The Touring Bike That Is More Comfortable Than Its Price Suggests
Motorcycles being as compact as they are, need proper engineering planning to offer comfort features. Big touring motorcycles as well as adventure bikes are designed to offer storage and to house the electronics required for added features like heated seats and grips. Compare that to a naked motorcycle, which is largely exposed, making it increasingly difficult to package more into its minimalist bodywork.
Comfort also comes at a cost, and thus it tends to be sold as staggered equipment. A base trim may simply get a windscreen, a comfier saddle may show up in the next trim, and by the time hard luggage is factored in, you’re well past the base sticker price that you had budgeted for your touring bike. But there is a Honda adventure-touring tall-rounder that manages to offer an enticing value proposition.
Comfort You Can Bolt On Later, And Ones You Can’t
Despite coming at a price, not every feature that makes a motorcycle comfortable costs the same to add. A frame’s wheelbase and rider’s triangle, which is the relationship between the seat, the footpegs, and the handlebar, are decided at the engineering stage and finalized with the chassis. So, how a bike’s weight is distributed between the axles shapes everything from its agility to its low-speed handling and high-speed stability.
To change any of that later, the rider would be looking at a full aftermarket rebuild, which in most cases is impractical; they’d be better off hunting for a new bike that meets their requirements better. Heated grips, a thicker seat pad, or an aftermarket suspension kit sit in a completely different cost category, which a specialist shop can facilitate, but then again, the market is full of options these days as one can find a suitably equipped, yet affordable, factory-accessorized bike rather than take the aftermarket route.
That’s exactly how a higher trim’s price gets justified by its comfort features. Paying a manufacturer’s markup to have pre-installed accessories and comfort features bundled with the price saves on additional labor charges and quality and warranty violations that can be entirely avoided. Moreover, these cost a fraction of what they would in the aftermarket as well as get some unique features that the aftermarket may not be able to facilitate at all. And this is where Honda’s middleweight tall-rounder gets it right, be it comfort and convenience features or price.
The Honda NC750X Is The Rare Budget Motorcycle That Offers Max Comfort
The Honda NC750X is a stellar option that offers premium tech and comfort features for a very attractive $9,499. It is built around a 745cc parallel-twin in an ADV-crossover chassis, forward-canted and tuned with a 270-degree crank for a torque delivery that favors low-rpm grunt ideal for commutes as much as overtaking at highway speeds.
But most of all, when you factor in tech like a dual-clutch automatic transmission, also found in the much pricier Gold Wing Tour, that price tag starts looking like a bargain and then some. What also separates it from a merely cheap commuter is how Honda’s engineering decisions target long-day comfort in the saddle as well as convenience for all-around use.
The 745cc Twin’s Long Stroke Delivers Torque-Rich Power
The 745cc parallel-twin’s architecture uses a bore and stroke that sit at 77mm by 80mm, and the 270-degree crank that Honda uses fires the two pistons at uneven intervals. The combination helps with a punchy low end and a progressive buildup of power through the rev range. Peak output figures are modest and typically conservative, like most Hondas in this capacity class, coming in at 58 horsepower developed at 6,750 rpm and 51 pound-feet of torque at 4,750 rpm.
With peak power being made low in the rev range, it actually makes climbing a grade or rolling through traffic with a loaded bike much easier. Twin balance shafts cut the vibration a long stroke engine like this would otherwise produce. Adding to the conveniences is the Honda Selectable Torque Control with four adjustable levels for tailoring power delivery to riding conditions, and the automatic DCT adds three customizable modes so the transmission’s shifting speed and aggressiveness can be tailored as well.
A 31.6-Inch Seat And Compliant Suspension Make It City-Friendly Without Sacrificing Stability
At 31.6 inches, the NC750X’s seat height makes it a great commuter, and Honda offers a taller 32.6-inch accessory seat for riders who’d rather trade some of that low-speed maneuvering ease for extra legroom. A 60.3-inch wheelbase and a 27-degree rake keep the front end quick to tip into a corner as well as add straightline stability.
At 497 pounds wet, the bike is light enough to manage at a stop. Suspension duties fall to a 41mm Showa fork and a single rear shock, each providing 4.7 inches of travel, tuned for compliance over broken pavement rather than the firmer, sportier setups of sport-touring rivals.
6.1 Gallons Of Lockable Storage Where The Fuel Tank Should Be
This is one area that no aftermarket solution can beat, and that’s 6.1 gallons of lockable, weatherproof storage exactly where a conventional tank would sit. Honda relocated the NC750X’s fuel tank under the seat, and the space that freed up became a well-shaped internal storage that can swallow a full-face or ADV-style helmet without forcefully wedging it in.
Honda also offers an accessory USB socket and a removable divider for riders who want to split the space between other items and smaller ones. No other bike in this price range, let alone in higher price brackets, has a well-thought-out storage solution like this. This also means that a rider doesn’t need to shop for aftermarket luggage right away.
Comparing The NC750X To The Versys 650 And V-Strom 650
The Kawasaki Versys 650 LT ABS and the Suzuki V-Strom 650 sit close enough in price and intent to make a fair comparison with the NC750X. The slightly pricier $10,399 Versys packs a 649cc parallel-twin making 66 horsepower and 45 pound-feet of torque. The LT trim also adds hard, quick-release saddlebags to justify the added price.
The V-Strom 650, on the other hand, actually undercuts Honda’s price at $9,299, and its 645cc V-twin makes 70 horsepower and roughly 46 pound-feet of torque. At 470 pounds wet, it’s also the lightest of the three.
The NC750X trumps both rivals in the added torque it makes, which greatly improves its tractability on city commutes, where this bike is going to be used most by its buyers. The convenience gets upped further when its DCT is considered bundled at that price.
And then there is the 31.6-inch seat height, which sits nearly two inches below the Versys 650’s 33.3 inches and more than an inch below the V-Strom’s 32.9 inches, which makes a difference for shorter riders who will feel more confident handling it in the city. Lastly, neither of the rivals offer anything close to the NC750X’s under-tank storage, which gives it a bit more convenience than factory-fitted saddlebags as in the Versys.
Source: Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki
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