Power Facts

[jackgermain]

Hi, So after owning the NT700v for a year I must say I really like this bike. At first I was a little put off by the power but got used to it. Then I started reading all over the internet why people did not buy into owning a NT700 and it seemed that the engine power was a biggie for most not buying the bike. Then I got to thinking. HP per weight of a NT700 = 1 HP for every 9.5 pounds of motorcycle.
A 2013 Mustang GT that pumps out 420 HP has 1 HP for every 8.75 pounds of car. Ya know - the NT just ain't half bad after all !! It sure carries my 145 pound butt along just fine.

 

[junglejim]

My NT isn't quite a year old yet, but I'm more comfortable on it than any bike I've ever had. It is no powerhouse, but it will go plenty fast enough to get me in trouble. And, yes it is a bit heavy, but that adds stability on the highway. We give back a bit of power with the shaft drive vs chain drive, but it is a whole lot less messy. I had a ritual of stopping after about 15 minutes in the morning with my chain dirves and lubing for the day. I don't miss that stop or the mess either. I've gotten used to staying in a low enough gear and just shifting rather than relying on torque to avoid shifts.

I like that the NT doesn't mind at all when I pile all my traveling gear on it. The same load was quite noticable on my Versys. The Versys was a lot more fun, but I'm old enough now that I'm content to keep the front wheel on the pavement and not pass everything in front of me. There are, however, those moments when a little more power would be good. But realisticly I wouldn't want to compromise the great gas mileage the NT gets just for a short burst of power.

 

[tawilke46]

A kid once asked how fast my old '98 Pacific Coast would go. I told him fast enough to kill you.
The PC had less hp than the NT.
The way I ride, that is to say leisurely most of the time, I do not have the need for a lot of hp.........I am happy with the NT.

 

[Warren]

Actually for a 680cc V-Twin the NT puts out respectable HP. The problem is the NT weights 100 pounds more than most bikes with this engine size. In any case I find it more than adequate for my needs and have never been in a situation where more was wanted or needed.

 

[mikesim]

Amen to all of the above! I have yet to find a situation where I wished I had more power.

Mike

 

[DirtFlier]

There is a good reason that many hi-powered sport bikes end up totalled after only a few months and most have the front end wadded-up. They accelerate way too fast for riders who think they are the next Jorge Lorenzo!

 

[tawilke46]

This happened a few days before I got to Florida. The young rider was riding aggressively at high speed......tragic. His bike had more than just adequate hp.
The Tampa area has had 26 fatal motorcycle accidents since the first of the year.


http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/motorcyclist-killed-in-new-port-richey-crash/2114360

 

[androu]

Actually, when I think about it now, I'm surprised I survived my twenties. I did all sorts of things that make me cringe now. A couple of weekends ago, I went riding with some local riders, one of whom was a twenty something fellow on a SV650. He was a really nice, intelligent young man and a skilled rider. We got into some mountain twisties, mostly blind curves with steep grades, 180 degree hairpins, sheer rock cliffs and steep drop-offs, etc. and he took off. He had the right bike for it, and knew how to ride fast, hanging off the inside and riding very confidently and for a while I kind of kept up with him as best I could. But a little voice in the back of my head kept saying things like "what if there's a group of bicycles around that curve? What if there' a big truck plodding along at 20mph? What if there's a big patch of gravel or fallen rocks across the road? So I backed off and just let him go. Apparently, in my 50's, I have accepted my own mortality. It would be fun to have a high Hp, high torque, agressive handling bike but I ride way too conservatively and cautiously now to really use it to it's full potential. I still lust after other bikes sometimes, but really the NT is all the bike I need.

 

[dannyjo]

I am what you would call a "Big Ol Boy", 275 lbs.
At first, I thought the NT didn't have enough power, especially since I also own a Vmax.
I have found this little bike loves to be wound up...that's why the red line is higher than most v-twins, and it scoots my big butt right down the road.
I love the gas mileage and comfort after a few tweaks.
I can't get rid of my Vmax, but I couldn't part with my NT either......both are fun for what they were meant to be!
I think the Honda dealers made a big mistake not getting excited over the NT and pushing it to the over 50, "smartened - up" riders.

 

[Desert Dan]

Androu, once I passed 60 most of those go fast urges came over me less and less. Here in the desert, coming around a curve might mean a snake, lizard rabbit or coyote in the middle of the road or even a little flash flood where it crosses a wash. Not to mention sand. Besides, it's hard to look around and enjoy the scenery when yer' hanging on for dear life. And the closer I get to 70 the more I enjoy what I see.

 

[DirtFlier]

Riding insanely fast on the street doesn't prove squat. If you really want to go FAST, enter a race on a track where you can find out how you stack up.

 

[androu]

Yeah, I'll ride along at a pretty brisk pace when conditions make it seem relatively safe to do so but I'm just really not willing to take big risks just for the rush anymore. I'd really feel like an idiot if I wound up broken and battered in a ditch because I was pushing the limits of safety on a public road. Even worse if I involved someone else in a mishap because I couldn't stay in my lane going around a curve or whatever. I have enough fun without scaring myself.

Androu, once I passed 60 most of those go fast urges came over me less and less. Here in the desert, coming around a curve might mean a snake, lizard rabbit or coyote in the middle of the road or even a little flash flood where it crosses a wash. Not to mention sand. Besides, it's hard to look around and enjoy the scenery when yer' hanging on for dear life. And the closer I get to 70 the more I enjoy what I see.

 

[Bear]

I agree with Flier. The NT has plenty of grunt. I weigh 200 lbs and have no problem getting around. Where I live it is pretty hilly and the bike pulls the hills fine. It.s not like the 1200 to 1800cc bikes that you can lug down to 20MPH, crank it on and accellerate like a shot. So you shift down and then you can accelerate. We have a guy here who has a new ZX14R and he is trying to get it to go faster. His latest is that he got a longer swing arm--says it makes it more stable at higher speeds. Maybe he's trying to reach Mach 1. I must be dense because I don't get it.

 

[junglejim]

Riding insanely fast on the street doesn't prove squat. If you really want to go FAST, enter a race on a track where you can find out how you stack up.

Absolutely!

And if you crash you won't hit a car or tree.
They come off the track up at Brainerd all the time.
It is designed to be safe (relatively safe).

I've ridden with groups that want to ride hard. Someone in the middle or back usually breaks plastic, bends metal, and leaks blood. I ride my own pace. If they want to go hard I let them go without feeling a bit bad. If I'm leading I ride slower than I normally do for the good of the group.

 

[charlie b]

Yes, I would like 20 more hp and 6 speeds

I frequently am at full throttle and wish for a little more.

Yes, I can live with it the way it is...just wish it had a little more. Oh, and those of you at sea level (or near to it) do get to see closer to the advertised hp. I probably get less than 60hp out of it here at more than 1 mile up

 

[Phil Tarman]

Charlie, I'm really surprised to learn that you (of all people) would like twenty more horsepower and six speeds. Who'd'a'guessed it?

I admit that when I get up above 6-7,000', the power does drop off some. What's your altitude at the house? Mine is 4300'.

 

[charlie b]

LOL

We are at 6700ft and in town it is 5400ft. My regular Sunday morning ride goes up to 10,000ft.

 

[slider]

I need 50 more hp and can live with 5 gears. That said I'm getting used to it and appreciate the mileage. I'm at 580'.

 

[Bear]

I am at sea level for the most part. Slider, you might be able to find someone to build you a Nitrous Kit. That would give you 50HP for sure. I can just see one of those Beemer RRs get blown away by an NT---What a visual that would be!

 

[slider]

I raced Mustangs from age 19-26. I'm pretty sure that laid the seeds that have been sprouting ever since.