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Huh.... What was Honda thinking?

I am one of the small BMW riders and I would welcome the smaller bike. I too wish BMW would have done a smaller RT version.
I could never figure out why Honda did not go with the VFR engine in a sport tour bike ?????
I hated my ST1300!!! :banghead
Love my RT!! :brad
Mike
 
NT?

  • Next Time?
  • Nice Try?

Looks like a great touring machine. Space seems sufficient to carry a shaving kit, a credit card and wash and wear clothing. Wear one set of clothes and wash the other.

And if there are enough sales maybe BMW can figure out how to bring an RT to the F800 world.
 
149769 said:
Interesting to see this thread. Before I bought my R1200R I was having the great debate between the Honda CBF1000 (available in Canada and not the US) and the R1200R. Both bikes had what I was looking for. Lower seat height, removable bags. They could be used for the twisties as a fun bike and touring as well..

I test rode both. The BMW was more expensive so the frugal part of me was leaning towards the Honda.

There were several things that made me change my mind and buy the BMW.

First - I really liked the look of the R1200R. I am not a fan of fairings so the naked look appealed to me.

Second - Build details Better brake lines, instrumentation, fit and finish in the BMW. 3 year warranty vs 1 year warranty. Given almost 1/2 of the year is unrideable in Canada the longer warranty was perferable.

Third - The dealer....I had a great experience with the BMW dealer. They even brought in the low seat for my test ride. The Honda dealer seemed very reluctant to let me ride the bike at all. I had spoken to men who went there for test rides and were not treated like that...

Fourth - The engine....I really like the boxer. It gives me all of the power that I need for the street. The inline 4 is a nice smooth engine but when ever I ride one of those big inline 4's it seems that they are not happy to ride within the posted speed limit...

When it came right down to it the BMW just made me smile more...after 6000 km on it so far I have no regrets...


Celeste
Click to expand...

That sums it up, really. Ride what makes you happy.

Bet Honda sells a bunch of these in the states.
 
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.
Click to expand...

I disagree. At 6'4", I find the F800 S & ST to be rather cramped, and while the R1200RT is a nice overall size, I found it a bit short on legroom (same problem with my former R100R). Now I should point out that I'm a tad short-legged for a person of my height, as I only have a 34" inseam- but I still had to lower the pegs on my R1200GS to be really comfortable.

But back to the Honda; I like it.
 
SugarHillCTD said:
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.
Click to expand...

Since the target market is less-experienced riders and commuters, it might not be so bad. Not everybody needs sturmbahnfuhrer performance.
 
Bob_M said:
It is a nice looking bike. Didn't they sell this as an ugly bike 15 years ago as the Pacific Coast 800?
Click to expand...

I've seem more PC800's in the last two years than I did when they were current. I think that the US market has finally learned to appreciate them, and all the owners with whom I've spoken LOVE their PC800.
 
The_Veg said:
Since the target market is less-experienced riders and commuters, it might not be so bad. Not everybody needs sturmbahnfuhrer performance.
Click to expand...

given those demos, a significant weight reduction would be a great idea. it's not just too many ponies or pound(ing) feet, it's about learning to manage and manuever the bike. noobs usually struggle with that at first, but maybe 1 too many times before the learning/comfort curve is negotiated successfully.
 
The more I look at it, the more I like it. Had it been available before I purchased my '07
GT then '09 RT, it would have been on my short list. The F800ST just didn't have the
ergonomics for me. I'm looking forward to seeing it in person in the upcoming international
motorcycle shows.
 
I find it interesting how long this thread has become, considering it is (mostly) a discussion about a Honda motorcycle!
 
Looks good and would make someone a great touring, commuting bike. But the seat height is higher than the ST and the RT. They knocked out a large portion of their market when they did that.
 
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.
Click to expand...

My ST1300 has a 5 speed. It works really great. A lot of riders and police departments are switching to ST1300's. My airheads have 5 speeds. They work just fine. Desperate, no. The proper gear ratios and engine tuning does not put a machine in the past. I guess crappy and boring is in the eye of the beholder. Late to the game? I'm delighted they spent the resources to get EPA approval and make the bike available here.

aaaaaa airheads, R1100RT, ST1300, Electra Glide
 
Our local dealer says they should have one in November.

We thought about it seriously for Annie but it looks like we are going to get a R1200R for her. The local dealer has a new, well equipped 07 on the floor that he will sell for $13,800.
 
I had an ST1300 for awhile, great motor but oh so hot on warm days. This bike looks like a shrunk down model, great idea in my opinion and looks like an awesome little commuter bike. Sure is nice to see Honda offering ABS. I wonder what the final price will come out to on showroom???
 
Road Runner mag had an article on it a month or so back.

I like the idea of a mid size touring bike, but that thing is Fugly.

But then again, I ride a GS:bolt
 
I like it. I showed it to my wife and suggested it might be her next bike. Of course I could ride it now and then. I like my bmw but the closest dealer is an hour away and the next closest is 190 miles. The dealer has more or less a captive clientel. I would like more dealers in my area for my next bike. They may actually try to go out of their way to please me as opposed to 'this is how it is take it or leave it'. Maybe not but when it's time for a new bike I'm going to see.
 
I'm starting to look for a replacement of my K75RT, and the ABS-equipped model is one bike that I'll take into consideration.

However, Honda better offer the heated grips & larger case cover options here in the US. (Not showing on the NT700V's website yet.)
 
I was looking at the Honda promos and this is a nice looking bike.

Size, height and weight are nearly identical to my R1200RT. Horsepower and torque of the 680cc motor are about what you'd expect, slightly more than half the BMW's, which makes me wonder how much two-up touring you'll be doing on it. Then there's the bit about how nimble it is for daily commuting. I wonder, especially compared to a real middleweight.

The $11,000 list price may be attractive to some. So will the large dealer network. Yet I feel that it's filling a niche that doesn't exist. It'd be a much nicer bike if they cut 125 pounds off it and trimmed the price a bit (I saw one discounted to $8800 new). Honda already has the VFR800 competing with the F800ST. Do they need the NT700V at all? Did Honda size the motor to slip under the 700cc mark due to legal restrictions?

"Luxury Tourer or Upscale Commuter? Why Not Both?" Honda asks. I have it already, thank you very much. Is it the "ultimate light-weight tourer/commuter for both entry-level and seasoned riders"? I don't think so.
 
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