New Member - Just bought an NT700V

[WingMan71]

I've been lurking and asking questions about the NT. I'm physically small (5'-8" 135#) and recently sold my 1999 Kawasaki Concours because it was just to heavy and too tall for me to deal with in the mountain parking lots and such any more. Loved it, but I needed a tad smaller and lighter bike that still was water-cooled and shaft drive.

Just bought a really nice one today. Have to have it shipped to me since it's too far away. It's a red 2010 with complete maintenance records and the following accessories: OEM Air Deflector Set, 2" Handle Bar Riser, OEM Tank Pad, Corbin Seat, OEM Tail Trunk, spare OEM Seat, Dowco Guardian Weatherall Plus Motorcycle Cover, RAM Mounts Tough Claw X-Grip Mount.

I'm sure I'll be posting up lots of questions after it gets here. Been doing a lot of searching on the forum already for add-ons and such. Gonna need a USB power port for sure to power my cell phone. Here's some pics:









Looking forward to some mountain rides soon!

 

[Phil Tarman]

WingMan71, your new bike looks very nice! I'd be having trouble sleeping because I'd be so eager for it to get to me!!

I'm curious about the shipping: Who did you use? What did it cost? etc, etc.

Where did you find it and how did the negotiations go? Dealer or private seller?

Inquiring minds want to know? Or at least my inquiring mind does!

 

[Brillot2000]

Welcome Aboard and Greetings from SoCal.

You will find that the NT is a great bike and you might find yourself asking why you didn’t find this bike sooner. I’ve had mine for over 3 years now and I love it every time I take DIVA out.

Be advised that bikes that have been sitting without use sometimes have hidden gremlins. Many of us choose to work on our own bike as most dealers might’ve never seen one of these bikes before. You will find a treasure trove of information and support on this forum.

 

[WingMan71]

WingMan71, your new bike looks very nice! I'd be having trouble sleeping because I'd be so eager for it to get to me!!

I'm curious about the shipping: Who did you use? What did it cost? etc, etc.

Where did you find it and how did the negotiations go? Dealer or private seller?

Inquiring minds want to know? Or at least my inquiring mind does!

Hello Phil,

I use U-Ship for shipping bikes when I find one I want or find one I want for my next restoration project. If the bike is less than a 2-hour drive from me I will usually take my trailer and go pick it up myself. This one was 420 miles from me and a 6-hour one-way drive. Too far for my old bones!

This shipment was approximately 420 miles from Jacksonville, FL area to me in the Greenville, SC area. I paid $375. The U-Ship shippers are private individuals who make money using their own truck, trailer, or whatever to carry items and deliver them to U-Ship customers. Kind of like Uber, but for shipping not car rides. There is a bidding process for jobs. You post your job up on the site and either let shippers bid on the job or you can post it up with a set price that you are willing to pay. There are guidelines that will tell you the range of prices that shippers are likely to accept the for a specific job. You can read the reviews on individual shippers to see how good they are at their work. Works great and I've used them many times.

I had been shopping on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for over a month without finding a bike that I both liked that I could afford. Then I decided to shop on Cycle Trader, which is where this bike was advertised by a private seller.

I did not haggle with them much at all over price, since in my view the price was extremely fair considering the $1,200 worth of accessories that had been added to the bike and the complete maintenance history that came with it. It had obviously been well cared for by previous owners. I was also able to get a forum number on my Gold Wing forum who lives in Jacksonville to go and check out the bike for me before I bought it. That really helped.

Yes, I'm chomping at the bit to get my hands on it.

 

[WingMan71]

Welcome Aboard and Greetings from SoCal.

You will find that the NT is a great bike and you might find yourself asking why you didn’t find this bike sooner. I’ve had mine for over 3 years now and I love it every time I take DIVA out.

Be advised that bikes that have been sitting without use sometimes have hidden gremlins. Many of us choose to work on our own bike as most dealers might’ve never seen one of these bikes before. You will find a treasure trove of information and support on this forum.

This bike has 34,000 miles on it and the previous owners have used it regularly and it also just had a complete service at a dealer at 30,000 miles. So, it's been regularly ridden and well cared for.

I've been wrenching on my own bikes for over 50 years now, and rarely ever let a dealer touch one of mine unless it's for a recall or something similar.

Just ordered a Honda Factory Service Manual for the NT700V, so I should be all set to provide all the necessary maintenance.

 

[harryhendo]

Welcome to the Forum! Your bike looks very clean and well cared for, and the Corbin saddle is a great bonus. Looks very comfortable.

 

[Brillot2000]

This bike has 34,000 miles on it and the previous owners have used it regularly and it also just had a complete service at a dealer at 30,000 miles. So, it's been regularly ridden and well cared for.

I've been wrenching on my own bikes for over 50 years now, and rarely ever let a dealer touch one of mine unless it's for a recall or something similar.

Just ordered a Honda Factory Service Manual for the NT700V, so I should be all set to provide all the necessary maintenance.

I am fortunate enough to have a good Dealer nearby. I know the owners quite well and I have been going there for over 15 years or so. Their service department does good work and they are quite trustworthy.

For me, it boils down to "Time or Money". Some jobs require more time than I have or require special tools to do the job that I do not have. In those cases, I am not ashamed to turn over the bike to them to leverage my time.

Years ago my bike required the Crankshaft Position Sensor to be replaced. Also, the bike was almost ready for the 24k service at that time too. 2 days in the shop and $600 out the door. I was glad to pay that amount to get my bike back in service in that amount of time. I could have done the job in about 2 weeks or so giving my time availability. At that time, my time was more important than money.

To give you a comparison. When I owned an ST1300, the average repair bill was $1,200. I had the water pump go out on me and years later the alternator. Both of these services were over $1,200 each time. So, the $600 of the NT was much more manageable.

 

[WingMan71]

I am fortunate enough to have a good Dealer nearby. I know the owners quite well and I have been going there for over 15 years or so. Their service department does good work and they are quite trustworthy.
...

I'm one of those guys who actually enjoys doing the work myself. Always have. I get out in the shop, start working, and think I've been there maybe an hour. Look at the clock and I've been there 3 or 4 hours.

Plus, now that I'm retired, I've got no time constraints.

 

[Brillot2000]

I'm one of those guys who actually enjoys doing the work myself. Always have. I get out in the shop, start working, and think I've been there maybe an hour. Look at the clock and I've been there 3 or 4 hours.

Plus, now that I'm retired, I've got no time constraints.

Must be nice. I still got at least 20 years to go before I can think about retirement.

I do also enjoy working on my own bike. However, I have to work 40 hours a week for the man to get my paycheck more importantly. I also have two adult children in their 20s, one trying to kickstart his career unable to stand on his own yet. However, he is trying though. I still need to support him between jobs. The other is still in college working on his degree.

I went down on my bike back last September. The insurance company totaled the bike. I resurrected and transferred her into something entirely different myself over a few weeks. Salvage Title and not worth selling to anyone as the value is now half the market value. I am keeping DIVA until the wheels fall off.

 

[WingMan71]

Must be nice. I still got at least 20 years to go before I can think about retirement.

I do also enjoy working on my own bike. However, I have to work 40 hours a week for the man to get my paycheck more importantly. I also have two adult children in their 20s, one trying to kickstart his career unable to stand on his own yet. However, he is trying though. I still need to support him between jobs. The other is still in college working on his degree.

I went down on my bike back last September. The insurance company totaled the bike. I resurrected and transferred her into something entirely different myself over a few weeks. Salvage Title and not worth selling to anyone as the value is now half the market value. I am keeping DIVA until the wheels fall off.

Wow! Nice job on the resurrection of your bike! Good work. Hope you've healed up from the unplanned get-off as well as the bike has.

You should really post this transformation up on it's own thread so more members get a look at it.

 

[Brillot2000]

Wow! Nice job on the resurrection of your bike! Good work. Hope you've healed up from the unplanned get-off as well as the bike has.

You should really post this transformation up on it's own thread so more members get a look at it.

Thank you sir. I am no slouch when it comes to working on my own bikes. I have been doing it for over 30 years now.

I did, here's the link to get you up to speed. NaTalie's Rehab Reveal - Meet DIVA!!!

Here's the preceding thread after the accident- NaTalie and I Had a Meet and Greet with the Pavement

Regarding my injuries. I was able to get up immediately and walk around. I credit the gear I was wearing for that. I was back on one of my other bikes the next week. Skim through the previous thread to get all the details.

 

[Sheriff41]

Congratulations, WingMan! From the pictures it appears you scored a good one.

 

[Phil Tarman]

WingMan, I'll be curious to hear your reaction to the Corbin saddle. I've only ridden one for about 200 miles. Back in '00, a friend loaned me his from his C10 Concours. The things I noticed were: 1) it was heavy!, probably double the weight of the stock Kawasaki saddle, and 2) it was hard. It transmitted vibration to my...uh...manly parts that eventually put them to sleep.

After the Corbin, I tried a Rick Mayer saddle and it was awful in different ways. It didn't fit either my wife or me. I sent it back for a rebuild. Rick had the worst customer service I've ever had, bar none. He missed dates, he avoided communication. I was needing the seat for long-planned trip and when he was 3 weeks late getting it to me, I started calling and emailing every day with no response for three weeks even though I had left voice mail messages every time I called. Finally, I called information (remember that?), got his home number and called him at about 7:30 his time. A little girl answered and I asked if I could talk to her daddy. She went to get him and when I identified myself he started cursing at me and threatening to sue me if I called him at home again. I finally got him calmed down and told him if he's anser his email or voicemail calls he wouldn't have the problem. His excuse? He'd been at several BMW rallies. He assured me I'd get the saddle before I left on my trip. I didn't. It came a week after I left and a week before I got back. Still didn't fit. I sold it to COG Forum member and he didn't like it either.

I finally broke down and bought a Russell which I used for 140K miles before buying my 1st NT. I rode it with the stock saddle for 12K miles before buying a Russell DayLong HD saddle. I rode that 127K miles on Dudley and about 2K miles on Horse before I got my Russell Sport Seat that I've got now.



The Russell DayLong HD is on the left. The Russell Sport Seat on the right.

 

[DirtFlier]

WingMan71 - Welcome to our group!

In ref to the PO saying "it just had complete service..." I'm always doubtful of such statements most often made to secure the sale. You are an enthusiastic wrencher so you can find out for yourself and only then will you know where your NT stands as far as a Complete Service.

Phil - Corbin uses pressed steel for the seat base so they are heavy!

 

[Brillot2000]

In ref to the PO saying "it just had complete service...

That probably only means that the services called in the Maintenence Schedule were performed based on the current mileage. For instance, if the service is to inspect the fuel lines and empty the crankcase breather tube, this is what all was done. Do not expect an oil change or a valve clearance inspection.

 

[Moto-Kafe]

Off Topic somewhat: whenever I buy a used bike (I don't buy New ones anymore), I ALWAYS change the oil when I get it home, sometimes the filter too. Even if the PO stated in his ad "recent oil change".......I have no idea what brand of oil he used and I never trust what he tells me he used, unless maybe a bike shop changed it and documents what was put in the motor (oil brand). I change it regardless. If clean looking when drained, I use it in the lawn mower.

 

[WingMan71]

WingMan71 - Welcome to our group!

In ref to the PO saying "it just had complete service..." I'm always doubtful of such statements most often made to secure the sale. You are an enthusiastic wrencher so you can find out for yourself and only then will you know where your NT stands as far as a Complete Service.

Phil - Corbin uses pressed steel for the seat base so they are heavy!

Actually, it wasn't the PO just saying "it had complete service", he's got all the paper-based maintenance records in a file folder that he's handing over to me. I don't have those in my hands yet, but will soon. The forum member who went down to Jacksonville and checked out the bike for me actually laid eyes on them. He read some of them to me, but I sure can't remember now what exactly it included. As I remember all recommended service at that mileage was done except a valve adjustment. Additional previous maintenance records do, in fact, show when valve adjustments were made. Sure seems the PO took great care of it and was as good of record keeper as I am.

 

[WingMan71]

WingMan, I'll be curious to hear your reaction to the Corbin saddle. I've only ridden one for about 200 miles. Back in '00, a friend loaned me his from his C10 Concours. The things I noticed were: 1) it was heavy!, probably double the weight of the stock Kawasaki saddle, and 2) it was hard. It transmitted vibration to my...uh...manly parts that eventually put them to sleep.

I'll let you know about the Corbin saddle after the bike gets here in a week or so and I get some miles on it.

One thing I absolutely need is a saddle that's at least an inch lower than the stock saddle or I can't flat foot at stops even with the inch-tall heel on my riding boots. Comparing side-to-side images of an NT700V with a stock saddle and a Corbin saddle definitely shows that the Corbin seat is lower. How much remains to be seen.

If the Corbin isn't lower, I'll be pulling the cover off of the OEM seat that I'm getting with the bike and shaving off some foam!

 

[Phil Tarman]

Or you could do like I did and lower the bike an inch and use the Russell Sport Seat which is the same height as a stock saddle after about 4-500 miles.

I had peg lowerers on the bike before I lowered it and figured that they could cause an issue after lowering the bike, so I went back to the stock height for the pegs and was relieved that I could ride with my knees bent a little more without any problem. I can lean the bike more now that it's been lowered without the peg lowerers and I've dragged the pegs several times.

 

[WingMan71]

Or you could do like I did and lower the bike an inch and use the Russell Sport Seat which is the same height as a stock saddle after about 4-500 miles.
...

Phil,

Is there a thread somewhere on the forum I can study that explains in detail what lowering the bike entails? Is it a rear shock swap or what?