Trail – Honda NC750X test: X without mischief – 2016 Honda NC750X: MNC technical update

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Honda NC750X test: X without malice

Trail - Honda NC750X test: X without mischief - 2016 Honda NC750X: MNC technical update

Thanks to a relevant stylistic overhaul and the provision of practical improvements, the 2016 Honda NC750X is becoming more attractive and pleasant. Enough to seek new heights, even if a few flaws remain … Test – fast! – of the DCT version.

2016 Honda NC750X: MNC technical update

Engine

The NC750X uses the parallel twin cylinder set at 270 ° characteristic of the NC 700 and then 750 series), the displacement of which rose to 745cc two years ago (read in particular our). Its main modification for 2016 concerns the injection and the exhaust, reconfigured to meet Euro4 standards..

Apart from its shorter silencer of 7 cm and lighter of 500 gr and its new maps, this block is therefore strictly identical to the previous vintage. For the record, this is a long-stroke type in-line bi (77 mm bore x 80 mm stroke) of 54.8 hp and 68 Nm of torque. Equipped with a single camshaft distribution, this twin is very tilted forward (62 °) in order to lower the center of gravity and free up space.

Sober ("3.46 l / 100 km", according to Honda with the DCT gearbox in mode D), it concentrates all the know-how accumulated in the automobile by the winged emblem in terms of reducing internal friction. The pistons are thus covered with a special resin and the cams are in 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.

Finally, the last "mechanical" trick to prevent it from consuming, an ignition failure placed at only … 6500 rpm! During this test, MNC for its part noted average consumption ranging from 4.5 to 4.7 liters / 100 km according to the indicator on the dashboard. Enough to ensure important relays with the 14.1 liters of gasoline in the tank (about 400 km of theoretical autonomy).

Economical, the NC750X benefits from service intervals of 12,000 km while its iridium spark plugs will have to be replaced at 48,000 km. The final chain transmission will probably not last as long, especially since it lacks a production unit to lubricate it !

Equipped with a catalytic system – now in two parts – catalyst directly placed at the engine outlet to promote efficiency when cold, this vertical twin-cylinder optionally adopts (+ € 800) the DCT double-clutch gearbox. More responsive – but still just as heavy (10 kg) -, this latest generation of Dual Clutch Transmission has seen its shifting laws modified for more pleasure and sensitivity (read below).

Cycle part

Like the NC750S and the integra 2016, the cycle part of the NC750X is based on a "Diamond" type frame made of steel tubes. Simple to manufacture – therefore inexpensive – this double cradle is largely robust enough to handle the kicks of 55 hp, especially since the cavalry is not the brutal type…

The damping is based on a mono-shock absorber adjustable only in preload on 7 positions, 150 mm of travel. If the rear element is identical to 2015 (with a few adjustable exceptions), the front accommodates a new Showa telescopic fork of 41 mm in diameter, still not adjustable This more upscale model still frolic on 153 mm.

Geometrically, the "X" retains practically the same values ​​as in 2015: 27 ° of caster angle and 110 mm of drag. Only the wheelbase is slightly increased, from 1535 to 1540 mm. The stability of the NC family having never suffered criticism, the 2016 model is therefore unsurprisingly literally riveted to the ground !

Braking is entrusted to a device comprising a single 320 mm floating disc at the front and a 240 mm disc at the rear. Nissin two-piston caliper is new up front, Honda says more efficient.

As an anecdote, know that "Wave" type discs (with petals) are very economical – for Honda! – since the rear is cut inside the front disc !

Supplied as standard with ABS, the NC750X is announced for 220 kg all full (230 kg with DCT), or 1 kg more than in 2015. This weight gain is explained in particular by the additional liter of capacity in its tank (from 21 to 22 liters) and by its larger windscreen.

Electronics and DCT dual clutch transmission

In terms of electronics, the NC750X does not overbid: apart from its injection unit and that of its ABS, the standard version does not receive any other "chip"! Some people will also regret that Honda withdrew in 2014 the coupled C-ABS braking present on the first versions of NC700…

The big chunk in terms of sophistication is the dual-clutch gearbox available as an option (+ € 800). Unique in motorcycle production (not in cars, where it has been used for about 15 years), this device is based on a conventional gearbox, with forks and barrels, connected to two multi-disc clutches in oil bath.

Managed by an electronic control unit and hydraulic circuits, the first clutch deals with odd gears (1st, 3rd and 5th) and the second with 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.

The NC750X equipped with the DCT is logically devoid of a clutch lever and offers two operating principles. The first is 100% automatic (AT) and is subject to two modes with preprogrammed reactions: "D" for Drive and "S" for Sport. In practice, it is this "AT" function that is used most of the time: what do you want, the rider quickly gives in to ease !

For 2016, one of the changes made is that the "S" mode now includes 3 sub-maps, more or less sporty. The intermediate mode (S2) corresponds to the previous normal Sport mode. The highest mode (S3), on the other hand, is more dynamic than in 2015, both in terms of responsiveness and engine braking..

Switching from D to S mode is done from the dedicated control on the right and the maps switch by long pressing the "S" button when Sport mode is engaged. Everything can be done while driving, without turning off the throttle, quite easily and intuitively..

In addition, as on the Africa Twin DCT, the system now has adaptive control to manage the torque transmitted to the clutch, in particular to adapt to the fact that one is up or down a gear. On paper, Honda says the sensations are "more natural when you cut or go around.

In practice, the DCT is effectively more transparent in its reactions than before. Moreover, as on the Africa, the DCT of the NC750 integrates a calculation system to adapt to the longitudinal inclination: by comparing the engine speed, speed and degree of throttle opening, the ECU manages to determine whether the road is going up or down. This allows the DCT to avoid upshifting or downshifting at an inopportune time, such as downshifting during a downhill for example..

The second mode of use (MT) offered by the DCT is semi-automatic, with up and down gears "by hand" via the "+" and "-" triggers on the left stalk. Although the operating principle differs radically from the robotized gearbox of the Yamaha FJR, we find in use a similar behavior with very fast gear changes..

When the engine is started, the system is automatically placed in neutral. All that remains is to choose between automatic "D" or "S" modes or to actuate the "AT / MT" tab placed behind the right stalk – like flashing of the headlight – to engage the "manual" mode..

However, even in manual mode, the system "filters" the orders deemed unnatural: impossible to downshift when the engine speed is too high (which happens quickly with only 6500 rpm available!), Nor to risk the under- speed up several gears without accelerating. Likewise, the system will automatically downshift to first if the bike is stopped in sixth (at a stop, for example).

At any time, it is possible to switch from automatic to manual, and vice versa. The gear and the mode engaged are indicated in a small window placed at the bottom of the dashboard (read the "Instrumentation" part of our technical sheet).

Designed for calm driving or the duo, the automatic "D" mode shifts smoothly and quickly, often around 2500 rpm (2800 to 90 km / h in 6th gear). From 65 km / h, the NC750X crosses cushy in sixth…

More lively, the "S" mode is more suited to sporty driving but it generates more jerks, especially during downshifts. THE 3 S mode subroutines then provide flexibility, especially in the wet where we appreciate the extra softness of S1 mode.

Finally, it is possible to manually increase or decrease a gear even in automatic mode, in order to downshift before a curve for example. However, an "auto-return" function means that after a few seconds without any action on the pallets, the system returns to the selected automatic configuration ("D" or "S").

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