New guy from Colorado

[ColoradoRod]

Hello All,

I just figured I'd post a hello because I just joined the ranks of NT owners and this forum a few days ago. I bought a really nice 2010 NT700V last week from a guy in Boulder, Colorado. It's red with a Honda top case and the Honda heated grips. It has a vStream windscreen but is otherwise stock. It needs tires so I've got some PR5's on order. They should be installed by the end of this week.

I'm 52 years old and have owned many motorcycles starting with my first bike, a Z50 when I was in kindergarten. My folks were 1/2 owners of a Honda shop in Loveland, Colorado between the early 70's and 1987. My dad's business partner's son ran the place and we were pretty much in the background. I've always enjoyed riding, but still don't really consider myself a real "rider" when compared to many of you guys.

My favorite bike up to this point was a 2014 NC700x that I bought new in 2015. I sold it last May because I had a scary incident on my Goldwing that convinced me to get out of the motorcycle business--at least riding on the street. I really missed it and couldn't help myself as spring started springing this year in Colorado. A friend was planning to wholesale his 2019 BMW K1600GTL and I bought it sight unseen. I quickly realized that it wasn't a good fit for me so I sold it after owning it a little over a month. I was scouring the for sale ads looking for a smaller bike before the BMW buyer made it out of my neighborhood.

I'm embarrassed to say that prior to seeing the ad for my bike, I wasn't even aware the NT700's existed. I knew I didn't want another BMW, but I really liked a K75 I borrowed for a few weeks about a decade ago. I was really hoping Honda or Kawasaki made something like the K75 when I came upon the NT700. I think it's going to be perfect for the type of riding I do. Less than 400 miles per day. Solo. Not many overnights. A bunch of grocery-getter-type errands around town. The bike kinda reminds me of my NC700 with a road bike emphasis instead of trying to be a dual sport. That's the only part about the NC700 I didn't like--it wasn't to my liking for off-road and the design attempt to be off-road capable detracted from the on-road ability.

In any case, that's me and why I'm here! I tend to do my own maintenance on everything I own, but I'm hoping that the NT will live up to Honda tradition and not need much maintenance. I'm hoping to buy another NT in the near future to loan to my brother on occasion and to possibly stage at different mountain airports in Colorado so I can fly my little plane in and start my riding from there instead of having to slug it out on a highway to get to the great riding in the Colorado mountains. (I'm also a pilot and am pretty involved with small airplanes.)

Thanks in advice for the collective NT wisdom on this site and I apologize in advance for any dumb or obvious questions.

Rod

 

[Phil Tarman]

I really liked a K75 I borrowed for a few weeks about a decade ago. I was really hoping Honda or Kawasaki made something like the K75 when I came upon the NT700.

Bob Higdon, "a recovering attorney" is the general counsel and unofficial historian of the Iron Butt Association has two NT700s, his second '10 and an '11. He keeps one near DC and another in Florida near Daytona. Bob and I met in Denver at the 2010 Iron Butt National Meeting. He'd bought his first NT in October of 2009 and had 38K miles on it when we met in September of '10. He rode it to Savannah and back to Brookhaven and traded it for another new '10 with over 40K miles in about 11 months. He had over a half million miles on a K75 when his final drive failed in Montana, over 400 miles from the nearest BMW dealer and found out there wasn't a final drive for sale in the US and would take over 3 months to get one from Germany. He decided he'd never buy another BMW and he says that that the NT is the K75 BMW should have built.

 

[Phil Tarman]

I apologize in advance for any dumb or obvious questions.

Rod, when I went to work in the oilfield in '75, I had been a minister for 10 years and an unsuccessful real estate salesman for two years. My first job in the oilfield was as a drill collar inspector for a company called SiiDrilco. We had 30 days of classroom instruction and then 30 days of OJT in Morgan City. I was one of two in our class of 15 who had never worked in the oilfield. I can remember asking what I said might be a dumb question and our instructor, who was tough as a boot, said there is no such thing as a dumb question. If you don't know something, it's dumb not to ask.

This Forum has someone who knows the answer to nearly everything and our members are friendly and glad to answer anything you can think of.

 

[ARKNT]

I'm embarrassed to say that prior to seeing the ad for my bike, I wasn't even aware the NT700's existed.

Welcome to the NT world. Don't be embarrassed about not knowing about NT's. Not many people do, that probably includes many Honda dealers. They weren't advertised much and didn't sell all that many.

Brad

 

[Warren]

“ You can’t even find a shaft drive anymore” I know they are not the kind of motorcycle you are interested in but Honda still produces motorcycles that are shaft drive in their cruiser line of motorcycles and some of them are not big and expensive.

 

[karl]

Welcome and enjoy your ride.

 

[Brillot2000]

Welcome Aboard and Greetings from SoCal.

Good to see some close to my age group. I think the average NT Owner age on this forum is 60+, no offensive intended to anyone here. I picked my NT700V on my 44th birthday over 3 years ago. I haven’t regretted that transaction.

It is not a “Needy” bike maintenance wise and it is not that difficult to work on. The only downside is that you have to take off all the bodywork before you can start any meaningful work. Once you get skilled at doing it you can get all the bodywork off in 10-20 minutes. A cordless driver and an assortment of attachment bits goes a long away with this task.

I’m also a current NC700X owner, which I bought new over 7 years ago. Mine is a 2013 DCT model. Nor do I regret buying this bike either. Mine has under 30k on it as I had other bikes for commuting to work daily prior to the pandemic. I would rotate this bike in on Fridays to get her so exercise. I also used this bike mainly for going out on rides with my buddies, again the pandemic put a stop to that for the past 15 months. This bike has been fairly low-maintenance if you exclude the chain replacements that I have done while owning this bike. You buy cheap, you get poor results. A lesson learned on this last replacement round. Other than that, this bike has met all my expectations. I also enjoy the freedoms that DCT has to offer to me. 3 modes of operation, D-Mode, S-Mode, MT-Mode to fit my driving styles. There are days that use all 3 modes. It’s also fun to us the “Paddles” to override the up and down shifts.

 

[harryhendo]

Hi Rod... welcome to the forum!
When I was looking for a motorcycle, my criteria were shaft drive, sport touring, twin cylinders, < 1000 cc, excellent gas mileage, large gas tank, cargo room. The NT700V was one of the only bikes that met all these criteria. I've ridden about 12K miles since July of last year and have enjoyed it immensely.

 

[Gabe]

Welcome Rod! No sweat and no judgement here. Everyone I've found at nt-owners.org is wonderful. So far my NT has been rock solid reliable - definitely great Honda quality in almost everything. My only challenge is that the NT was my first bike and probably should have started on something more lightweight and lower CC, but I've adapted after getting my Class M in 2012 and the NT is all I know.

Sorry to hear about your scary incident - things like that can scare anyone out of riding and for sometimes good reasons. As much as I admire Gold Wings, there is some comfort knowing I don't have to deal with a heavier bike that requires more effort and caution. On another note, riding in the Colorado mountains sounds pretty cool! We only have small gradual mountains and hills here in Maryland and the surrounding region, but that's probably better for newish riders such as myself. Lots of traffic though - too much traffic, LOL!

Very cool to know you're a pilot and flying small planes! Do you fly ultra-lights or more traditional and powered fixed-wing planes like Ceesna or Beechcraft? Always wanted to be a pilot when I grew up, never quite got around to anything other than a demo flight due to time, family, expense, etc. - Feel free to post some pics of your birds.

Welcome to the group!

 

[Brillot2000]

But on the other hand, it annoys me. Big-time, right now, as my NC, with 9500 miles, needs a chain and sprockets. Estimate, $600. I could do it, after I teach myself how to rivet a chain, but it needs a rear tire, too. So, just bite the bullet...I guess with that DCT banging the chain around (it does) ten thousand miles is all I'll get out of one.

Unnecessary...

The best-case estimate on a chain and sprockets was 13,000 miles or so for the NC700X. I got 12k or so before the OEM installed chain started getting me headaches. Lubing and cleaning the chain every so often with quality chain lubes will get you to get close to those miles. Also, keeping the chain tension within the recommended range of 1.2 to 1.6 inches and with the proper rear wheel alignment when adjusting the chain.

I did my own chain and sprocket replacements.

• RK X-Ring Drive Chain $70, RK Racing Chain 520XSO-120 120-Links X-Ring
• Rear Sprocket 39 Teeth $31, Steel Rear Sprocket - 39 Tooth 520 JTR1316.39
• Front Sprocket 16 Teeth $22, JT Front Sprocket 520 16T #JTF1373.16

However, you will need the following as well for this job:

• Electric or pneumatic impact wrench with an assortment of sockets.
• Chain Breaker - Chain Breaker Link Splitter Pin Remover Tool
• Chain Riveter - Heavy Duty Motorcycle Bike Chain Press Tool
• Chain alignment tool - ALPHA MOTO Motorcycle Chain Alignment Tool

 

[Phil Tarman]

Yeah...I know.

Heavy, slow, and ergonomically incorrect. You know, the Cruiserface, the scowl? That's really because their back and tailbone are hurting, and they can't maneuver that overweight pile of iron around curves from that position.

But they get shafts. I guess, in one way, it makes sense: Someone who's looking to POSTURE, to look like an Easy Rider, isn't going to bother himself to learn about chain maintenance.

But on the other hand, it annoys me. Big-time, right now, as my NC, with 9500 miles, needs a chain and sprockets. Estimate, $600. I could do it, after I teach myself how to rivet a chain, but it needs a rear tire, too. So, just bite the bullet...I guess with that DCT banging the chain around (it does) ten thousand miles is all I'll get out of one.

Unnecessary...

I learned to ride on a Honda Shadow 600. And I have to say, it wasn't too bad. It wasn't real fast, but it did OK. The friend who owned had small leather sidebags and I could have traveled for 3-4 days on it. I never took a trip of any length with it, but probably rode it 4K miles in the fall before I bought my GL650i Silverwing. I had assumed I'd be a cruiser guy, because that was all I ever saw in Ft Morgan, but when I got the Silverwing, I started riding longer distances. It was playing hopscotch between Salida and Colorado Springs with a couple riding a pair of mint-green BMW R1100RTs that turned me on to sport-touring bikes. I couldn't afford the BMWs, but when I saw my first Kawasaki Concours, a '98, I found my next two bikes.

 

[RedBird]

Hi Bruce, thanks for the list of parts and tools for chain replacement on the NC700x. I have a 2017 model (non DCT) that I bought last December. I've saved your list for future work.

 

[Brillot2000]

Hi Bruce, thanks for the list of parts and tools for chain replacement on the NC700x. I have a 2017 model (non DCT) that I bought last December. I've saved your list for future work.

No problemo.

FYI, Non-DCT models have a 41 tooth rear Sprocket instead of a 39T. The countershaft sprocket is also 16 tooth.

 

[DirtFlier]

...Kind of a bummer. A single-side swing-arm with a shaft drive, and that wheel would come right off. Hydraulic tappets and I'd never have to have the radiator taken off (!) to get at the cams...JustPassinThru

Your dreaming about things that are just not meant to be for many reasons. If you really want something easy to work on, buy something powered by a 250 air-cooled, single/w chain drive and without any plastic cladding.

 

[Brillot2000]

[QUOTE="DirtFlier, post: 181492, member:]
Your dreaming about things that are just not meant to be for many reasons. If you really want something easy to work on, buy something powered by a 250 air-cooled, single/w chain drive and without any plastic cladding.
[/QUOTE]

Hmmm...

What you just described is a dual sport/enduro. I think Justpassinthru already has one of those.

Dreaming and reminiscing of past motorcycles that never came your way or into existence is wasted energy. I too have a short list of bikes I would’ve liked to owned in the past 30 years. If I haven’t owned any of them in the past 20 years. I probably won’t anytime soon.

 

[ColoradoRod]

Very cool to know you're a pilot and flying small planes! Do you fly ultra-lights or more traditional and powered fixed-wing planes like Ceesna or Beechcraft? Always wanted to be a pilot when I grew up, never quite got around to anything other than a demo flight due to time, family, expense, etc. - Feel free to post some pics of your birds.

I have 2 Experimental category airplanes, an RV-3 and a Glasair 1RG. I live at a residential airpark so I fly several times per week. I also fly an Airbus for work. As much as I enjoy flying, I also really enjoy riding motorcycles. I’ve never been a big distance multi-day trip person, but I like running errands with a motorcycle and I enjoy day trips in the mountains.

Here‘s a pic of my airplanes...

 

[Gabe]

Pretty cool! They both look like a lot of fun - especially the RV-3 if you do acrobatic flying. Guessing maybe it's one of the newer plane kits post 1996 structural problems.

From Wikipedia: "The RV-3 was designed to have light handling, aerobatic capabilities, fast cruise speeds, and short field STOL capabilities. The RV-3 was also designed from the start for serious travel and as such carries 30 US gallons of fuel, giving it a range of about 600 statute miles."

Did you build it yourself? How many hours and use it for traveling?

 

[ColoradoRod]

My RV first flew in 1998 and all the modern structural improvements were incorporated in the original construction. I bought it in 2018 from the original builder. I’ve also owned and flown one of the original RV-3s and the structural “problems” are exaggerated and are not really a problem except for the worst of the builds. One of those lowest common denominator things. The newer design leaves more room for errors and poor construction, but the original is fine if people build (built) it with good workmanship.

My RV is faster than it’s supposed to be and will cruise at 200mph and will do about 225mph flat out. The structural “never exceed” speed is 211mph, so I never use full power in level flight, but the excess power is pretty fun for climbing. I don’t go too far most of the time, but it’s certainly capable. I fly from my house to Steamboat Springs, CO which is about 3hr30min by car, but is about 40 minutes by plane. Of course the RV is single seat, so that‘s why I have the Glasair. It’s about 20mph faster and has a second seat so I can take friends and family with me. I’ve completely disassembled the Glasair for a huge radio and panel upgrade. I’m in the process of installing a complete Garmin G3x glass panel with new radios and autopilot. It should turn the Glasair into a really nice traveling machine. It gets about 25 mpg at 220mph.

I don’t do much in the way of aerobatics. I’m not very good at it and need instruction to improve, but I have some back problems that really get me if I pull more than about 2.5g’s. My back seems to be improving, so I’m not ruling it out for a future adventure.

If you’re still interested in flying, you should really give it a whirl. It’s like any other hobby... if you want to puff it up and make a case for how expensive and wasteful it is, you certainly can. What I’ve found is that the deeper I get into the hobby the less expensive it becomes.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Rod, my dad was a CFII and I could have learned to fly for gas and oil costs in a Taylorcraft when I was in high school. We lived a block from an airport where Dad had instructed in '47. The owner was a guy he'd instructed with in Wichita Falls during the way and he'd told Dad we could use the Taylorcraft. I was more interested in girls. I got married and started preaching in the summer of '63. I had been to the hospital to visit some church members and was returning to Hutto, TX, from Taylor and as I drove by the airport, I looked over and saw a plane I didn't recognize. That was extremely rare in those days, so I turned around and went back. I got out and was just standing and looking at the plane when the airport manager came out. She told me it was a Texas Rocket -- a 4-place tri-gear plane designed by the guy whose next design was the Swift. There had been 4 Texas Rockets built and I never saw another one.

She asked me if flew and I told her I didn't. She told me that her son had just gotten his CFI the day before and was dying to give a lesson. She then asked if I'd be willing to take one if she paid for it and if I'd keep the fact that she was paying for it from her son. I was willing to do it in her terms. He gave me an hour's instruction in an 85hp Champion. I was hooked. Over the next 10 years or so, I managed to finagle my dad into giving me another couple of hours, but he lived in Tulsa and then St. Charles and I lived in Texas, Louisiana, and California. Finally in '78, I was living in Santa Rosa, CA, while I was working in the oil field and making enough money to start flying. I did quite a few long marginal VFR and mountain flights with my instructor while I was getting my private. I transferred to Casper and kept flying. My family and I took a vacation flight that took 22 hrs to Branson, where my folks had moved after Dad had retired, then down to Texas to visit the in-laws and friends near Houston. Then the next year I went back into the ministry, and wasn't making enough money to fly. But two guys in the church let me fly their planes (a Cessna 152 and a Cherokee 180) for gas and oil. But the next church didn't have anyone who offered me that kind of deal.

That was the end of my flying days. When I got my first motorcycle in '98, riding filled the need that flying had filled. I had figured that my folks wouldn't be thrilled about my riding, but they understood perfectly and never tried to talk me out of it.

One of my main motorcycle friends lives up South St Vrain Canyon. When he came into an inheritance he basically quit riding motorcycles and started building a plane. After he was about halfway done, he learned to fly. He's gotten his instrument rating now and doesn't ride his motorcycle at all. His plane is a Cozy Mk 4:

 

[rc_heli_nut]

For those who want to fly, but aren't interested in the expense of private planes, give RC airplanes a try. It's a wonderful hobby, that I've enjoyed for 30+ years now. Or, if you really like challenges, try RC helicopters.