Честный обзор Honda NT1100
I travel a lot on different adventure bikes and this is a Honda NT1100 review, reporting from Portugal. I've been following the model closely since the release of the specifications because I saw some interesting features in the NT1100. And immediately I began to look at how other people perceive the model, because Honda never clearly explains what their motorcycles are for, and journalists try to put the models into the existing frames. I read discussions where compare with RT and FJR - this is on the surface, because Honda itself positions the NT1100 simply as a tourer, but completely by, and the price segment is different. The designation "NT" itself means "New Touring".
In general, including the word "new" in the name is like naming folders "New Folder". NC means "New Concept" - 10 years have passed and it's still new. Then in Barcelona there was a test for journalists - in the first reviews of our Anglo-Saxon partners, again, there is not a word about what makes the NT1100 actually a representative of a new class. The preface about Honda is important for understanding the NT1100. It is believed that Honda is a very conservative manufacturer - reliable, predictable, but without something like that, which is not true at all. If you look a little deeper, Honda is almost the only company that produces extravagant motorcycles over and over again, they are just unusual on the inside, and on the outside they are as mediocre as possible. Look here.
The company has objective holes in the lineup - for example, something medium-sized, such as Transalp or a small Africa Twin - there is no such discussion, although for 10 years, how Honda will come and show everyone. The 1200 tourer and the big crossover are missing. Another popular lacks a sports crossover, such as the same Crossrunner. These are only touring motorcycles of popular classes.
As would any conservative manufacturer? Would create models in these segments, at least based on existing engines. Moreover, these are not some niche bikes, Multistrada V4 and 1250 GS - the best-selling models from Ducati and BMW - Africa Twin with 21" wheel and long-travel suspensions objectively does not fit in there. Any other manufacturer would be concerned about holes in the lineup, but the tiny caveat is that Honda is the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world by a wide margin, and Honda has the largest share in the Asian market. The Asian market is one of the top five countries by sales more than all other countries combined. This is generally obvious, looking
at the population and the percentage of motorcycles, in some Asian countries more than 80% of families have at least one scooter or motorcycle. But with our European-centric mindset, it seems that everyone is fighting for the opportunity to sell something in Europe, and in fact, most Asian manufacturers simply do not consider the European market to be of any significance to start fussing - just like a few automakers make supercars - this tiny capricious market. To put it mildly, the US, the fattest of the Western markets, sold about half a million motorcycles a year, Indonesia about 4-5 millions, tiny Vietnam 3 million, and India about 20 millions. That is why in India are trying to produce and sell motorcycles KTM, which itself is almost half owned by Indians, BMW, Triumph, Harley Davidson and the Japanese. Yes, yes, now we get to the point that these are cheap motorcycles. Honda has 1/4 of the entire Indian two-wheeler market, with just under 60% of the scooter market. The best-selling scooter in India is the Activa,
and there are a lot of cheaper ones, even Honda is not the cheapest model, and Honda does not have the largest dealer network in the country. Moreover, for motorcycles, Honda is the No. 2 brand in India, and No. 1 is Hero, which you most likely have not heard of, although Hero, according to various sources, sells from 6 to 10% of all motorcycles in the world. The irony is that Hero used to be called Hero Honda - it was originally a joint venture for the production of Honda in India. Not so long ago, Honda left the company, but so far the most successful Hero models are old Honda designs with little or no change. The best-selling Hero Splendor is the good
old Hero Honda Splendor, practically a time capsule. 2/3 of the mind-boggling mass of the Indian market are Hondas, just with different labels. Think it's a lot? In the other giant markets of Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand, Honda each has 75% of the entire two-wheeler market. Yes, these are cheap motorcycles and scooters, but on a money basis, according to various sources, Honda's motorcycle division has three times bigger revenue of its closest competitors, and Asia generates the fattest piece of net income for the company.
Moreover, in the top in terms of revenue are Indian budget Hero, Bajaj and TVS, which few people know about. Some Ferrari are an appendage to Fiat, Lamborghini are an appendage to Volkswagen and Audi, and not vice versa - this is how the world works. Keep in mind the fact that Honda spends one and a half times more on research and development than the entire revenue of Harley-Davidson.
Off course, with this approach, Honda annually generates several times more patents than its closest competitors, and at least 300 times more than the same Harley-Davidson. For whom the main metric is not patents, but motorsport, Honda has the most wins in MotoGP. Now a little about the economy. In the US, Honda has about 1,000 motorcycle dealers, in India, according to various sources, from 1,000 to 2,000. In short, comparable numbers. Salaries for employees differ by about
20 times, all costs for renting and maintaining centers also differ by at least 20 times, and in addition to sales of equipment, most of the profit comes from the sale of spare parts, service and insurance, and here the difference is not 20 times, but 5-10, so one dealer in India generates more profit in the long run than an American one. In reality, it is even more difficult, because Western markets are unstable and low-margin, from time to time Honda has losses in the European market, which are closed by Asian profits. Well, a little about Russia. For reference, there are 680 dealers in Vietnam, 1200 dealers in Thailand - each country is the size of a average Russian region. For all Russia Honda has 14 motorcycle dealers, there is no such market on a corporate scale. Selling cheap scooters and motorcycles in Asia is making more money for Honda than all the cars, motorcycles and other tinkering in America and Europe. In fact, one in four, and by some estimates, one in three motorcycles or scooters sold on the planet is a Honda.
For greater clarity - every 2 seconds Honda sells a two-wheeled friend. In addition, Honda sells a boat engine, generator, and so on every few seconds. I have bought a new scooter from Honda in India - you are still physically standing in queue to pay for it. Now consider how much the Honda board of directors cares that they do not occupy some niche of large motorcycles, where, in case of a outstanding success, the motorcycle department will increase revenue by 1%, which is less if they simply release an old scooter in a new color in Asia, and keeping in mind that revenue still changes by about 10 percent from year to year under the influence of external factors. This is all to the fact that Honda has a focus only
on the Asian market, so the company lives quietly with unoccupied niches, and can afford to create a literally new market segment just for testing in the case of the NT1100. If it shoots - good, no - they will bury the development, no one will notice. No other motorcycle manufacturer can take risks like Honda.
Is that Kawasaki, for which the European motorcycle market is also pampering. With this context, if you look at what the company is doing in Western markets, it's hard not to notice that Honda has a lot of crazy models. Even if my old reviews are remembered. Crosstourer is an eccentric giant. X-Adv is a frostbitten off-road maxi-
scooter with a chain without analogues. NC with a box instead of a tank, a long-stroke car engine and a car automatic gearbox - try to find an analogue. The Africa Twin is a strange concept for a giant offroad bike, an alternative only to KTM. Also, an automatic gearbox on a motorcycle for off-road is a pure experiment, they were finalizing the logic of the DCT on the Africa Twin for off-road use.
VFR800X - if this model came out now, everyone would immediately understand that this is the only four-cylinder mid-size sport touring with a straight fit, a competitor to Tracer, and not a crossover in the usual sense. In 2011, no one understood what kind of animal it was, journalists tried to find ground clearance and the ability to move somewhere, no one was embarrassed that Crossrunner had less fork travel than many sportbikes. Of course, probably the largest motorcycle manufacturer accidentally stuck such a suspension, but they don’t have engineers there in Japan. S 1000 XR came out after 3 years, Tracer after 4 years. The CRF300 Rally is an understandable
bike, but no competition at all when you look at the wheels and suspension. There was also a CTX700 - a cruiser, but with an incomprehensible appearance. And that's just touring bikes from the last decade.
Not bad for a conservative manufacturer, right? Another thing is that since these are concepts for Honda and the European market is not important, there is a habit of not finishing motorcycles to the ideal, releasing a raw product not in terms of reliability, but in terms of using and ergonomics. And now the trump card NT1100. This is the bike with the most advanced touring wind protection in its budget. That's just zero competition in terms of wind protection. Tourers are much more expensive, while adventure bikes under 20,000 euros are getting worse. This is the only motorcycle from my reviews where, with stock windscreen and a height of 180 cm, you can open the visor on the highway and you will not feel any wind on your face or buffeting of the helmet.
Moreover, this is the only motorcycle in the reviews where I lowered the windscreen halfway so that it did not block you view. And with the windscreen half down, I, 188 cm tall, rode around the city with an open visor, and rode along twisty roads in goggles without a stream of wind in my face - even in this position, it protects better from the wind than most adventure windscreens. Now you will object that you also put the windscreen from Givi and you can open the visor on the highway, but most motorcycles will still have buffeting and wind swirls from the sides due to the fact that adventurers really want to be like either enduro or something sporty with a narrow face.
Let's throw some more meat on why this is far from a traditional tourer, such as RT or FJR, and not a sports tourist. No other tourer comes close to matching suspension travel and off-road capabilities. In fact, if you dress up the NT1100 in a different plastic, you get an ordinary crossover. Owners often tell how they ride a
Versys 1000 in a standing on mud roads. NT1100 is not worse in terms of parameters, right? And this is the feature of the NT1100 as a concept. There are all-purpose bikes that run on the enduro side - it was once an enduro, but has moved on to small alloy wheels with short suspension travel. We are used to the fact that this is the off-road adventure bikes,
although there is already one name from offroad there due to the enormous weight and attempts to make friends with the increased power, but generic sores, such as mediocre wind protection, remain. There are universal motorcycles that come from the sportbike side - these are, first of all, the S 1000 XR and Tracer 9. And the NT1100 is the only model on the market that is about the same thing, but suitable from the tourer side, you can even call the class a tourer-enduro, an attempt to make the same versatile bike with pros of a tourer. In addition, it is also a rare compact tourer concept - even compared to the RT or FJR, the NT1100 is smaller and lighter. Why don't I really like classic
tourers at all, although I can't deny that they are comfortable and ride well? These are very specialized devices. You can’t even ride normally on a dry off-road with ruts, you can’t dream about wet dirt, there aren’t any on broken roads either, the city is too greasy. And the tourers weigh too much, which is why going down even on a banal gravel road is a whole gray-haired adventure. In reality, when traveling, it's like - you start
to go to a point on the asphalt, then along a simple dirt road - it seems that at the very least you go. After a couple of kilometers, suddenly the ruts start deeper or the stones are more stony, or there are more pits on the road, the road narrows into a path, etc. On a heavy tourer, you are already wondering if all this is necessary, or maybe it will go even worse there and there will be nowhere to turn around, well, I’ll skip this attraction and go to the hotel. And the tourers are too expensive for a toy. For 30-40,000 euros that cost Gold Wing or GTL, you can buy 2 or even 3 motorcycles that cover different needs. Yes, I understand that it is very difficult to restrain yourself and not show others your salary for at least a couple of minutes.
Such situations as in Moscow, when a person buys a Gold Wing, puts on his best earrings and rides only in traffic jams, pretending that it is convenient, also happen in Europe, but less often. For example, some of my neighbors have some kind of tourer or a large cruiser, but it never occurs to anyone to ride them around the city, everyone additionally has some kind of scooter, even if Chinese-Korean for 3 cents - it’s all the same on this the city is more comfortable. Unlike tourers, the NT1100 is much cheaper, much lighter, which allows you to ride it without hysteria on the paths - in fact, in terms of weight it is exactly the same as the Africa Twin Adventure Sports, and many argue that this is a light motorcycle. The suspension somehow copes with the bad road, the ground clearance is not inferior to formidable adventurers on spoked wheels, and the NT1100 is narrow. Visually, it looks fat, but at the extreme points of the handlebar and mirrors at the level of 650 cc bikes and between the lanes it will be quite comfortable to ride - this is another key feature of the NT1100.
There is no such narrow adventure or tourer from a 1000 cc. Yes, unlike tourers, the NT1100 does not have a shaft drive. Yes, there is no reason why a road tourer needs a chain. Anticipating the comments "I won't buy it because I don't have a shaft drive." I'll tell you more, in addition to the lack of a shaft drive, the motorcycle has a worse problem - the engine from Africa Twin, which is not very suitable for the tourer. The point is that they took a ready-made Africa Twin here, finalized it for a road tourist and voila.
You can’t just take and replace the chain with a shaft drive on the existing frame, engine and transmission - this results in a complete reworking of the motorcycle, which would drive up the price. Let's try to find a touring motorcycle from a 1000 cc with a shaft drive for 14,000 euros. The only thing that can be found with a moderate surcharge is an archaic pre-war Super Tenere that does not pass European standards. FJR and RT are 22,000 euros. That's all.
This was an ode to the concept of the bike as I see it, now let's get into the details because things aren't as cool after 2 months as we would like. The base NT1100 costs 14,000 euros. But, obviously, the NT1100 should be taken only with DCT - it's 15,000 euros, which is 200-300 euros cheaper than the basic Africa Twin with DCT. The difference with Africa Twin Adventure Sports is 4000 euros with a little - tangible, agree. On the manual gearbox, the quickshifter is an option for 350 euros, so in fact the difference between the manual and automatic is only 650 euros. Well, or 4.5% of the cost of the motorcycle - it
will be easier to part with the money. You're not going to save on the quickshifter, I hope? In general, I see no reason to buy NT1100 or Gold Wing with manual gearbox, they could simply not release the manual version - it would be easier for everyone. By the way, since this year here in Portugal, as well as in neighboring Spain and France, Gold Wing is not sold on the manual, only with a DCT.
And NC in some countries has been sold only with a DCT for several years. Honda, apparently, keeps the manual only for the Old Believers, at the presentation of the model in Barcelona there were only motorcycles with DCT, the journalists were not even allowed to try the manual. For traveling, on the one hand, you don’t need a DCT at all, because you don’t stand much in traffic jams, you rarely switch on the highways, you just carry an extra 10 kg with you. On the other hand, if you travel in the cold - usually either hands are frozen, or thick gloves, or both. You plan your itinerary in such a way that you will stop in some city in the evening. Accordingly, you arrive tired and cold. With panniers, there is no ride between lanes and you are pushing in traffic jams in an unfamiliar country in an unfamiliar city.
I do not believe that there are people who at such moments are eager to play the clutch in traffic in order to feel the spirit of the motorcyclist and the freedom of choice of gear. No wonder the same FJR had semi-automatic versions. Another problem is that most reviewers do not know how to properly handle the DCT. In addition to the fully manual mode, which is no different from the quickshifter and does not remove any biker spirit, for example, I use the robot like this. By default, I use Drive on the highway, which saves fuel and almost always rides in high gear.
If I need to quickly overtake someone, I just click the paddle one or two gears down and drove. On the old, old versions, the DCT did not like this very much, jumping back to sixth gear very quickly, the last gearboxes have a sufficient delay before upshifting - enough in any situation. If you just overtake often or in the mountains, you switch to Sports mode and riding, in general there is no desire to switch otherwise. If a long straight line - you can click the petal - the DCT will quickly increase the gear. Again, on the first versions of the DCT, he actually never got to sixth gear in Sport, on straight road shrill in third. In the latest versions, it understands better when a calm ride begins, and slowly flips to sixth, but with hints of a fun, it drops down again, and it all happens very smoothly. Many ask to tell
how the updated DCT is doing. Just as Honda licked the DCT a few years ago, I have not a single complaint against him. There is no such thing as the DCT harvest of 2020 failed compared to 2019. Ironically, this model
needs the clutch like a dog's fifth leg, and the NT1100's manual shifting is a reference one - so that gear shifts are so soft and clear - you can count such motorcycles on your fingers. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a quickshifter on my motorcycle - I can’t say anything about him. The robot is one of the sales boosters. For example, in Europe alone, more than 200,000 motorcycles with DCT have been sold, most of which are NC700, 750 and other mid-sized motorcycles. After a couple of years, buyers from NC grow up - they want something the same, but more dynamic and more comfortable.
Many people switched to the Africa Twin in the absence of fish, but this is still a motorcycle with an off-road orientation. Simply put, on the pavement the Africa Twin handles mediocrely. And this is another army of people with Africa Twins who dreamed of going around the world, but never went anywhere, but they understand that they ride a jelly-motorcycle with mediocre comfort, although everything else is fine. The very existence of the NT1100 is proof that the Africa Twin isn't all that amazing and versatile. Previously, there was still a Crosstourer, which was well
suited for the transition, but frightened by insane weight and an increase in fuel consumption by exactly 2 times relative to NC. Crossrunner did not have an option with a DCT - also by. Now the NT1100 has appeared - an option to transfer from a medium-sized bike, if you really want the same thing, but more. The basic equipment of the NT1100 is not fat, but quite sensible - with cruise control, side cases, heated grips, a central stand, not the most powerful but pleasant LED light and running lights, a touchscreen and navigation via Apple Carplay and Android Auto. On the other hand, there is no electronic suspension and IMU is not even an option, although the Africa Twin is - again, due to attempts to keep the price down. For many, the absence of an IMU will already
be a critical moment when buying a new rather expensive motorcycle. All competitors - Versys 1000, Tracer 9, 900 XR, Multistrada V2 and Tiger 900, and even the distant Indian KTM 390 IMU have. The NT1100 also has various minor options, but they are not all about electronics - this is a more comfortable seat, more comfortable passenger footpegs, a top box, fog lights, and a tank bag. Of course, you will not find a tourer at the price of NT1100, and I don’t see much point in comparing them head-on with RT. In principle, there is an alternative for this money, but if you want both comfort on long distances and a good motorcycle in the city, the choice narrows.
Firstly, let's be honest, many people are afraid of Italians and won't even consider them, and everyone in Russia scolds dealers from Triumph, and there is no trust in technology in Russia either, although I personally would take the Tiger 900 from these two options - and in the city is beautiful, and it has more versatility due to the cool suspension. Tracer is afraid of bad roads and ergonomics are not for every size. There is also the 900 XR, which immediately loses in suspension and comfort, from the point of view of tourism it is not a competitor. The V-strom 1050 has all the cons of the NT1100 and has little to offer other than price. In the conditions of Russia, the main competitor of the NT1100 is the Versys 1000.
The Versys has a similar level of comfort, but a much more fun engine. But if we talk about urban use, Versys loses slightly to Honda. Firstly, the NT1100 has a low-revving African engine, which is more pleasant in the city, even without the DCT, and the gearbox on the Honda is more pleasant, as always. Secondly, the NT1100 is much narrower than Versys - this is important for those who ride between lanes. And I'm probably surprised, but in terms of light off-road eiding, the NT1100 is slightly better than the Versys - more on that later. With Versys it's all about whether you need a more fun engine. The NT1100 is not dynamic, there
is nothing sporty there, but there is enough torque. If you've never owned a 1000 cc bike, you'll love the NT1100 and you won't even know what I'm talking about. If the 1000 cc was, and even better with four cylinders - when buying an NT1100, you may get a strange feeling why your 15-year-old motorcycle was riding more cheerfully than a brand new Honda. And the more dynamic you are used to riding, the more likely disappointment. Of course, medium-sized bikes don’t drive like that, but there’s not much enthusiasm either - I sometimes caught myself checking to see if I had accidentally switched to a strangled rain mode, there is a feeling that someone is holding you from behind. Here we run into the fact that
people travel in different ways. There are many people who like to twist throttle. And there are just as many people who make routes in such a way as to ride along beautiful paths away from fast highways, stop by to admire the sights, etc. Or, for example, just ride without fatigue to the sea on vacation at legal speeds. The pleasure is not so much from the sensations of the motorcycle itself and the drive, but from the contemplation of the beauty around. If you want a dynamics - this is definitely not your thing, better for the same money Tracer 9 or Versys 1000.
The engine is the biggest drawback of the motorcycle. If in the case of Africa Twin the same engine is even redundant, with its suspension there is nowhere to realize its potential, the NT1100, on the contrary, has very well tuned geometry and suspension, there could be more engine. But the engine pulls well from the bottom and is elastic, suitable for the city and just a quiet ride, even with a passenger and cargo. On the one hand, it eats a little and I have no complaints about the tank - a sufficient range of about 400 km at a normal pace, enough for tourism. On the other hand, competitors with a power one and a half times higher have about the same consumption, and if you want to ride fast, the consumption will be even higher, and not much fun.
Another detail that emphasizes that the engine is not at all touring is extra vibrations. On the Africa Twin, this is not a serious problem, because the off-road class itself is not about comfort, and against the background of the same KTM Africa Twin, it is quite soft. Vibrations are not particularly strong, but unpleasantly felt in some modes. Feels like somewhere between Versys 1000 and V-strom. Vibrations are not always annoying. Let's say they are clearly visible at 3000 rpm -
this is just the working speed both on slow serpentines and in the city. And in the 4000 rpm area, vibrations at the level of sensations of the same strength, but become more homogeneous - this is just 120-130 km/h in sixth gear or fast twisty roads somewhere in fourth gear - in such modes, vibrations do not attract attention. If you ride either faster or in a more aggressive rhythm, from 5000 rpm the vibrations are quite rough and unpleasant, which is partly why you don’t want to twist the Africa Twin and NT1100. This is a serious minus of the NT1100, after all, buyers of tourers expect a high level of comfort, who need the biker's spirit and vibration, go for Harley. It seems not strong and you don’t think about them, but in the evening you could feel extra ants in your hands, and phantom itching in your feet. It can be especially frustrating after large tourers or
other Hondas, where usually very soft engines. For example, many will jump to NT1100 from NC - so the NC engine runs softer on the highway - be prepared for this. The main competitor Versys also has vibrations, but there, probably because of the four cylinders, they do not irritate and there is no trace of them in the evening. From an ergonomic point of view, the NT1100 has a few degrees forward tilt relative to the Africa Twin, where it sits quite straight.
There are no questions on the twisty roads, but on the highway, you sit like a fool on the tourer in an attacking position. With a stock handlebar, your shoulders numb, you often have to sit with a slight turn, holding the handlebar with one hand, or think of something else on the road. The angle is not critical, it will be decided with spacers - everyone here needs them, regardless of height. More spacers will improve visibility in the mirrors. Due to the fact that the handlebar is narrow and at the bottom - in the mirrors at a standard height, mostly elbows. In a motorcycle jacket with elbow protection, you can’t see your lane from behind, i.e. when a car is following you, you can't see it at all. What I did not expect - there is enough space for two,
but there is no feeling of redundancy. This affects the fact that there is less opportunity to change postures while riding. For a tourer, you want more, but in general it is clear that this is not a Gold Wing, but a compact tourer. The finish of the NT1100 is obscenely simple and cheap. In details, everything is very poor: that the 500-cc Thai, that the NT1100 is on the same level. NT1100 is bought by people who have no extra money. And this is not the case when buying an inexpensive
city bike, it can look like anything. For the same money, you can put Multistrada V2 nearby - every penny spent is visible there. When buying a Honda, you need to stifle the feeling of beauty and choose it for convenience and rationality, even mumbling under your breath that the Multistrada will quickly lose value on the secondary market. Well, you bought Multistrada and you ride it, but you need to customize the NT1100 right away. I said about the spacers, you also immediately need to change the seat. Honda has an optional comfort seat, but haven't tried it, I don't know.
The standard seat is medium-hard. On the one hand, it is worse on most medium-sized motorcycles, on the other hand, it is far from the level of premium motorcycles. Although the seat itself is of a large, comfortable shape, it was tailored on the filler - literally after a couple of hours it is uncomfortable. If the seat on a motorcycle is comfortable and I stop somewhere for a couple of minutes to correct the route or write down a thought on my phone, I don’t get off the motorcycle. In the case of the NT1100, got up at every opportunity,
which is almost never found on 1000 cc motorcycles and is more typical for medium-sized motorcycles. Here are the blades that cut off the wind and spray flying on the shoes. It doesn't look very elegant, but it works. On the NT1100, the sore Honda disappeared with the fact that you cannot put a wide windscreen - like the Africa Twin, like the Crosstourer, like the NC, the handlebar rests on the windscreen and the choice is limited. Here you can put screen,
in fact, of any width. The only thing that is very lacking from a practical point of view is a pocket for the phone. Navigation only works via USB cable. OK, connected, but what to do with the smartphone itself? With Africa Twin, the same system is back and forth, after all, a formidable off-road bike and a bag for the handlebar or tank only add charm, and why does a tourer need a bag for the handlebar? And, most importantly, it's a cheap implementation. These windbreakers did not inspire confidence,
but I liked them in work. Here is an important point - I was riding in summer super-breathable gloves, which have a chip - blown through the knuckles and protective inserts. And it so happened that I stopped for the nights in the mountains, in the morning it was from -2 C to a slight plus on the roads. It blows a little on the knuckles, but not so bad. And the heating on the NT1100 works well,
with a margin of power. But at highway speeds, the aerodynamics break down slightly and more wind reaches the hands - there is no directed flow, but it blows slightly, it will be felt in cold. But still, this implementation is successful, because in this case it is a tourer, which is also suitable for urban use, which allows you to save a lot on the second motorcycle. Purely for the city, it is redundant, after all, the
motorcycle is more about tourism. What is important in travel? Reliability? Yes, a frame with engine from Africa Twin, which even the last Honda hater cannot find fault with in terms of reliability. Something serious, because of which you will have to change plans on a trip - no, this cannot be. The maximum - some smart guy will say - here, yes, there is a automatic-gearbox in the same place, it's like a DSG, they break down. Well, yes, how old are the first Honda DCTs? 13 years old? The engine is quite fresh, it does not have some ancient obscure oddities stretching from the 80s - an ordinary modern engine. But the second point is that this engine was created exclusively for the Africa Twin in order to make an engine for traveling around the world. In particular, the condition was immediately laid down
for the engine to run on any fuel. The NT1100 now has the lowest compression ratio of modern engines and 91 RON gasoline - not in some alternative dead mode, but the most recommended gasoline out of the box. I have some complaints about the dynamics of the engine, but it is respectful that Honda decided to make, I repeat, a completely new engine according to the rules of the old Japanese school. The manufacturer of the largest number of sold internal combustion engines in the world knows a little about engines and knows what kind of gasoline is used in the world. For the NT1100, the intake
and exhaust have been tweaked slightly for super-smooth acceleration and a satisfying low-rpm sound. Super Smooth - Direct quote from the press release. Actually, this is what I always say - this is Honda's signature style of very smooth engines without any twitches.
For lovers of dynamic riding for the same money and in the same cubic capacity, there are motorcycles that will give more fun, but for people who are not in a hurry, this is also a factor. Not a monstrous torque at the bottom, not a frenzied acceleration, but smooth acceleration - this is the Honda feature. Especially with DCT - the manual gearbox do not give such smoothness - even with a quickshifter, even without.
The muffler is located much lower than that of the Africa Twin, and if used with panniers, the effect will be that in the city, a very low sound reflected from the asphalt, unusual for tourers, with its own charm, and on the highway, literally from 80 km/h, the muffler is not audible at all. For the money, the bike has good stock comfort, but most importantly, it has great potential - for sane money you can bring comfort to an excellent level - it will be better than most adventurers for more than 20,000 euros. For 15,000 euros, there is no motorcycle with such wind protection, and also so that the two persons sit normally. It is worth saying that the NT1100 has a seat height of 820mm, which is lower than any adventure bike from a 1000 cc and this will be noticeable with a height below 180cm. On the other hand, a Tiger 900 GT or Tracer 9 is even lower and lighter. In general, in terms of ergonomics, the NT1100 is as versatile as possible for both average height and two-meter uncles. The windscreen adjustment range is crazy.
Height 16 and a half centimeters. For reference, most premium adventure bikes have a height adjustment of 7 centimeters and the maximum height is much lower. The windscreen is very tall at the end - it's easier to say that all the stock motorcycle screens I've tested have been lower. But I also note that the adjustment of the windscreen is the most inconvenient of all manual ones - on the go, even with the cruise control turned on with both hands, I could not lift it. With my height of 188 cm, it blows exactly into the vent on the top of my head - hence the noise on the highway. If you bend down a little - perfectly, quietly, and even
if the visor is completely open - there is no movement of air in the eyes or on the face, without dangling and rarefied zones. With a height of 180 cm and below, there will be pure delight immediately in stock. Accordingly, in order to experience the same feelings with my height, I need either a micro-spoiler or windscreen of a slightly different shape, even of the same height. You can ride with stock - it's still better than you can achieve on most adventure bikes with third-party screens. The main thing is not even that the wind does not blow in your face, but that there are no twitches at highway speeds - this is the thrill of the tourers.
If the windscreen is in the middle position - the motorcycle is stable on the highway up to 180 km/h even with panniers, I simply did not check further. But keep in mind that the NT1100 is still light and relatively short, it cannot handle such wide and high windscreen as big heavy tourers. If the screen is in its highest position, it feels like the NT1100 doesn't stick to the pavement like the big tourers do.
In this position, on an empty road somewhere from 160 km / h, the feeling is that you are riding on fat and the motorcycle wiggles left and right very smoothly without jerking. If in a stream and, for example, a passenger car drives in front even in the neighboring lane, the same effect is noticeable at 120 km / h. In general, you can experiment with windscreens. Due to the developed wind protection of the lower legs, a strong directional flow goes exactly to the knees, like on a skinny GS. If the equipment is normal, this does not interfere in any way, but in the wrong one it can be a problem. And this wind stream drives the knee pads into the knees, and if the knee pads themselves are somehow uncomfortable, this can accelerate the feeling of chafing.
The knees themselves are at a right angle, the legs are comfortable on the long travel. And yes, about wind protection - this is all when riding with three boxes. Adventurers with three boxes are even worse at speeds. That is why I remove the side panniers on all the bikes I test. But since here panniers are in stock, and they will still travel with them, left. There are also branded Barbie-sized bags in panniers, which are easy to confuse with laptop cases.
Standard panniers are made thin for city use - they are approximately equal in width to the extreme points of the handlebar and mirrors, the idea is clear. Personally, I am a supporter of riding with one top box around the city - at least most helmets will not fit into these panniers, and they are still 5 centimeters wider than the handlebar. If traveling as a couple, the standard panniers are back-to-back and most will travel with a top case as well. I have a bad idea of a woman who will only need one case NT1100. In my case, there is a top box for 35 liters.
I would choose another branded case for 50 liters, which still does not interfere in the city. If anything, a 50-liter case is a lot and two full-size helmets fit comfortably there. There are no electronic locks, but the ignition key opens all three boxes - and thanks for that. Yes, it does not have fashionable equipment, such as radar, cornering lights, electronic windscreen adjustment, and what else happens there.
But here, cruise control, favorite navigation via Apple CarPlay and an automatic gearbox are immediately available. Yes, the bike does not have electronic suspension. Versys and Tracer have an option - I didn’t find much point in overpaying for it either there or there. Suspension with 150mm of travel is such a sweet spot for asphalt travel.
On the one hand, there is no more furious rigidity on a bad road, and on the other hand, good handling and no excessive dives. Of course, on very sporty bikes it makes sense to adjust the settings for specific conditions, but the NT1100 does not need this, adjusting the preload to the weight is enough. Because The NT1100 is made on the basis of the well-known Africa Twin engine and gearbox without changes, I had only 2 questions for the motorcycle before the test - about wind protection and how is the suspension doing, is it biting a lot. Unexpectedly for myself, I received much more. Suddenly, the NT1100 is crazy on twisty roads. The suspension behaves ideally on twisty roads, I have not a single complaint in such conditions and with such an engine there is no one for it - that's one thing. Even on very narrow serpentines with U-turns - I liked everything. The second important discovery is that
the geometry of the motorcycle is perfectly tuned. The wheelbase is quite short - the bike steers well at low speeds, while not so short as to jump. The optimal trail is 108 mm - it rides stably in a straight line and steers quite sharply, in general I consider it an ideal value for a tourist. Proper rim and tire size
for sport touring standards such as RT, Versys 1000, etc. the same dimensions. This means a sea of sports-touring tires, a pleasant shifting on twisty roads and a tilted handle. Even on twisty roads, brakes are of great importance. Interestingly, the brakes on the NT1100 are not exactly like the same as on Africa Twin. Purely in numbers, everything is the same, but the Africa Twin has a
two-piston caliper in the rear, on the NT1100 it's a single-piston caliper. Here they are not luxuriously smooth, but quite grippy and predictable - you always know how to press in order to brake optimally, I can’t seriously find fault with them, given the power of the motorcycle. And, let me remind you, here is an elastic engine without failures with an ideal gearbox. In the complex, the motorcycle really liked on winding roads. He is very obedient, pawns pleasantly, etc. To ride in the mountains with such pleasure
without upsetting moments at all is a rarity, especially for universal motorcycles. The only thing is that on fast twisty roads I would like more power, but within legal speeds it is not so noticeable. Where the NT1100 gives a light to all tourers - riding on bad roads. What surprised me myself is that it is very convenient to ride in a stance - many off-road oriented adventurers do not have such convenience, that's what the Africa Twin genes mean. I won't go on to say that the bike doesn't notice bumps or great fun on a bumpy road. Everything notices, even small joints,
and the range of work is not endless, the Tiger 900 or Multistrada have more energy-intensive suspensions, there is nothing to argue about. There is an understanding that this is a road bike, but you calmly ride along rocky paths, not being afraid that the motorcycle will fall apart or knock on the bottom. Conditionally, where 650s and 750s will pass, such as Versys, V-strom, 750 GS, NC, CFMoto, etc. - the NT1100 passes with the same success, and for tall guys it is even more convenient to do it. And the fork here is a more serious level than that of medium-sized cheap adventure bikes.
For a tourer, the motorcycle weighs like a feather - it’s not scary to go somewhere alone on it. Yes, NT1100 is lighter than the same Versys and all modern 1200's adventurers. Let's talk about electronics. I haven't riden an Africa Twin for a long time, which has the
same TFT display, and I forgot how slow it is. The brakes appear when scrolling through the screens, but while riding it does not bother, because you ride with the same settings. But what irritates is the loading of display when the ignition is turned on. In the era of Tiktok, this is unbearably long. In fact, you move faster
than the display loads. Then a warning that you are to blame for everything. The warning itself is on most modern cars and motorcycles - there is nothing to scold. With one caveat - everyone understands that this is a formality, on normal motorcycles and cars, the warning closes itself after a couple of seconds. Honda thinks this is really important, so be sure to press the button, otherwise you will ride with a warning. Then there are these ubiquitous scales from 1 to 3,
which work the other way around. For example, traction control and anti-wheelie are set from 1 to 3, where 3 is the maximum intervention. And the engine power and engine braking power are also from 1 to 3, but the maximum is 1.
If the version with the DCT is the Sport mode of the gearbox from 1 to 3, where 3 is the sportiest mode. At the same time, the motorcycle has as many as 2 displays - you can easily write in words, not numbers. And of course 2 displays - it's stupid. I understand that they had a task to make compatible with Apple Car Play. Unlike built-in navigation, which can be programmed however you like, CarPlay works like a cable to a TV, completely switching the image across the entire screen. Normal people struggle with this by the fact that one display actually consists of two or three parts with independent control, and you can display navigation only on part of the screen, and draw the speedometer and the rest on the other.
Honda has a lazy implementation with a separate old-fashioned screen that always shows the speedometer with little data. This is a dead end path from the very beginning and the farther, the dumber it is. Man is a lazy creature and everyone gets used to looking at the top screen to read the speed - there is a large speedometer, which is always in sight. When you display a map on the main screen, you are forced to bend down to see the speed value.
Plus, there is not enough basic information - for example, fuel level. This is always annoying, especially when you know how it could be more convenient to display speed on top of the map, as is done on Ducati. Regarding the interface - there are different schemes for displaying information, but in fact there is no point in using any other than the full one. In full form, you can display several additional parameters on the screen, but with oddities - for some reason the parameters are divided into blocks and you have to click through if you want, for example, to see the range and average consumption - these parameters cannot be placed on one screen. The control panels are overflowing with buttons. First, the cruise control buttons on the right side are inconvenient.
Speaking of the last review, even on an archaic Honda, cruise control can be turned off by turning the throttle back, but not on the fresh fashionable Multistrada V2. The maximum cruise control speed is 160 km/h. The speedometer on Hondas always shamelessly lies, in reality it is 145 km / h. There is no calibration, but if you want to
fix it, look for SpeedoHealer. But that's okay. The biggest trouble with controls is an uncomfortable turn signal - it is recessed under the beep and you always need to accurately direct your finger with a neat, measured movement. In the version with a DCT, it is even more difficult, because under the turn signal there is a gear petal. And when you want to perform some action - for example, change the power of heating grips, you have to very accurately look for the right buttons by touch. Time to take stock. I really like the concept of the NT1100. I hope that the model will be popular and other
manufacturers will go into this niche, stop making beaks for motorcycles and mow for enduro. The NT1100 is doomed to be hated for being useless, not stylish, not dynamic, etc. I will not say that this is a bad motorcycle or not worth the money - it does not have absolutely idiotic miscalculations. Quite a good bike, but I don’t want it for myself. Nevertheless, under a certain confluence of factors, I will recommend.
For example, when the budget is limited and there is no way to take a swing at motorcycles that cost 20-25,000 euros. And when you need one motorcycle for both daily riding to work and asphalt travel, while you don’t want super-dynamics, you can consider such a rather popular scenario. Purely as a second motorcycle for travel, I don’t see it, for the same money I personally would choose between Versys 1000 and Tiger 900 GT - from the point of view of tourism, after all, the automatic gearbox is not a determining factor. Or if you really want excellent wind protection and are ready to reconfigure everything for yourself in order to get rid of some ergonomic miscalculations. This is pretty easy to fix. In a few years, as a used one, I will strongly recommend this model for purchase, it will just come out plus an increased resource and unpretentiousness of the units, a platform known in any service, etc. And for the lack of a biker's spirit, scolding Honda is bad manners. No matter what Honda does,
it still comes out as a Super Cub. Simple, reliable, and quite comfortable - a friend of the family, not an object of desire. Looking at the Super Cub, talk that the spirit of motorcycling has died has been raging since the 50s - long before the NC and NT1100. Time has shown that Honda was right in the end.
2022-03-07 10:04
