It'd been 2-weeks since I brought the NC700X home from Katherine's and looking at the the long range forecast, this morning was the best day for who knows how long. The rain stopped early this morning, the wind was fairly mild and temps were in the low 40s but starting in the PM, the temps would drop precipitously with winds getting stronger. Tomorrow's temp is only supposed to reach into the mid-teens.
I've yet to hookup anything to power my electric vest and my gloved hands would be unprotected because the NC lacks any wind deflectors but I've ridden BMWs without wind protection on foreign tours so I know the drill.
The engine starts easily and while the engine is idling, it is in "N" (neutral). Every time you turn OFF the engine and stop, then restart it, the transmission goes to N. To get going you have to select either "D" (drive) or "S" (sport) on a rocker switch. I took off in D and it felt fine but coming to a stop it did feel weird without a clutch lever or shift lever to manipulate! To utilize the engine's low RPM torque and maximize fuel economy, it short shifts when leaving from a stop in D. Using S, holds each gear just a bit longer before upshifting. At any time while riding in D or S, you can manually downshift or upshift using the small levers (+ and -) on the left handlebar control. According to the owner's manual, if you attempt a downshift that will put the engine above redline, it won't do it.
When coming to a stop, you can feel the transmission downshifting plus there is also a small display on the dash that shows what gear you're in. Above the gear number display it will show D, S, or N depending on what you've selected. While riding in D or S, you can manually downshift/upshift and unless you continue to do it manually, it will automatically revert to one of the automatic selections. At 60 mph, the engine RPM is about 3000-3200 so a thousand less than the NT. Part of this is having a 6th gear and part is the ultra tall overall gearing to help gas mileage.
One of my questions regarding the NC/w DCT was its ability to merge into traffic on an interstate so I tried some of those runs (30-to-70 mph) on a country road and it did just fine. Although it only has a single disc in front, it seems to stop as well as my NT, perhaps related to it being nearly 100 pounds lighter. Both my NT and the NC have ABS with a partially linked system activated by the brake pedal.
The NT suspension has always been too harsh, partially because of the limited travel and partially from having springs that are too strong. The NC has about 20% more travel, front & rear, and the springs are more closely matched to reality so it felt fine. On my first ride on the NT (Feb 2010), I knew the springs were too strong for me before I got three blocks from my house!
I bought this bike as a curiosity and ostensibly to be used only for day rides. Obviously it lacks the weather protection of an NT nor does it have any luggage capacity but both are fixable by throwing money at it. What can't be fixed is having a chain final drive but perhaps that won't be so bad?. The compartment in front, called a "frunk" by NC riders, is huge and its lid is hinged at the rear. I had my garage door opener in the frunk and had to nearly get off the bike to find it because the frunk is very deep and the lid is in your way if you're seated on the bike. This is a tiny, tiny gripe.
It was a good first ride.
I've yet to hookup anything to power my electric vest and my gloved hands would be unprotected because the NC lacks any wind deflectors but I've ridden BMWs without wind protection on foreign tours so I know the drill.
The engine starts easily and while the engine is idling, it is in "N" (neutral). Every time you turn OFF the engine and stop, then restart it, the transmission goes to N. To get going you have to select either "D" (drive) or "S" (sport) on a rocker switch. I took off in D and it felt fine but coming to a stop it did feel weird without a clutch lever or shift lever to manipulate! To utilize the engine's low RPM torque and maximize fuel economy, it short shifts when leaving from a stop in D. Using S, holds each gear just a bit longer before upshifting. At any time while riding in D or S, you can manually downshift or upshift using the small levers (+ and -) on the left handlebar control. According to the owner's manual, if you attempt a downshift that will put the engine above redline, it won't do it.
When coming to a stop, you can feel the transmission downshifting plus there is also a small display on the dash that shows what gear you're in. Above the gear number display it will show D, S, or N depending on what you've selected. While riding in D or S, you can manually downshift/upshift and unless you continue to do it manually, it will automatically revert to one of the automatic selections. At 60 mph, the engine RPM is about 3000-3200 so a thousand less than the NT. Part of this is having a 6th gear and part is the ultra tall overall gearing to help gas mileage.
One of my questions regarding the NC/w DCT was its ability to merge into traffic on an interstate so I tried some of those runs (30-to-70 mph) on a country road and it did just fine. Although it only has a single disc in front, it seems to stop as well as my NT, perhaps related to it being nearly 100 pounds lighter. Both my NT and the NC have ABS with a partially linked system activated by the brake pedal.
The NT suspension has always been too harsh, partially because of the limited travel and partially from having springs that are too strong. The NC has about 20% more travel, front & rear, and the springs are more closely matched to reality so it felt fine. On my first ride on the NT (Feb 2010), I knew the springs were too strong for me before I got three blocks from my house!
I bought this bike as a curiosity and ostensibly to be used only for day rides. Obviously it lacks the weather protection of an NT nor does it have any luggage capacity but both are fixable by throwing money at it. What can't be fixed is having a chain final drive but perhaps that won't be so bad?. The compartment in front, called a "frunk" by NC riders, is huge and its lid is hinged at the rear. I had my garage door opener in the frunk and had to nearly get off the bike to find it because the frunk is very deep and the lid is in your way if you're seated on the bike. This is a tiny, tiny gripe.
It was a good first ride.
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