Putting a set of bags on it don't make it a touring bike. Recent test on it in Cycle World was not impressive. 34 mpg with a 4.4 gal tank. Not much of a touring bike but you would probably get tired of riding it before it ran out of gas anyway.
Over the years, Honda has attached hard bags to various bikes (CBX, Shadow, Valkyrie, etc) and called it a "tourer" to attract another segment of riders so this is nothing new.
I agree with that, Clay, but I do think it's OK for us to say why a particular bike doesn't attract us. The limited range, weight, and the ergos of this particular bike keep it from appealing to me, but if someone else likes it, more power to them. It just wouldn't be the bike for the kind of riding I do.
You are right Jerry
I can just remember a few months back I put out a post simply stating that I thought a particular bike looked cool, and then people started lining up to tell me what a piece of crap it was...and I wasnt even thinking about buying it!
I hope others DO really like it....I prefer having a motorcycle that looks different than every bike I see.
I ride an NT and a Vmax.
If I had money for a garage full of bikes, you might find this one in the mix....but probably not. It would have to be a mighty big garage for me to add this one......it is just OK, at first glance.
To each his own. I've got an NT and have no real interest in this new tourer, but I'll lay odds that the sell a heck of a lot more of them than the NT sold.
I have a friend who I ride with a lot, who has a Victory Vision. He is into Art Deco and the bike fits him to a tee. He loves the bike and definitely can ride. Watching him on twisty roads is a treat because he can make that big bike handle. I like his bike.
His biggest problem is that he lives on a dirt road and has to go two miles to get to pavement. He is a big guy and a Dual Sport would just not work for him. So while we are out riding, he is stuck during "Mud Season" His solution---He got a trailer, a covered one, and trailers his Victory to the pavement and then rides. Another benefit of the trailer is that it is now used as the bike's garage which frees up space in his garage for his wife's car and his truck. Car, truck, and Victory did not fit--so the truck was outside. Now everybody is happy.
It is not a tourer. It is a bagger - a cruiser dressed up with saddlebags and a windshield. Nothing wrong with that as long as you are not trying to fool yourself. Price is not bad. I expect that Honda will sell a bunch of them and the other 1300 cc V-twins. But I suspect that we will not be seeing an updated NT.
Actually, my next ride will likely be a decked out Road Glide, simply due to my size and desire to take long, loaded trips two-up.
But I will keep the NT for commuting and short rides.