First maint. at 668 miles

[Chucksklrst]

Finally got to the point of doing the 600 mile check and oil change. After my ride up and over Guanella Pass I finally rolled over enough miles to do the 600 mile service. Oil and filters changed. Not a big deal as I have been changing motorcycle oils for over 40 years, but now with this bike it takes me twice as long. Two filters (one for engine and one for DCT) , two drains plugs, or maybe it is because I am a bit slower now at almost 76 years old. Anyway the only thing I don't like about this process is that there is no sight glass and to get the proper level, the manual say to not check level on center stand, but to hold bike in upright position and check dip stick. That means one needs a second person for this process. I am going to figure out the correct level while on the center stand and scribe the dip stick. Although I really don't think it matters much. Every thing else looked fine, but do check for loose fasteners. on the windshield and the pannier / top box panels.

 

[NewTo700V]

Two filters ...

This had me go "huh?" but with quick Googling today I learned the DCT oil circuit requires its own filter.

 

[Chucksklrst]

This had me go "huh?" but with quick Googling today I learned the DCT oil circuit requires its own filter.

Thanks, I should have stated that. fixed it now.

 

[Coyote Chris]

OK, I am confused. Is the CVT and the engine oil one and the same? I would do exactly what you are doing. Get a second person, put a carpenters level on the handle bars or? Have them level the bike, check the dip stick, screwed in or not.....Then put the bike on the centre stand and recheck it. Note the difference. Is there a Euro forum for this bike? That proceedure is the very bizarre....Personally, I love sight glasses for a number of reasons but I suppose you can save $5 by not putting one on a bike. I also like to put magnetic insert drain plugs in my engines and shaft drive drain holes. Unencoumbered by the thought process, I could see the bike having one or even two oil pumps, the the needed pressure/volume at the exit of the oil filters. I am so old I remember when Suzuki had an air/oil cooled bike the the regular oil pump for the lubrication and a high volume low pressure pump for the cooling system. I liked it but of course they did away with it.

 

[Dave in Utah]

The only other NT 1100 forum I have been able to find is here:

NT1100 Forum - Worldwide Forum and Owners Club

Worldwide Honda NT1100 community, for owners of the NT1100 motorcycle, with forum, photos, owner feedback, technical info, and much more.

www.nt1100forum.com

As far as I can tell the oil is common to the engine and transmission but the transmission has it's own oil filter. The engine is similar to the Africa Twin so any youtube video on the AT oil change should be pretty much the same. I have not been able to find an oil change video for the NT 1100 DCT anywhere on youtube so there is the opportunity to be first. Yeah, I wish the bike had a sight glass, too. When I got the bike home from the dealer I checked the oil level on the dipstick while it was on the centerstand, and it was just where I expected it to be, so I'm not going to worry about it.

 

[NewTo700V]

OK, I am confused. Is the CVT and the engine oil one and the same?

there is no CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) in a NT1100. If you want one of those you'll need to go get a Honda Metropolitan or a 2026 Civic LX.

NT1100 has a DCT (Dual Clutch Transmission). There are still standard motorcycle transmission gears being moved and selected, but the bike is doing it with two computer controlled clutches. powered through a hydraulic oil circuit with servos, hence the need for clean oil and why Honda plopped another filter in. One clutch selects even, the other odd # gears. As an odd gear is being unselected and unloaded, the even is engaging and vice-versa.

 

[Coyote Chris]

there is no CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) in a NT1100. If you want one of those you'll need to go get a Honda Metropolitan or a 2026 Civic LX.

NT1100 has a DCT (Dual Clutch Transmission). There are still standard motorcycle transmission gears being moved and selected, but the bike is doing it with two computer controlled clutches. powered through a hydraulic oil circuit with servos, hence the need for clean oil and why Honda plopped another filter in. One clutch selects even, the other odd # gears. As an odd gear is being unselected and unloaded, the even is engaging and vice-versa.

I have heard of something like this where the rider didnt need to use the clutch but just shifted. Customers of Subarus told Subaru of America they hated the CVT rubber band feel so Subaru put in preset shift points controled by the tranny computer. Mine has 8. But they change depending on what the driver is doing...for instance, mash the throttle and the shift points move near the red line...and you can go fully manual or half manual. But the paddles are RIGHT THERE like an F1 car.

I think the Nt 1100 set up would be fine for those who are physically / mentally challanged. For all that complexity and weight, it has no value for me. Knowing a bike and what gear you need to be in for any situation for whats coming up ahead is something my head can do much better. I have a 2004 CRV stick AWD and the whole AWD/ stick part contains no computers and no transistors.

Anyone buying an NT better have an extended maintenance contract included in the deal.

 

[Chucksklrst]

OK, I am confused. Is the CVT and the engine oil one and the same? I would do exactly what you are doing. Get a second person, put a carpenters level on the handle bars or? Have them level the bike, check the dip stick, screwed in or not.....Then put the bike on the centre stand and recheck it. Note the difference. Is there a Euro forum for this bike? That proceedure is the very bizarre....Personally, I love sight glasses for a number of reasons but I suppose you can save $5 by not putting one on a bike. I also like to put magnetic insert drain plugs in my engines and shaft drive drain holes. Unencoumbered by the thought process, I could see the bike having one or even two oil pumps, the the needed pressure/volume at the exit of the oil filters. I am so old I remember when Suzuki had an air/oil cooled bike the the regular oil pump for the lubrication and a high volume low pressure pump for the cooling system. I liked it but of course they did away with it.

Same oil for both the engine and the tranny. One fill point, two drains and filters. Engine has a spin on filter, same as the NT700 and the tranny has a small cartridge filter.

 

[Chucksklrst]

The only other NT 1100 forum I have been able to find is here:

NT1100 Forum - Worldwide Forum and Owners Club

Worldwide Honda NT1100 community, for owners of the NT1100 motorcycle, with forum, photos, owner feedback, technical info, and much more.

www.nt1100forum.com

As far as I can tell the oil is common to the engine and transmission but the transmission has it's own oil filter. The engine is similar to the Africa Twin so any youtube video on the AT oil change should be pretty much the same. I have not been able to find an oil change video for the NT 1100 DCT anywhere on youtube so there is the opportunity to be first. Yeah, I wish the bike had a sight glass, too. When I got the bike home from the dealer I checked the oil level on the dipstick while it was on the centerstand, and it was just where I expected it to be, so I'm not going to worry about it.

Just joined that forum.

 

[Chucksklrst]

I have heard of something like this where the rider didnt need to use the clutch but just shifted. Customers of Subarus told Subaru of America they hated the CVT rubber band feel so Subaru put in preset shift points controled by the tranny computer. Mine has 8. But they change depending on what the driver is doing...for instance, mash the throttle and the shift points move near the red line...and you can go fully manual or half manual. But the paddles are RIGHT THERE like an F1 car.

I think the Nt 1100 set up would be fine for those who are physically / mentally challanged. For all that complexity and weight, it has no value for me. Knowing a bike and what gear you need to be in for any situation for whats coming up ahead is something my head can do much better. I have a 2004 CRV stick AWD and the whole AWD/ stick part contains no computers and no transistors.

Anyone buying an NT better have an extended maintenance contract included in the deal.

And that is why the NT1100 has finger shifters. You can manually over ride and shift to what gear you want and then let the machine take over again. IE: going into a corner in auto Drive mode the bike does not shift down soon enough for me so I manually override the computer and shift down to second gear coming out of the corner the bike will shift back up automatically. Or you can put the bike in either SI, SII, or SIII , which changes the shift points and holds them longer for more spirited type riding. Or put the bike in full manual and do your own shifting when you want with the finger shifters Up or Down. Yes I thought like you, but it is fun to play around with the different combination in the mountain twisties. I used SII going up the mountain and coming down, to get higher rpms going up and better engine braking coming down. Hit the freeway and put the bike in D-rive for fuel savings and when need to pass manually shifted down rolled on throttle. Bike held the gear I selected until I let up on the throttle then it shifted back up to high gear. Like I said it is fun to fool around with the different combinations. If I want to do all manual clutch with my sore hand and shift with my sore foot then I will ride one of my other bikes. The bike has the grunt and torque to get up and go as is.

fine for those who are physically / mentally challenged. Are you saying I am physically and mentally challenged?

 

[NewTo700V]

I think the Nt 1100 set up would be fine for those who are physically / mentally challanged.

Just some perspective for ya .. you and I on our manual selecting transmission motorcycles are the odd ones out. There are considerably more on powered two wheels sporting some form of an automatic transmission who aren't wasting brain processing on choosing gears. You could say manual transmissions are for the pedantic.

 

[Chucksklrst]

Just so you know I rode my old fashion clutch handle / foot shifter V-Strom today for about 110 miles along the river to Deckers to check out if the new cafe' "The Hangout" was up and running. They were closed and in my opinion not quite ready for prime time. Maybe by the 4th of July. Really enjoyed the ride this morning. Left early at 07:15 in the cool and was home by 10:45 as the temps were reaching 88 degrees. The V ran smooth and quite with my music emitting from my helmet speakers soothing my tinnitus. Lovely ride, also enjoyed the old fashion transmission shifting.

 

[Coyote Chris]

Just some perspective for ya .. you and I on our manual selecting transmission motorcycles are the odd ones out. There are considerably more on powered two wheels sporting some form of an automatic transmission who aren't wasting brain processing on choosing gears. You could say manual transmissions are for the pedantic.

Is that like a control freq?

 

[dduelin]

I have heard of something like this where the rider didnt need to use the clutch but just shifted. Customers of Subarus told Subaru of America they hated the CVT rubber band feel so Subaru put in preset shift points controled by the tranny computer. Mine has 8. But they change depending on what the driver is doing...for instance, mash the throttle and the shift points move near the red line...and you can go fully manual or half manual. But the paddles are RIGHT THERE like an F1 car.

I think the Nt 1100 set up would be fine for those who are physically / mentally challanged. For all that complexity and weight, it has no value for me. Knowing a bike and what gear you need to be in for any situation for whats coming up ahead is something my head can do much better. I have a 2004 CRV stick AWD and the whole AWD/ stick part contains no computers and no transistors.

Anyone buying an NT better have an extended maintenance contract included in the deal.

This is like a post on DCT from 10 or 15 years ago when guys couldn't separate their left hand and foot from their manhood. Thankfully that has changed a lot. Honda has been building and refining DCT motorcycles since 2010. I have about 70,000 miles on DCTs and it's Honda reliable.

 

[NewTo700V]

This is like a post on DCT from 10 or 15 years ago when guys couldn't separate their left hand and foot from their manhood. Thankfully that has changed a lot. Honda has been building and refining DCT motorcycles since 2010. I have about 70,000 miles on DCTs and it's Honda reliable.

Their first DCT bike (VFR1200) has questionable engine reliability, but not the DCT aspect. I've no concerns over the DCT tech. The fact Honda has felt comfortable enough dropping it in the Goldwing is proof enough for me of their confidence for reliability. My buying habits though have been for 20+ year old Hondas. The NT700 was one of the newer bikes I've ever purchased in 2019. I've yet to own a bike with ABS. Maybe in 2045 I'll finally have a DCT bike?