All Tests – Honda NC700S Test: Is the bike good in every way? – NC700: and one, and two, and three motorcycles!

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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? - NC700: and one, and two, and three motorcycles!

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.

NC700: and one, and two, and three motorcycles !

It is not idle at Honda! Not content to have reviewed and corrected the, the, the or even the VT750 Shadow, the world’s leading manufacturer of motorized two-wheelers also unveiled four "real" novelties in 2012: the maxi-trail, the crossover, the "motorcycle -scooter "and the NC700S roadster !

The latest of the new NC700 "siblings", this NC700S is powered by the 669.6 cc twin-cylinder already discovered on the NC700X and the Integra (read our Technical Update on the following pages). But unlike these two models, the NC700S is only available in a "35 kW" (47.6 hp) version. This motorcycle designed for beginners therefore meets the requirements of the next A2 license, which comes into force for 2013 (read our).

And it is not only the mechanics that are common to the three new Honda models: the NC700S, the NC700X and the Integra share the same tubular steel frame and use identical peripherals (17-inch stick wheels, mono 320 mm front brake disc and 240 mm rear brake disc, 41 mm telescopic fork and single shock absorber). The same goes for most of the trim elements: the saddle, the optics, the stems, the dashboard or even the mirrors are strictly similar.

To expand its range and limit its production costs, the winged blazon has in fact decided to resort to what is called "platform sharing" in the automobile: rather than designing an engine, a chassis and specific parts for each of its new motorcycles, Honda has built three models with different pretensions on the same technical basis. A simple and above all economical approach.

Because thanks to the economies of scale thus achieved, the NC700 range can be displayed at very attractive prices: € 6,490 for the NC700X, € 8,490 for the Integra and € 5,490 for the NC700S without the combined ABS. That is € 1,100 less than the current entry-level roadster from the leading manufacturer, the CBF600N (read our box "The competitors of the NC700S" on the following pages) !

Low cost, but not "low quality"

However, despite its low cost positioning, the NC700S is not a cheap motorcycle or a "chinoiserie" assembled "go-as-I-push". First, because its lines show a minimum of originality: from its front optics with angular shapes to its rear light detached from the hull through its "wave" discs (in petals), the Honda has a real visual identity.

Its future buyers – estimated at around 2,500 over a full year in France – will also appreciate the manufacturing quality globally at the level of the brand’s standards. Correctly adjusted, the plastics show no doubtful play, nor do the levers – unfortunately not adjustable -, the large passenger handles or the commodos, basic but not "cheaps"..

The surface treatments are not neglected, with the exception of the pretty brushed metal footplates sensitive to friction. On the other hand, the welds of the frame deserve the mention "just fair" to the MNC examination, as well as the integration of certain electrical elements: the terminal and the visible cables between the radiator and the intake, for example, are visually unsightly…

Due to the lack of a wheel washer at the rear, the Pro-link rod shock absorber (adjustable only for preload) is also very exposed to the projections raised by the excellent Metzeler Z8 Interact 160 mm wide. And it’s not much better at the front: the short mudguard struggles to preserve the radiator in the event of rain, a characteristic that the NC700S shares with its "sister" NC700X.

More pleasing: the two-tone engine guard protects and elegantly "dresses" the lower part of the in-line twin, tilted to the front by 62 °. Thanks to this generous inclination and its very low position in the frame, the engine voluntarily leaves free space above it. This arrangement made it possible to install a large trunk instead of the gas tank, as on the Aprilia Mana and the late BMW F 650 CS Scarver..

Like the NC700X, the NC700S therefore has a large storage space with a capacity of 21 liters (only 15 liters, unfortunately, on the Integra), the opening of which is controlled via the lock located under the left flank of its "false" tank.

Ultra practical, this safe (unlit) is happy to accommodate a full face helmet … provided that its shell is not too bulky! MNC, for example, had to remove the tool kit to fit – by forcing a little – a Scorpion EXO 750 Air in size L, at the risk of damaging its varnish in the absence of felt on the walls of the trunk….

The "real" 14-liter tank migrates under the passenger seat and opens through the same lock as the trunk. When refueling, the user will appreciate the "mechanical-automatic" deployment of a rod responsible for maintaining the saddle in the high position: practical !

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