Well Motorcycle.com has not yet named the motorcycle of the year so we don't know the answer.
But they have an interesting take on the Honda NC750x, which is often overlooked as a 'boring' bike. It also happens to be the bike that I own. Actually I own 2 of them. The 2016 and the 2018 versions. For 2021 there are some new updates but, while the bike is improved, it is not all that much different from the prior generation.
Article was posted 2 days ago, not sure how I missed it but I finally saw it today. Good read. Great bike. Honestly I don't know why more bikes are not like the NC750x. But that is the loss of the other brands. Honda clearly has a winner. Globally this is one of the top selling bikes in the world for the past 10 years but here in North America, where H-D rules the world, it is overlooked and (in my mind) under appreciated.
This is just a portion of the article, for the remainder follow the link to Motorcycle.com
But they have an interesting take on the Honda NC750x, which is often overlooked as a 'boring' bike. It also happens to be the bike that I own. Actually I own 2 of them. The 2016 and the 2018 versions. For 2021 there are some new updates but, while the bike is improved, it is not all that much different from the prior generation.
Article was posted 2 days ago, not sure how I missed it but I finally saw it today. Good read. Great bike. Honestly I don't know why more bikes are not like the NC750x. But that is the loss of the other brands. Honda clearly has a winner. Globally this is one of the top selling bikes in the world for the past 10 years but here in North America, where H-D rules the world, it is overlooked and (in my mind) under appreciated.
This is just a portion of the article, for the remainder follow the link to Motorcycle.com
2021 Honda NC750X Review
It could be the Honda-est Honda of all time
We were kicking candidates back and forth for this year’s MOTY awards, when somebody threw out as a possible Best Standard the Honda NC750X. Hey wait a minute, I’m the only guy around here who ever liked the NC! Maybe my stately mature influence is rubbing off on the kids at last? For me, it was love at first ride of the original NC700X, way back in 2012. By then, I guess I’d been subjected to enough compromising positions on exotic high-maintenance motorcycles to appreciate the NC’s practical advantages and comfort – and I wasn’t even doing any of the maintaining.
I also wasn’t paying for the gas, but I could still appreciate 60+ mpg. The NC’s ingenious storage compartment and automatic transmission were the ultimate in convenience, even if both were lifted directly from the Aprilia Mana. But when it was mentioned as a candidate in the 2021 MOTY fray, we realized we hadn’t ridden an NC since the big update to NC750X in 2018. How could that have happened...
What’s New?
What was new in 2018 was a 75cc displacement increase (4mm bigger bores) that bumped the 270-cranked parallel Twin to 745cc, and a full 1000-rpm bump in redline to 7500. Four drive modes now allow full exploitation of the automatic Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT), two-level Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC), and engine braking too. American Honda doesn’t do horsepower, but Honda UK does: They have it at 43.1 kW at 6750 rpm, or 57.8 horsepower. And 69 nM at 4750 rpm equals 50.9 pound-feet of torque.
The original NC was a bit bland looking in some eyes; the new one sports “Bold, adventurous design identity based on the ‘Sensual Performance’ concept, with an LED headlight, taillight, and running lights.” In addition to the boring-out of the engine, they added another hot rod touch by lowering the bike: The original seat height was 32.7 inches; our 2021 claims 31.6 inches, which makes the NC even easier to roll around on...
Better Suspension too
Early MO tests poo-pooed the bike’s cheap suspension while admitting it worked pretty alright. In 2018, the 750X got a new Showa Dual Bending Valve fork with 41mm tubes to go with its single-shock Pro-Link rear end. You don’t need any adjustments except rear preload, so pipe down and be happy with the 4.7 inches of wheel travel at both ends...
Surprise! The new suspenders are nicer and in their reduced travel are also a bit firmer and more controlling… Together with that extra power, we’re suddenly riding a much sportier NC-X than before. The Dual Clutch Transmission has reached a high state of refinement: Push D with your right thumb after the engine’s running to move ahead, and if you do nothing else you’ll motor off in Standard Automatic mode and let DCT do all the work. Or, hit the M button with the same right thumb for Manual, and perform instant up- and downshifts with your left forefinger and thumb; it becomes almost instantly instinctive.
All you need is your right thumb, but there’re also paddle shifters for your left thumb and forefinger for maximum progress.
You’ve also got Sport, Rain, and User modes...
It’s kind of hard to see why Honda bothers with M at first, because even in Automatic the shift toggles respond instantly to your left digits. The biggest reason is that in Manual, the newly fortified Twin will keep revving all the way to its new 7500-rpm limiter – 1000 rpm more than before – and it doesn’t shift until you give the command. Otherwise, DCT shifts at the 6700 power peak. There’s not a lot more power to be had beyond there...
In Standard, you can see your Power, Engine Braking and Traction controls are all set to medium. Sport mode gives you all the beans, and there are Rain and User modes too. Gas mileage goes up considerably when you’re not blasting past a camera 36 times in the mountains.
Speaking of Marquezy, you’ll be hearing Ducatis all around you, because that’s what the parallel Twin’s engine sounds like with that 270-degree crankshaft. Much of the time you can barely hear the engine at all, but when you open the throttle and get the revs up the NC comes alive...
Once you’re in Sport, you might be surprised how much fun this “boring” Honda can be...
The new fork is firmer and better damped than before, and makes you want to upgrade the shock – which is adequate. The wide-ish near ADV-style handlebar gives more than enough leverage to stick the NC’s snout into corners. For 2021, the NC is ride-by-wire, with imperceptible lag and zero lurch between throttle opening and acceleration. All of it conspires to have you going down your favorite road surprisingly quickly. Since it’s geared tall, the soothing Twin noises lull you into a false sense of not rolling all that fast. Surprise! ...
The single front disc has good feel and feedback, but I needed three fingers firmly squeezing to get the front ABS to kick in; a bit more braking power to go with the other upgrades wouldn’t be a bad thing.
At a claimed 493 pounds (non-DCT 472), she’s not exactly light and with a 60-inch wheelbase not exactly quick-steering, but she is stable, predictable, and fun for all ages...
Utility player
There’s no finer machine for making it through the Del Taco drive-thru. You don’t even have to dismount to open the big 23-liter trunk right in front of you where the gas tank should be...
For tootling around the surface streets, the DCT, upright ergos and really good suspension make it ideal...
On the freeway, the NC pulls way ahead of any scooter or other motorcycle of its displacement, cruising effortlessly at 80 and 90 mph with supertanker stability. (I rode a KTM 1290 Super Duke R to the dyno in the midst of the NC test; it and the NC both turn about 4500 rpm at 85 mph.) Dual counterbalancers in the parallel Twin render it 98% vibrationless...
Can we justify this?
Without DCT, the NC750X is still a pretty cool motorcycle. With it, it’s kind of a transformatory one: So effortless and fun to ride, so convenient and practical... 2021 NC750X DCT has only crept $300 above the 2012 DCT bike, from $8,999 to $9,299. Soichiro really wants you to have the DCT. Trust him.
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