Honda unveils the most boring bike of all time

[RaWarrior]

With the launch of the new NC700X.

Someone in the comments put it nicely....it has about as much personality as a dishwasher.

Even Honda can't figure out exactly what it's for. An adventurer? An urban commuter? A two up tourer? I guess with the popularity of the crossover vehicle market, it's now shifting to crossover motorcycles.

Thing is I can't picture who would buy this bike. First off it's obnoxiously ugly, especially that beak thing in front. It could be the best bike in the world but if it's ugly nobody will buy one. The Ford Edsel was technically a fantastic car in it's time, but the grill looked like a saggy lunch lady's va-jay-jay and nobody bought one and turned out to be one of the biggest flops in Ford's history.

It's also slow, so the sport segment is automatically out. It doesn't really fall in as a beginner's bike either since it's got a tall "adventure" seat height. It has optional panniers, but it seems like too small of a bike for serious touring riders. It's has zero provisions for even light off-road riding, so the on/off road adventurers wouldn't be interested either. The rear seat makes the Vmax one look spacious, so it isn't intended for 2-up riding either.

The only person I can figure would be interested is an abnormally tall woman who is new to riding and wants to join her husband on day trip rides, or a business executive with no MC experience that drives a BMW 3 series and sometimes on sunny days with 0 chance of rain takes this to work instead.

Honda seems to have turned out a lot of lackluster bikes lately that pose the question "who is going to buy me?". The CB1000 is a slower and uglier Z1000, this is a slower and uglier GS800, and the "new" Wing turned out to be virtually identical to the last one. While I'm sure quality and design is outstanding, Honda seems to be resting on it's haunches and turning out competent, but wholly unremarkable products, a year or two late to the party behind everyone else.

 

[misiek93]

Maybe they are going after ducati? This thing looks similar to hypermotard. Both are super fugly and I don't understand why anyone would want to buy one. Maybe?

 

[PDWeyand]

Maybe they are going after ducati? This thing looks similar to hypermotard. Both are super fugly and I don't understand why anyone would want to buy one. Maybe?

I would save my money for genll but that is just me. Why buy a bland bike when there is so many more that offer so much more.

 

[rusty]

Wow, 64 mpg from a 700cc motor. I think that will be the mane selling point for this bike.Would I buy one?? NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

 

[PDWeyand]

it would get more than that from me. I would fall asleep while riding or go numb from boredom.

 

[old timer]

Honda has dropped the ball on inovation since it came out with the RC51 in 2000 ( granted I'm biased ) but it's true . I waited years to buy the next generation RC bike or something from them that had their motoGP V5 technology...nothing ! Even a quasi-next-gen sport/race bike would have been better than that cookie cutter inline 1000 Gixxer replica...:bang head:

Honda lost a potential repeat customer because of their inability to lead in a market that was theirs to keep or lose...I loved that RC and hated to sell it but I intend to make progress in life even if Honda doesn't...buh bye Big Red...:red ass:

 

[Rusty McNeil]

Maybe they are going after ducati? This thing looks similar to hypermotard. Both are super fugly and I don't understand why anyone would want to buy one. Maybe?

I was going to say that then saw your post.
Except the Honda is a fat cow compared to those 80lb lighter bikes and probably a whole lot less HP to boot.

Along the same lines as Yammi going after the Motard market with an under powered 250, or the less than stellar Suziki DZ400, just not enough power and a very weak entry against the market.......


I think the 1200 Ducati Hypermotard and the 1100 Aprilia Dosoduro are awesome 'effin bikes. One ride and you'll be hooked. They are the perfect hooligan bikes, fast as a M/F'er, very light, wheelie monsters with the ability to get a "little" airborne......

If I was going to rob a bank and needed a get away bike these would be it....I don't think the Honda is going to hold a candle to any thing in the Motard or Hypermotard market...

 

[06VMAXIMUS]

Old timer hit it on the head IMO. I use to be true blue Honda until they started sticking their heads in the mud. Before I bought the vmax, I test rode a shadow 1100 and a VTX 1800. The 1100 was WAY underpowered, and the 1800 was like driving a tank down the road. Big red has had a black eye for quite a few years now!

 

[texas-ss-tornado]

Kinda looks like the 09 Kawasaki ER-6N I bought my 20 year old son this past summer, performance is almost identical, it's basically a naked Ninja 650R. I agree with everyone else's assessment. Boring. When are they going to build a new V65 Magna? Answer: Never. It's not a V-Twin and nobody except us crazy guys like going fast on a cruiser!

 

[Heretic]

Why all the hate for Big Red? You can't mock a company who puts a beautiful bike like this on the road, and for $15k this baby is a steal!


:rofl_200::confused2::ummm:

Saw one at the dealer and was asking the salesman WTF? He stated that he doubted if they would ever sale it and asked if I knew what the DN-01 meant. He said, "Do Not Order 1!"

I was a Honda guy from the get go. First bike was a 73 CB750k, second was a 83 CB1000c and I rode my fathers VTX 1800 for a summer.

When it came time to get another bike of my own all they had that interested me was the 919. OK bike, but didn't quite blow my skirt up if you know what I mean. Still wouldn't mind having a mint 83 CB1100F in my garage...

 

[SpecOps13]

I'm perfectly happy with my new FZ8, even if it only gets 43 mpg... All said and done, I got it OTD for very little more than this new Honda would be.... :clapping:

 

[Heretic]

When are they going to build a new V65 Magna? Answer: Never. It's not a V-Twin and nobody except us crazy guys like going fast on a cruiser!

That's the biggest problem they have in America (at least). If its not a V-Twin cruiser or a lay down track ready crotch rocket, they won't sell many. Look at the failures here; Honda 919, Kaw ZRX1200R, Suzi Bandit and B-King, Yama FZ-1 and FZ-6/8. Great competent bikes all, but I rarely if ever see any of these bikes on the road or hear of anyone who bought one. The japs have a lot of great naked bikes but I don't see any coming over here because they didn't sell many the 10 times they have tried before. I imagine the new CB1000 will suffer the same fate. US riders need to change our attitudes on what we buy.

 

[bazwell]

We won't get the NC770X in Oz, but they will bring in the NC700S after a while. Pfft.

I think that engine config would probably work well enough in the Integra - http://www.bikepoint.com.au/news/2011/honda-unveils-integra-scooter-27449

At 51hp and with it's limited rev range, it's probably quite a nice little scooter motor. :biglaugh:


The engine is quite odd. Read more from "The devils in the details..." and down. I didn't read too much because I fell asleep, but yeah, it's quite odd. http://www.bikepoint.com.au/news/2011/nc700s-for-australia-but-no-nc700x-28139

 

[MagnaVMax]

If i buy another Honda it will be a CB750, or a CBX. LOVE those bikes!

The bike in this thread is just confused. Or they had a grab bag of idea's, designs, and components and just picked some out till they had a full bike.

 

[RaWarrior]

My pre-max bike was a 1985 V30 Magna. It was a phenomenal piece of engineering. 65hp from only 500cc(V4, of course). 6spd overdrive(took me months to stop trying for 6th on my Max). Geared low so around town it was downright fast, on the highway it spun 7000rpm and redlined at 11,500. It was a really fun bike to ride. The motor had personality, it just loved to rev up and haul ass. It was dead reliable and ran like a swiss watch. I loved that bike, and it made me dead set on having another V4...."if a 500 was this much fun, what would a 1200 be like?"

To be honest, I probably wouldn't be riding a Vmax if I hadn't had my V30 before it. But Honda didn't make modern V4's(the vfr1200 was just a rumor at the time, and a new bike was way out of by budget anyway). There was one option....the Vmax.

I've owned lots of Honda machines. My '85 FL350 Odyssey is one of my favorite things to drive next to my Max. There wasn't, and isn't, anything like it out there. Nobody mass-produces a single seat buggy. It's fast, comfortable, and incredibly fun to drive with a hand-control steering wheel.

It just seems that 1980's Honda, that lead the way in innovation, technology, and marketing has fallen into the mundane. Their bikes are boring. They're motorcycle equivalents of the Civic...a car so generic and unremarkable it's essentially invisible. When was the last time you "noticed" a Civic?

Too bad really. I love my Odyssey and F-12X Aquatrax, but Honda hasn't turned out a motorcycle to pique my interest in years (I was dreaming and lusting over bikes well before I had a license).

 

[MagnaVMax]

I had a Honda Magna 750 when i first joined this forum. It was a great little bike for riding back to school and work on. Plenty quick, and some decent looks to go with it. That is another bike i don't regret buying.

Honda has had their share of quality bikes, i guess everyone makes their mistakes.

Their Goldwings are second to none for touring bikes!

 

[PDWeyand]

I have an 85 v45 Magna. I like the bike I would keep it if it was a v65. The v45 is fun bike to run around in town and in it's day it was one of the bikes to have. But I trying to sell it so I can feed the V-Max I have. The mod monkey is talking.

 

[Blurr]

I think RaWarrior hit it on the head; Honda has by most people's reckoning an undisputed lead in technology and innovation. The are so successful in some regards that their lead has made success boring. I give them props for the effort; they clearly refusing to simply repeat the recipe of the past.

I think given their unrivaled success however, they sometimes lack that little 'something else' that vision that divides cool from absurd. Sometimes some of their offerings strike me "me too" designs. Technically superior but aesthetically bland and soulless.

 

[dannymax]

I'm taking huge exception to the 700X moniker!!

THIS is the one & only 700X worthy of mention!! The little Yamaha 700cc, 5-Valve, blacktop scorching, XJ700X, only available in the US for two years....'85 & '86.

This one is an '85, pic taken Oct., 2011. (ignore date on photo)

 

[texas-ss-tornado]

I'm taking huge exception to the 700X moniker!!

THIS is the one & only 700X worthy of mention!! The little Yamaha 700cc, 5-Valve, blacktop scorching, XJ700X, only available in the US for two years....'85 & '86.

This one is an '85, pic taken Oct., 2011. (ignore date on photo)

Don't forget the 84-96 700 Nighthawk S, those were sweet bikes, I had one back in the day. The 700 Interceptors were no slouches either! :biglaugh: