All Test Drives – 2014 Honda CTX700 Test Drive: Not So Simple! – Mixture of genres …

Posted on by admin

2014 Honda CTX700 review: not so simple !

All Test Drives - 2014 Honda CTX700 Test Drive: Not So Simple! - Mixture of genres ...

At first glance, the Honda CTX700 is just a new bagger type offshoot from the NC700 platform. Either a kind of utility custom … But behind its unpretentious appearance hides in reality an interesting and original motorcycle. Test.

Mixture of genres…

Parked in front of the Site editorial staff, the Honda CTX700 feeds our morning discussions, arousing both curiosity and perplexity … Curiosity first, because the machine calls out with its massive fork crown surmounted by a short guard. truncated breeze.

Its long and low silhouette as well as some of its curves refer to the fire, while its handlebar branches curved towards the rear, its toe clips fixed in front and its rigid suitcases of 29 liters supplied as standard make it lean towards the like "Bagger".

Puzzlement then, as this bike sharing the engine and the chassis of the NC700 (all the technical details on the last page) is difficult to categorize, especially in this faired version which will be the only one to be .

Its look unquestionably evokes the custom, but its rather thick saddle, its lockable luggage, its wheels with consistent dimensions (120 and 160 mm wide, in 17 inches) and its well-designed grab handles suggest a more pragmatic motorcycle than ‘aesthetic. The same goes for its engine with proven sobriety and its dual-clutch transmission. An ambiguous positioning assumed by Honda, since the "C" of CTX does not mean "Custom", But "Comfort"(the next two letters referring to" Touring "and" eXperience ").

Unlike the statutory or unprecedented, the CTX700 therefore appears less concerned with its image, potentially more versatile and above all more accessible (€ 8,790 against € 24,199 for the "Gold Bagger" and € 17,699 for the CTX1300 equipped with the V4 of Pan European).

This price positioning involves the use of "economical" peripherals, taken from the first generation of NC700: non-adjustable fork and brake lever, shock absorber only adjustable in preload, basic steel tube frame, rear disc cut to the inside the front disc (!), fairly extensive but austere instrumentation. A simple set, certainly, but very functional as MNC has already seen (read in particular our).

Simply obvious

The CTX700 therefore does not trigger a stir in terms of presentation, no more than that of the finish – correct but nothing more. The plastics and the commodos are indeed a little "cheap", the absence of covers inside the fork crown exposes the lighting network to the eye, while the injection would also benefit from being better camouflaged.

Finally, mention "just passable" for the mesh speaker covers placed on the returns of its fork crown (see photo below). Knowing that no audio system is available – even as an option – their uselessness gives off a "low cost" scent which the bike would have done without. Too bad Honda did not choose to optimize these spaces by installing small storage compartments…

Very low in the saddle (720 mm, or 70 mm less than the NC700S), the CTX700 is easily understood and immediately puts you at ease. The only downsides: its handlebars are wide, its mirrors even larger, and its short side stand generates a few cold sweats when parking on slopes. And in the absence of a control unit (even as an option), there is no way around the problem. Nor to easily maintain the chain, for that matter !

The well-designed seat allows you to properly wedge your lower back before stretching your legs to meet the footrests. Located almost in the same vertical axis as the hands, these are not excessively advanced. The result is a pleasant position – straight back, arms not straight and legs slightly bent forward – far from the weary (even delusional) postures encountered on some customs.

As often on the motorcycles of the first manufacturer, the controls are as soft as they are precise and the sound of the unit is not intrusive. The 669.6cc parallel-twin delivers the same quietly thundering soundtrack as the NC700s, but its tone appears pleasantly muted.

No doubt a benefit to the credit of the new chrome silencer in the lower position, longer and more elegant than on the NC700. Second positive aspect taken from this exhaust partially covered in black: when looking at the bike from the right side, it hides the banal swingarm of square section !

Related articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *