09-20-2020, 08:17 PM
I had a 2015 nc700x with DCT. Was great for commuting in LA traffic and having the frunk to hold things for a trip to the store or my helmet when parked. The dct really helps save on the wrist with heavy stop and go traffic and the upright seating position gave great visibility in heavy traffic while lane splitting as well. However, the bike didn't feel that light to me while moving it around in the garage, though definitely lighter than the cb1100 I now have.
The seat was absolutely killer for me on the NC after about 45 mins or so and many others have also complained about that so you may want to get a Russell Day Long or something to hopefully solve that problem. I was going to do that and bought some cheap donor seats, but I had to sell the NC when I left the country last year so I never got to try it out. I also opted for some highway pegs since you don't have to use your feet for gear changing with DCT you are free to move around for more comfort whenever you want. This helped keep me going for quite some time while trying to find some cheap donor seats for the day long.
The stock seat height was high for my tastes so I got some lowering links that easily solved that problem so I wouldn't worry too much about seat height if you sit on one and think you don't have enough control.
I tried a little 2up riding, but felt I needed more stopping power as well as a little more grunt, but it was adequate for short trips when necessary. Additionally, it was a bit cumbersome with the higher center of gravity telegraphing the passenger's movements. I have not tried 2up on the cb1100 yet so can't compare it, but hope to check that out soon.
The only downsides I found with the dct are:
1) the automated shifting in various modes might not align to where you feel comfortable so if you drive regularly in auto mode you will have to find the one that suits you best and shift where you want it early or just drive in "manual" all the time.
2) In stop and go traffic at the right speed, you can get hopping back and forth between gears that is pretty annoying. Since you can put it in "manual" mode at the press of a button I just learned to flip it ad hoc when I knew I needed to.
3) it can feel a bit unsettling to have it shift mid lean in a turn, but it didn't cause me any real problems just felt weird when it unexpectedly happens.
Overall, I highly recommend the NC as a daily commuter, but I would definitely go with the 750 if you have the option for a little more power. I sometimes wished they had a larger engine version like the Africa twin, but not so ridiculously tall. Especially when going from near dead stop to hauling a** to get in the carpool lane, but overall it usually had enough grunt to get me where I needed quickly. I never took it off road so can't comment on the "adventure" side of things I just saw it as a great daily commuter. However, in my opinion I would rather have a lighter bike for any off-road heavy trips, maybe the Royal Enfield Himalayan.
The seat was absolutely killer for me on the NC after about 45 mins or so and many others have also complained about that so you may want to get a Russell Day Long or something to hopefully solve that problem. I was going to do that and bought some cheap donor seats, but I had to sell the NC when I left the country last year so I never got to try it out. I also opted for some highway pegs since you don't have to use your feet for gear changing with DCT you are free to move around for more comfort whenever you want. This helped keep me going for quite some time while trying to find some cheap donor seats for the day long.
The stock seat height was high for my tastes so I got some lowering links that easily solved that problem so I wouldn't worry too much about seat height if you sit on one and think you don't have enough control.
I tried a little 2up riding, but felt I needed more stopping power as well as a little more grunt, but it was adequate for short trips when necessary. Additionally, it was a bit cumbersome with the higher center of gravity telegraphing the passenger's movements. I have not tried 2up on the cb1100 yet so can't compare it, but hope to check that out soon.
The only downsides I found with the dct are:
1) the automated shifting in various modes might not align to where you feel comfortable so if you drive regularly in auto mode you will have to find the one that suits you best and shift where you want it early or just drive in "manual" all the time.
2) In stop and go traffic at the right speed, you can get hopping back and forth between gears that is pretty annoying. Since you can put it in "manual" mode at the press of a button I just learned to flip it ad hoc when I knew I needed to.
3) it can feel a bit unsettling to have it shift mid lean in a turn, but it didn't cause me any real problems just felt weird when it unexpectedly happens.
Overall, I highly recommend the NC as a daily commuter, but I would definitely go with the 750 if you have the option for a little more power. I sometimes wished they had a larger engine version like the Africa twin, but not so ridiculously tall. Especially when going from near dead stop to hauling a** to get in the carpool lane, but overall it usually had enough grunt to get me where I needed quickly. I never took it off road so can't comment on the "adventure" side of things I just saw it as a great daily commuter. However, in my opinion I would rather have a lighter bike for any off-road heavy trips, maybe the Royal Enfield Himalayan.