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The new Honda sells for about $7000 and can get over 75 MPG on paved roads.
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| CLICK image to see larger. The owner of this NC700X has fabricated a protective bottom plate, off-road tires, extra lights and even added a winch for when the going gets really rough. He is also making suspension modifications and rugged saddle bags. |
RideApart.com a motorcycle news website tested the NC700X in off-road conditions and reported good results for a bike with nothing more than knobby tires added.
Wes Siler reported: "Strip the plastic off the NC and you can see just how low and centralized its mass is. While practicing low-speed control alongside other riders on everything from single-cylinder dirt bikes to the big KTMs and BMWs, the humble little Honda drew envious stares. Balance is so good and so easy, standing on it, both legs up, at 0mph, just comes naturally."
"The engine’s Diesel-like character — most torque is just above idle, there’s no benefit to revving it out to the redline — also sees it simply drive over any obstacle you can throw at it. Even very steep, walking pace climbs can be tackled in 2nd or 3rd gear; the NC will just walk right up whatever you ask it to. It helps, too, that the fueling is completely smooth and hiccup free. You can get off the clutch as soon as you pull away, then just control everything with only the throttle until you decide to come to a dead stop."
"That suspension that sounds so basic (just 5.4 inches of travel front and 5.9 rear), actually ends up being well damped. I was able to attack whoops in the sand and gravel at speed and, instead of bottoming out, the bike just floated over the top. In fact, I didn’t find the suspension’s stops once all weekend. Neither did I drag the low, exposed sump."
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| RideApart.com photo CLICK image to see larger. |
