillion saddle stay in place and moved the trunk back behind the pillion saddle. No more than could fit in that little trunk, it was hardly an issue to the handling of the bike. Joanne rode with me on the little 'Wing but before we got married we bought my 1st '99 Concours. We took that on our honeymoon and a bunch of other rides before bursitis in '03 gave her an excuse to quit riding. But she has blessed me on my way for all 300,000 miles of my riding since then.

Does Russel still offer the seat?

I'd done a search and didn't find anything, but then, my google-fu isn't strong.

It ain't your google-fu; it's Russell's website. Here's a link to the Standard vs Sport Seat comparison page: Day-Long Motorcycle Seat | Russell Cycle Products (day-long.com) and here's one to the Sports Seat gallery: Sport Seats | Gallery | Russell Cycle Products (day-long.com)

 

[Coyote Chris]

I really like this bike and I like that windscreen on it. There is nothing wrong with the frunk but the gas filler is under the rear seat, right? That would interfer with my touring style. I would like to test ride it and the CBR500. Yoda's CB500 is a very impressive bike also. (Judging by the chain condition on my two chain drive bikes, I would expect more life out of the chain, but I keep mine clean and lubed using the Dupont cleaning system. )

 

[RedBird]

I have a Russsll sport seat on order for the NC700X- build date 3/22/21. I have put 3 plus hours on the stock seat in one ride without huge discomfort. The original owner had adjusted the front seat mounting so that the seat sits level rather then the nose down factory position. That keep me from sliding toward the trunk. He also installed 2 powerlet outlets, one in the trunk (fake tank) and the other in the bodywork up near the handlebars. Also a fender extender, 1 inch up and 1 inch back barbacks, Givi side luggage mounts, 1 and a half inch foot peg relocators to move the pegs down and forward with the shift and brake levers modified to match, replacement adjustable handlebar brake and clutch levers. So far I’ve added a Givi tail trunk mount, Givi engine guards from Tour and Ride scratch and dent page (great price, they just needed a bit of spray paint to look close enough to new for my taste), and a Madstad windscreen. It’s getting there,

 

[Phil Tarman]

It'll be interesting to compare your Russell sport seat for the NC700X to mine for the NT700VA. Looking at the gallery for Russell's sports seat there are many more differences in the sports seats than there are in the DayLong seats. My stock Honda seat got to Russell on the day before Christmas Eve. Yesterday was the assigned build date for my saddle. Mail-in seats take about 3 weeks. I'm not too sure if that 3 weeks includes delivery time or not.

I'm glad to hear you're "getting there" with the NC. I have to confess that I haven't made much progress in "getting there" with Horse. Gotta' force myself to get out into the garage!