03-26-2019, 01:36 PM
Introduction:
In the context of the 2014 Honda CB1100, the 2018 Honda NC750XD is not in almost every way. This is not a bad thing. If you happen to have both, then you cover a lot of riding ground between the two bikes.
The following is how I view the NC and not a laundry list of specifications. Conveniently, there are many references available online documenting the standard features of the NC750XD.
Pros:
[ul] [li]At 186 cm tall, 95+ kg I comfortably sits on the saddle with heel just planted on ground. The NC is both higher, longer and lighter than the CB, but not significantly so. I have seen the NC750XD with a lowered seat to accommodate shorter rider heights. Visually, I could not tell the difference.[/li] [li]The NC loves to lug (50 ft-lbs max). You can lug all day if that is how you feel. Maybe you don't feel well or you are not at the top of your game. The NC will bring you home comfortably. For a 745 cc inline twin, the torque is there low and in the middle. Try lugging the CB all day. Yeah, I thought so.[/li] [li]Love to cruise? In automatic drive (D) mode the Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) tries for the highest gear. The engine torque makes it easy. At about 70 km/h in 6th gear the engine/gearbox is incredibly water-on-ice smooth. This is also the reason why the NC has the reputation of incredible fuel economy. In this situation it is easy to sip less than 2L/100 kms on level road. Currently I am experiencing mixed riding in the 3.2L/100 km range. I expect this to improve as mileage increases.[/li] [li]I believe it takes earnest effort to stall the NC. I have yet to stall it.[/li] [li]Launching from 0 speed is very good to excellent when done in sport or manual mode. The feel is de-emphasized compared to the CB, but the speedometer and rear view mirrors confirm what just happened. Even in auto D mode things move significantly better than cars, you just burn less fuel doing it.[/li] [li]Center of gravity is far down below. This makes the NC very flickable compared to the CB. In fact, comparing it to the CB is probably not fair.[/li] [li]In terms of gear switching, the DCT is very fast and although audible, unperceptual in terms of lurch under typical riding conditions. This makes for a great experience for the passenger (zero helmet kissing).[/li] [li]DCT downshifting is supported automatically and by the rider on-demand. The rider can even shift down multiple gears in mere fractions of a second, but as expected, the engine will wind up. The experience is unexpectedly smooth.[/li] [li]The exhaust tone from the factory muffler is surprisingly thrilling. While in neutral gear you can wring meaningful bass tones out of the twin engine. It is a welcomed treat.[/li] [li]22L of upfront storage: I think Honda took a page out of the Aprilia Mana notebook. This is deep storage and it fits my XL-sized Nolan modular helmet.[/li] [li]Fuel filling is performed by unlocking and lifting the passenger seat. For me this is not a big deal since I don't store stuff on the passenger seat. Honda appears to have taken care around the filler hole. Fuel splashback and filling appears to be well managed by design.[/li] [li]There are three torque settings. At start-up, the default is to always limit rear wheel torque on slippery surfaces. The next lower setting is for gravel roads. The last setting is off - no torque management and you can spin the rear wheel if you wish.[/li] [li]ABS brakes appear to work well.[/li] [li]Wind protection is good behind the factory screen maybe up to about 120 km/h. Beyond that it gets noisy, and some may experience head buffeting. However for me, I still found it manageable.[/li] [li]Seat comfort is good and better than my standard stock seat on the CB1100.[/li] [li]Like on Adventure Bikes, I can completely stand up on the foot pegs and ride. This allows me to stretch the legs and buttox muscles.[/li] [li]Slow speed first gear turning and turning radius for me is about the same as with the CB. I had no problems and with feet always on the bike. If you need to feather the clutch on your CB for super slow speed situations, on the NC this can only be accomplished by "feathering" the throttle - which appears to work.[/li] [li]No complaints regarding the factory tires. The rear is somewhat aggressive, good enough for limited gravel road riding. Bike clearance is adequate for modest, low-class road riding and there is no jewelry to scratch down below anyhow.[/li] [li]Factory suspension set-up was comfortable for me, and less harsh compared to the CB.[/li] [li]Mirrors are okay. Their position works for me.[/li] [li]Inside the 22L storage comes standard with a built-in OptiMate charging cable. This was a nice surprise.[/li] [li]Uses same engine oil filter as CB.[/li] [li]Uses same oil as CB.[/li] [li]Uses regular unleaded gasoline.[/li] [li]Long service intervals similar to late model CB.[/li] [li]Liquid-cooled for those bad traffic days. There is an electric fan behind the radiator.[/li] [li]Rims come with 90 degree air valves.[/li] [li]There are no chrome surfaces to maintain.[/li] [li]This bike may never need detailing/cleaning.
[/li][/ul]
Cons:
[ul] [li]54 HP. The best way I can articulate this is whatever the CB does for you, add two seconds longer for the NC. The only exception might be the first few gears of the CB as it catches and then passes the NC. Both reach 180 km/h.[/li] [li]In regards to the run-on acceleration experience, the CB "has teeth". The NC finds itself, but it feels more like gums and knuckles. At speed, the NC will often be in the mirror of the CB. Don't forget: We are comparing a twin 745 cc SOHC to an inline-4 1140 cc DOHC.[/li] [li]When in an automatic mode, especially in D, the gearbox will upshift as you are trying to "carve" a corner. This is unsatisfying when compared to the CB. Although the gear transition is incredibly smooth, the power is lost. However, to mitigate this the rider can choose a preferred sport mode (likely S2 or S3), or manually control the gearshifts.[/li] [li]Engine can be vibey as RPM gets into the 3.5K+ range. My experience tells me this is par for the course in regards to twins. So far it hasn't bothered me in the foot pegs nor in the grips.[/li] [li]The graphical dashboard is comparable with many bikes in this class and is not bad. Missing is a coolant status indicator and ambient air temperature.[/li] [li]The horn is lame and probably at its best at low speeds.[/li] [li]Brakes are good, but not fantastic. You will stop, but probably in a longer distant than preferred.[/li] [li]Not a biggie, but since I am used to them on modern bikes: There is no quick flash/passing handlebar pushbutton.[/li] [li]There is no 12V or USB socket in the 22L storage area.[/li] [li]An additional smaller oil filter for DCT requires changing. However, it is an easier job compared to the regular engine oil filter.[/li] [li]No center stand out-of-the-factory. I added a Honda OEM stand as part of the delivery.
[/li][/ul]
General:
[ul] [li]Don't wish to lug it? There are three automatic sport modes: S1, S2, and S3. Each mode progressively holds on to a gear longer as you accelerate. If you are a rev fanatic, S3 is your choice. As expected though, fuel economy will be affected as higher RPM is held longer. Redline is 7500.[/li] [li]Not feeling automatic in-the-moment? Switch to manual (M) mode. This disengages the DCT from making any decisions in regards to upshifting. The rider decides when to shift to the next gear up.[/li] [li]In all modes D, S1, S2, S3 and M, the NC will decide to downshift if power demand requires it or a stall in eminent. In other words, the NC should never stall the engine.[/li] [li]In all modes the rider can decide to downshift on demand.[/li] [li]All modes seem to be available on-the-fly. If changing between S modes on-the-fly, the throttle has to be off for that moment. Otherwise, the rider can change between D, M, and the last selected S mode anytime.[/li] [li]When the rider is downshifting in an automatic mode (D, S1, S2, S3), the NC will eventually decide when it should resume upshift, as per its mode algorithm which also takes into account throttle, upgrade and downgrade road slopes.[/li] [li]The DCT supports neutral (N) mode. This is a true neutral in that the DCT is disengaged from the engine.[/li] [li]When idling in gear but no throttle, the bike will not move.[/li] [li]For me, freeway riding on a gusty day (up to 40 km/h gusts) was a non-issue.[/li] [li]At 120 km/h in 6th gear, the engine hums at about 3500 RPM.[/li] [li]There is a parking brake and it uses a separate caliper.[/li] [li]LED headlight is nothing to really write about - it is a headlight.[/li] [li]Got a feeble set of Honda tools.
[/li][/ul]
Summary:
For all the features, efficiencies and conveniences, I believe the NC is very good value rolled into a quite reasonably priced package and makes for a flexible commuter machine. The DCT is a time (production nine years now) and mileage-tested jewel in Honda's recent bag-o-tricks. DCT technology is the significant preferred choice of late model Africas and Gold Wings. The engine art of the NC may not be pretty, in fact it is bland in appearance. However, the engine is a mule and is indeed one half of an automobile engine (think Honda Fit, or Jazz in Europe). As for the rest of the NC, one may say it actually looks pretty nice - not classy - but modern.
In the context of the 2014 Honda CB1100, the 2018 Honda NC750XD is not in almost every way. This is not a bad thing. If you happen to have both, then you cover a lot of riding ground between the two bikes.
The following is how I view the NC and not a laundry list of specifications. Conveniently, there are many references available online documenting the standard features of the NC750XD.
Pros:
[ul] [li]At 186 cm tall, 95+ kg I comfortably sits on the saddle with heel just planted on ground. The NC is both higher, longer and lighter than the CB, but not significantly so. I have seen the NC750XD with a lowered seat to accommodate shorter rider heights. Visually, I could not tell the difference.[/li] [li]The NC loves to lug (50 ft-lbs max). You can lug all day if that is how you feel. Maybe you don't feel well or you are not at the top of your game. The NC will bring you home comfortably. For a 745 cc inline twin, the torque is there low and in the middle. Try lugging the CB all day. Yeah, I thought so.[/li] [li]Love to cruise? In automatic drive (D) mode the Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) tries for the highest gear. The engine torque makes it easy. At about 70 km/h in 6th gear the engine/gearbox is incredibly water-on-ice smooth. This is also the reason why the NC has the reputation of incredible fuel economy. In this situation it is easy to sip less than 2L/100 kms on level road. Currently I am experiencing mixed riding in the 3.2L/100 km range. I expect this to improve as mileage increases.[/li] [li]I believe it takes earnest effort to stall the NC. I have yet to stall it.[/li] [li]Launching from 0 speed is very good to excellent when done in sport or manual mode. The feel is de-emphasized compared to the CB, but the speedometer and rear view mirrors confirm what just happened. Even in auto D mode things move significantly better than cars, you just burn less fuel doing it.[/li] [li]Center of gravity is far down below. This makes the NC very flickable compared to the CB. In fact, comparing it to the CB is probably not fair.[/li] [li]In terms of gear switching, the DCT is very fast and although audible, unperceptual in terms of lurch under typical riding conditions. This makes for a great experience for the passenger (zero helmet kissing).[/li] [li]DCT downshifting is supported automatically and by the rider on-demand. The rider can even shift down multiple gears in mere fractions of a second, but as expected, the engine will wind up. The experience is unexpectedly smooth.[/li] [li]The exhaust tone from the factory muffler is surprisingly thrilling. While in neutral gear you can wring meaningful bass tones out of the twin engine. It is a welcomed treat.[/li] [li]22L of upfront storage: I think Honda took a page out of the Aprilia Mana notebook. This is deep storage and it fits my XL-sized Nolan modular helmet.[/li] [li]Fuel filling is performed by unlocking and lifting the passenger seat. For me this is not a big deal since I don't store stuff on the passenger seat. Honda appears to have taken care around the filler hole. Fuel splashback and filling appears to be well managed by design.[/li] [li]There are three torque settings. At start-up, the default is to always limit rear wheel torque on slippery surfaces. The next lower setting is for gravel roads. The last setting is off - no torque management and you can spin the rear wheel if you wish.[/li] [li]ABS brakes appear to work well.[/li] [li]Wind protection is good behind the factory screen maybe up to about 120 km/h. Beyond that it gets noisy, and some may experience head buffeting. However for me, I still found it manageable.[/li] [li]Seat comfort is good and better than my standard stock seat on the CB1100.[/li] [li]Like on Adventure Bikes, I can completely stand up on the foot pegs and ride. This allows me to stretch the legs and buttox muscles.[/li] [li]Slow speed first gear turning and turning radius for me is about the same as with the CB. I had no problems and with feet always on the bike. If you need to feather the clutch on your CB for super slow speed situations, on the NC this can only be accomplished by "feathering" the throttle - which appears to work.[/li] [li]No complaints regarding the factory tires. The rear is somewhat aggressive, good enough for limited gravel road riding. Bike clearance is adequate for modest, low-class road riding and there is no jewelry to scratch down below anyhow.[/li] [li]Factory suspension set-up was comfortable for me, and less harsh compared to the CB.[/li] [li]Mirrors are okay. Their position works for me.[/li] [li]Inside the 22L storage comes standard with a built-in OptiMate charging cable. This was a nice surprise.[/li] [li]Uses same engine oil filter as CB.[/li] [li]Uses same oil as CB.[/li] [li]Uses regular unleaded gasoline.[/li] [li]Long service intervals similar to late model CB.[/li] [li]Liquid-cooled for those bad traffic days. There is an electric fan behind the radiator.[/li] [li]Rims come with 90 degree air valves.[/li] [li]There are no chrome surfaces to maintain.[/li] [li]This bike may never need detailing/cleaning.
[/li][/ul]
Cons:
[ul] [li]54 HP. The best way I can articulate this is whatever the CB does for you, add two seconds longer for the NC. The only exception might be the first few gears of the CB as it catches and then passes the NC. Both reach 180 km/h.[/li] [li]In regards to the run-on acceleration experience, the CB "has teeth". The NC finds itself, but it feels more like gums and knuckles. At speed, the NC will often be in the mirror of the CB. Don't forget: We are comparing a twin 745 cc SOHC to an inline-4 1140 cc DOHC.[/li] [li]When in an automatic mode, especially in D, the gearbox will upshift as you are trying to "carve" a corner. This is unsatisfying when compared to the CB. Although the gear transition is incredibly smooth, the power is lost. However, to mitigate this the rider can choose a preferred sport mode (likely S2 or S3), or manually control the gearshifts.[/li] [li]Engine can be vibey as RPM gets into the 3.5K+ range. My experience tells me this is par for the course in regards to twins. So far it hasn't bothered me in the foot pegs nor in the grips.[/li] [li]The graphical dashboard is comparable with many bikes in this class and is not bad. Missing is a coolant status indicator and ambient air temperature.[/li] [li]The horn is lame and probably at its best at low speeds.[/li] [li]Brakes are good, but not fantastic. You will stop, but probably in a longer distant than preferred.[/li] [li]Not a biggie, but since I am used to them on modern bikes: There is no quick flash/passing handlebar pushbutton.[/li] [li]There is no 12V or USB socket in the 22L storage area.[/li] [li]An additional smaller oil filter for DCT requires changing. However, it is an easier job compared to the regular engine oil filter.[/li] [li]No center stand out-of-the-factory. I added a Honda OEM stand as part of the delivery.
[/li][/ul]
General:
[ul] [li]Don't wish to lug it? There are three automatic sport modes: S1, S2, and S3. Each mode progressively holds on to a gear longer as you accelerate. If you are a rev fanatic, S3 is your choice. As expected though, fuel economy will be affected as higher RPM is held longer. Redline is 7500.[/li] [li]Not feeling automatic in-the-moment? Switch to manual (M) mode. This disengages the DCT from making any decisions in regards to upshifting. The rider decides when to shift to the next gear up.[/li] [li]In all modes D, S1, S2, S3 and M, the NC will decide to downshift if power demand requires it or a stall in eminent. In other words, the NC should never stall the engine.[/li] [li]In all modes the rider can decide to downshift on demand.[/li] [li]All modes seem to be available on-the-fly. If changing between S modes on-the-fly, the throttle has to be off for that moment. Otherwise, the rider can change between D, M, and the last selected S mode anytime.[/li] [li]When the rider is downshifting in an automatic mode (D, S1, S2, S3), the NC will eventually decide when it should resume upshift, as per its mode algorithm which also takes into account throttle, upgrade and downgrade road slopes.[/li] [li]The DCT supports neutral (N) mode. This is a true neutral in that the DCT is disengaged from the engine.[/li] [li]When idling in gear but no throttle, the bike will not move.[/li] [li]For me, freeway riding on a gusty day (up to 40 km/h gusts) was a non-issue.[/li] [li]At 120 km/h in 6th gear, the engine hums at about 3500 RPM.[/li] [li]There is a parking brake and it uses a separate caliper.[/li] [li]LED headlight is nothing to really write about - it is a headlight.[/li] [li]Got a feeble set of Honda tools.
[/li][/ul]
Summary:
For all the features, efficiencies and conveniences, I believe the NC is very good value rolled into a quite reasonably priced package and makes for a flexible commuter machine. The DCT is a time (production nine years now) and mileage-tested jewel in Honda's recent bag-o-tricks. DCT technology is the significant preferred choice of late model Africas and Gold Wings. The engine art of the NC may not be pretty, in fact it is bland in appearance. However, the engine is a mule and is indeed one half of an automobile engine (think Honda Fit, or Jazz in Europe). As for the rest of the NC, one may say it actually looks pretty nice - not classy - but modern.
But Honda says 7500 is applicable when in Sport Mode.
