Huh.... What was Honda thinking?

The new Honda NT700V:
http://powersports.honda.com/2010/nt700v.aspx

I guess they beat BMW to building the F800RT.

Looks kike a pretty nice bike.

I hope that BMW is kicking itself for missing the boat on this one. An F800RT with belt drive and good size bags and fairing would have been too good.

I wish Honda well with it's new bike.

Good for them.

I like the "innovation" page. They highlighted integrated saddle bage, fuel injection, shaft drive and ABS as Honda innovations

I believe this particular model has been marketed in Europe for a number of years, under the name "Deauville'.

I've also heard it refered to in the British bike mags as the 'Dullville'.

Based on reviews I've read it sounds like a very nice commuter/mid-weight tourer. You can't beat Honda for reliability. (BMW - are you paying attention?)

Now that's a nice looking bike.

Yeah: "newly arrived here in the U.S"

Ironic.
A few years ago when I was in the market for a new bike, I saw this in the Euro press and really liked the looks, smaller size, and features.
I even asked my local Honda dealer if it would be available in the US or if they could import one for me. No go.

Now they bring it over here...sheesh.

Oh well, I ended up buying a K1200S instead.

Over the last +/- 15 years, manufacturers have increased the motor size on their top of the line bikes leaving very few mid ranged bikes. When I got back into riding I wanted a mid-sized bike but had a hard time finding one. Looks like a cool bike, and I wouldn't be surprised if BMW adds an RT option to the F800.

Oldhway said:

The new Honda NT700V:
http://powersports.honda.com/2010/nt700v.aspx

I guess they beat BMW to building the F800RT.

Looks like a pretty nice bike.

Click to expand...

I would have to test ride (do many H dealers allow that?)

I wonder about a 700 v-twin (5-speed? what were they thinking?) pushing around a claimed 560# plus rider and gear. 1-up might be OK but add a passenger and I can imagine some gearbox rowing.

I don't believe we need 200hp for 2-up touring but this might be a bit too far in the other direction.

IMHO

When is Honda going to understand that 5 speed gear boxes are a thing of the past? To me, this just shows how desperate they are to bring something to the Market (US). Since the motorcycle division has been up for sale for over 3 years, and no one has shown any interest, Honda has not come up with anything exciting. Everthing is just copycat crap, boring, or too late to the game kind of stuff. You might make a case for their new automatic transmission. But that will only interest a very very small set of people in the crowd.

I like it!

From the web it looks interesting. I render my final verdict after I see it on the dealers floor.

I still like my RT better though....

I'm sure BMW knew about it... Maybe they said they would "delay" what ever they had. Companies do do this.

I think it is a nice package and fills a need the BMW 800 ST does not address. As mentioned here elsewhere the Honda is more of an RT type motorcycle.

stkmkt1 said:

When is Honda going to understand that 5 speed gear boxes are a thing of the past? To me, this just shows how desperate they are to bring something to the Market (US). Since the motorcycle division has been up for sale for over 3 years, and no one has shown any interest, Honda has not come up with anything exciting. Everthing is just copycat crap, boring, or too late to the game kind of stuff. You might make a case for their new automatic transmission. But that will only interest a very very small set of people in the crowd.

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Not to be so neagative though, it is a really nice looking bike. I hope Honda sells a lot of them. It might help them realize a whole segment of bikes they have overlooked. And more bikes to choose from is usually a good thing for us all.

If it had been on the floor before I bought my R1150RT, it would have gotten looked at. But it's still pricier than what I paid for the Beemer, nearly twice, with the ABS. And the only color you can get the ABS is is silver.

I'll keep the RT, thank you very much.

The only Honda in recent times that I just don't 'get' is the Crossover..
http://powersports.honda.com/street/crossover.aspx

The new NT looks to be another great, but "yawn" over developed and over refined machine that lacks soul. Like the GL and ST, the NT looks like they've nailed the form, fit and function but done it a way that leaves me looking at the bike and and saying, Interesting.... but it doesn't excite me. I suspect the ride and sound will be the same, which is also true of the ST's I've ridden. Great bike, but I couldn't get any type of emotional attachment to it and it didn't stir my soul: I think the Jetson exhaust note was the coup de grace that removed it from my short list.

Even my beloved CBR1100XX had some aesthetic lameness, mostly in the headlight and tail cone department, with everything else in between being spot on... A GT with overly aggressive riding position in line with it its super-low CG design, once you put on the riser bars and a decent saddle it showed its true colors and the refined ride qualities made it a favorite ride for all but the track where its heft and wheelbase made it clear it was not a "CBR" in the true sense of what a CBR had become. In fact, it reminded me of the old CBXXXFs I owned in the 70's, more so than the 'Rs' of the 90's and present.

They'll sell a bunch... which is true of most Honda products. I wonder how those Crossovers are doing?????

that is a sweet looking ride. Getting back to smaller and simpler is the inevitable trend.

It is a nice looking bike. Didn't they sell this as an ugly bike 15 years ago as the Pacific Coast 800?

AKBeemer said:

My wife is is looking for a new bike and we have oft thought that BMW needs a mid-sized RT. We may have to take a real hard look at this... it looks near perfect for what she needs. It seems that BMW thinks we Americans are all 6'2". Even their smaller displacement bikes are tall.

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But the seat height is 31.6" which makes it for tall riders. The ST1300 has a seat height of 31.1". If they would make it with a low seat height, I think they will have a winner but most people who want a bike of this size are short of inseam (like me). I keep my R80RT (partly) because I like as medium size tourer.

Ken