Comparison test Honda NT 650 V Deauville and Honda PC 800 Pacific Coast

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Comparison test Honda NT 650 V Deauville and Honda PC 800 Pacific Coast

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A clothing topic from two worlds: Honda’s plastic-coated PC 800, on tour in the USA for ten years, meets its European counterpart, the NT 650 V Deauville.

Tastes are different. The American loves baseball and pancakes soaked in maple syrup, while the Teutone loves football and bread and jam. A fact that those responsible at Honda Germany take into account from time to time. Because how else can you explain that the PC 800 Pacific Coast, built in the USA, was never officially imported to Germany, although with its fairing, cardan drive, integrated luggage compartment and economical V-twin-cylinder it offers attributes that are also popular with German touring riders. The Pacific Coast reaches the Rhine only through gray dealers, for example to Motorrad Gebhardt in Dusseldorf.
The new NT 650 V Deauville shows that the theme can be interpreted differently by the disguised tourer. It combines the same properties, but with a concept developed in and for Europe. Time to compare.
Almost ten years of age difference is hard to deny: The design of the PC 800 looks like that of a Pan European at the front, from the side it is reminiscent of a Gold Wing, and the rear could have come from the Helix luxury scooter . Everything on the Pacific Coast is hidden behind plastic, even the handlebars are covered in a thick, angular plastic cover. The Deauville presented last autumn is of course more modern in style, although it is not stingy with plastic either. Both motorcycles look heavy – and they are, with a full tank the NT 650 V weighs a whopping 245 kilograms, the PC 800 even 287.
It is all the more astonishing how easy it is to control the 800 once it is in motion. Sitting upright, the captain has the ship safely under control. The chassis is comfortably tuned, but dampened a bit too weakly. This is particularly noticeable in undulating corners. Here the PC 800 lurches slightly around the vertical axis. The straight-line stability is also not without faults and blame: The American Honda looks a little restless, but without getting too dubious. This effect disappears under the weight of a passenger.
The Deauville, however, has hardly any weaknesses in the chassis. Only the fork springs could use more progression; when braking hard, the front wheel position locks hard. Compared to the Pacific Coast, the 650 looks even more handy.
Your engine, like a two-cylinder V-engine on the Pacific Coast, sounds more robust and dynamic. But when it comes to performance, the measured 53 hp NT 650 V and the PC 800 with 55 hp hardly give each other anything. In terms of acceleration up to 100 km / h, they are on par, in terms of pulling power, the Pacific Coast has slight advantages due to its higher torque – thanks to the displacement.
Their water-cooled twin hums quietly to itself. It turns up completely unspectacular and almost vibration-free. There is no need to check the valve clearance. Like almost every small car today, it has hydraulic valve lifters. Only the wobbly transmission disturbs the harmonious overall picture.
When importing from the US, brakes are applied at the front with a double disk – naturally plastic-coated – and with a drum at the rear. Like everything on the PC 800, the stoppers are absolutely reliable. Compared to the European, however, you have to reach harder. The double disc in the front wheel of the Deauville as well as the single one in the back grab a bit more snappy.
The situation is balanced when looking at the instruments: the cockpit of the Deauville has a digital time clock, but in contrast to the American model, there is no fuel gauge and temperature display. Their drivers should always have the conversion from miles to kilometers ready, because the subsequently glued-on kilometer scale can hardly be read while driving.
That the Pacific Coast was designed for American roads is also evident from the expansive cladding with the high pane. Miles of distances on the highway can be easily covered with the almost perfect wind and weather protection. Even the hands are well protected by the indicator ears with the integrated mirrors. However, the driver’s head is fully exposed to the strong turbulence of the windshield. Behind it, there is a suction that inflates loose-fitting jackets into a balloon.
With a smaller panel and window, the Deauville cannot quite keep up with the PC 800. The upper body of the driver is almost perfectly protected, however, only larger pilots occur in the helmet area. The legs of the NT 650 V come without protection as standard, leg shields are available from Honda as accessories, cost: 310 marks.
The integrated case system is an integral part of the Deauville. The standard version only fits luggage for a short trip. If you want to go on a big tour, you can’t avoid the larger lids for 575 marks. Instead of 18, this means at least 27 liters of storage space per case.
What the Pacific Coast driver can only smile about. Open the fuel filler flap, pull the lever, and after a big pop, the rear of the vehicle, including the pillion seat, folds forward. Underneath there is enough space on each side even for an integral helmet. The huge trunk is of little use, however, because astonishingly, the PC 800’s payload of 165 kilograms is far too modest. So the question of average built Central Europeans is: luggage or pillion passenger?
In this regard, the Deauville driver is a little better off, although its 190 kilogram freight capacity is still quite tight. After all, thanks to their extremely comfortable pillion seats, both machines make excellent pair runners.
The tank capacity is also tight for touring machines: 16 liters for the Pacific Coast and 19 for the Deauville. Fortunately, the two engines practice abstinence when consuming fuel – here and there exactly five liters on country roads.
M.Motor tied, so to speak, and therefore a glance at the engines does not help when choosing between Pacific Coast or Deauville. And otherwise there can be no clear winner with the even distribution of the advantages and disadvantages. The interested party has to decide between the different philosophies: the American way of drive with a lot of comfort and storage space for gliding over wide and well-developed roads with the PC 800 or the European touring concept with a firmer and more manageable chassis for lots of driving fun on country roads or alpine passes at the Deauville. It’s all a question of taste.

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