All Tests – Honda NC700S Test: Is the bike good in every way? – Technical update on the Honda NC700S 2012

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Honda NC700S test: a good bike in every way ?

All Tests - Honda NC700S Test: Is the bike good in every way? - Technical update on the Honda NC700S 2012

Combine utility with pleasure: here is the bet launched by Honda with its new entry-level motorcycle, the NC700S. Modeled on the same mold as the NC700X and the Integra, this roadster is able to appeal to novice bikers… And the others ! Test.

Technical update on the 2012 Honda NC700S

In accordance with the future A2 category of the European motorcycle license (read our), the NC700S outputs 47.6 hp (35 kW) and 60 Nm of torque from its twin-cylinder common to the NC700X and Integra.

Unlike its "sister" NC700X, the Honda roadster is only available in this "A2 approved" version: the small trail born under X is indeed offered in 35 kW or 38 kW (51.8 hp and 62 Nm ), while the Integra "motorcycle-scooter" is only available in 38 kW. The clamping from 38 to 35 kW is done by means of a specific electronic box and intake ducts.

This engine is a long stroke parallel twin (73mm bore * 80mm stroke) set at 270 °. First forged at 180 °, the crankshaft is then hot twisted an additional 90 ° to obtain this timing. Basic in appearance, this block with a single camshaft is actually badly gamberge: very inclined to the front (62 °) in order to lower the center of gravity and free up space, it calls for all knowledge -make accumulated in automobile by Honda in terms of internal friction reductions.

However, contrary to what has been said here and there, this twin is not the result of the four-cylinder of the small city car Jazz cut in two! Although Honda engineers do not deny the existence of synergies between auto and motorcycle services, the inline-twin of the NC700S, Integra and NC700X is indeed an all-new engine designed for the motorcycle..

Modern, it was developed with a rather new approach in two-wheelers: drastically reducing consumption and polluting emissions. Honda announces consumption of around 3.6 l / 100 km, or 56% less than with a CB600F according to the Japanese.

And MNC can confirm that this is not a "laboratory" measurement: during our, the consumption measured by us was established at 3.7l / 100 km in energetic driving. !

To reduce friction – and therefore fuel consumption – the pistons are covered with a special resin and the cams are made of extremely light aluminum. In addition, the operation of each part is optimized: the water pump is driven by the camshaft and the oil pump is fixed on the same axis as the balance shaft. And if the twin has one injector per cylinder, the admission is done through a split duct with a single butterfly.

Economical, the NC700S also benefits from service intervals of 12,000 km while its iridium spark plugs will have to be replaced at 48,000 km. Final chain drive may not last that long !

Equipped with a short catalytic converter directly placed at the engine output to promote efficiency when cold, this vertical twin with low maximum rotation speeds (6500 rpm max!) Is assisted – optional on the NC700S and X, as standard on the Integra – by a double clutch gearbox DCT second generation. More compact and more responsive – but still just as heavy (10 kg) – this Dual Clutch Transmission "2.0" has seen its shifting laws modified for more enjoyment and sensitivity.

DCT: it’s in the box ?

Discovered on the, this unique device in motorbikes (a little less in cars where it has been used for ten years) is based on a "conventional" gearbox, with forks and barrels, connected to two multi-disc clutches with bath oil.

Managed by an electronic control unit connected to hydraulic circuits, one takes care of odd ratios (1st, 3rd and 5th), the other of even gears (2nd, 4th and 6th). When the first is switched on, for example, the central unit pre-switches – in just 70 milliseconds! – the second gear, then releases the clutch of the first at the same time that the second gear is locked.

As on the VFR 1200 DCT, the dual clutch NC700S no longer bothered with the clutch lever and offers two operating principles. The first (AT) is 100% automatic and has two modes ("D" for Drive and "S" for Sport), while the second (MT) is of semi-automatic type: the pilot up and down gears via the "+" and "-" triggers present on the left stalk.

When the engine is started, the system is automatically in neutral. All that remains is to choose between automatic "D" or "S" modes via the control placed on the right handle or to actuate the "AT / MT" tab placed behind the right stalk to engage the "manual" mode..

However, even in manual mode, the system "filters" the requests which seem unnatural to it: it is for example not possible to downshift when the engine speed is too high, nor to risk under-speed by increasing several. reports without speeding up. Likewise, the system will automatically downshift to first if you stop the bike in sixth (at a stop for example).

More annoying, the Dual Clutch Transmission still requires a little time for reflection between each gear change, even in manual mode ("MT"): in vain you quickly press the trigger "+" or "-" twice in a row, the device only goes up or down only one report at a time.

At any time, it is possible to switch from automatic to manual, and vice versa. The pilot can find out about the gear and the mode engaged via a small window placed at the bottom of a fairly complete entirely digital on-board console (read the "Instrumentation" part of our technical sheet).

Designed for calm driving and duo, the automatic "D" mode shifts smoothly and quickly. More lively, the "S" mode is more suited to sporty driving but it generates more jerks, especially during downshifts.

Small specificity in 2012: the system has an auto-adaptive mode whose characteristics are between those of automatic mode "D" and those of mode "S". Called "Q" by Honda engineers, this invisible function for the pilot is automatically activated if driving in D mode becomes too "energetic" or, on the contrary, not sporty enough in S mode.

This “Q-mode” allows the DCT to adapt as closely as possible to the pilot’s wishes, which sometimes gives the impression that the system is truly “intelligent”: bluffing! Finally, as on the first generation of double clutch, it is possible to manually up or down a gear even in automatic mode, in order to downshift around a curve for example..

On the other hand, Honda added an "auto-return" function to the device in 2012: after a few seconds without any action on the paddles, the system returns to the selected automatic configuration ("D" or "S").

Cycle part: simple and efficient

Like the NC700X and the Integra, the cycle part of the Honda NC700S is based on a Diamond-type frame made of steel tubes. Simple to manufacture and therefore inexpensive, this double cradle is largely robust enough to handle the overall modest power of the twin cylinder.

It is connected to peripherals which are also quite basic: a "traditional" fork (the sleeves are at the bottom, unlike an inverted model) with a non-adjustable diameter of 41 mm and a mono-shock absorber adjustable only in preload..

However, thanks to an excellent cohesion and a very relevant calibration of the springs, these little flashy devices ensure a dynamic behavior of the first order to the NC700S: the whole is comfortable and efficient..

The caster angle (27 °) and wheelbase (1525 mm) values ​​ensure irreproachable stability. Braking is entrusted to a device comprising a single 320 mm floating disc at the front and a 240 mm disc at the rear.

For the anecdote, know that if these discs are "Wave" type it is not to look pretty but to save money: the rear element is cut inside the front disc to reduce waste, and this petal shape facilitates operation !

An entry-level motorcycle, the NC700S comes standard without the C-ABS combination ABS (unlike the Integra and NC700X). With this system, braking becomes more efficient since a central unit distributes the power between the front and the rear when the right pedal is actuated and prevents the wheels from locking. For 500 euros more (5490 € for the standard NC700S and 5990 € for the NC700S with the C-ABS), it would be a shame to do without !

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