Spring 2022

Firstly, you may ask “why did I want another motorbike?”. My only other (running) motorbike is a Fantic trail bike, which, although it’s fun to ride, is not a great bike for just getting around. To ride the Fantic really takes planning and a lot of ‘getting ready’ to have a proper ride. Mostly this is inconvenient, so the idea of another road bike crept up on me, and, following a little push from my friend Paul, I took the plunge and went looking for my next bike…

I’ve had most bike types in my time, so I’m not hankering after more power (had a Kawasaki ZX9R) or the lightest weight (had a Yamaha Serow) or fastest speed (had a Honda Blackbird) or maximum storage (had a Goldwing GL1500) or fastest off-road (had a KTM 350EXC) or screaming two-stroke (had a Kawasaki KR1S) or a lugging V-twin (had a Harley-Davidson 1200 Sporster) or a small road bike (had a Suzuki GT380) or a road racer (had a Kawasaki ZX7R) or even an old British bike (had a DMW Cortina). I’ve had singles, a V-twin, in-line triples, fours and flat six cylinder engines, chain drive, shaft drive and belt drive, so what’s left? After some head scratching I realised the big gap that’s left is that of an in-line twin engine with an automatic gearbox! Yes, really!! And the prime candidate was the NC750 bike with DCT (Dual Clutch Transmission) by Honda. Then it became a choice between the X (adventure) and S (road) versions, but having a trail bike an adventure bike seemed too much of a compromise, so the S version it was. Interestingly, the S has recently been discontinued for some reason, perhaps not having the (supposed) modern adventure bike theme worked against it, but for me the thought of enjoying the 1,000’s of miles of British (and maybe European) back roads really appeals – I have the adventure side covered with the trail bike should I feel the need!

In my early days I would not have considered an inline twin engine as they had a reputation of high vibration and, perhaps because of the old british bike links, poor reliability. And the idea of an automatic gearbox and clutch on a motorbike, well, what could be more anti-motorbike than such a monstrosity? Well, it turns out twins are now far more civilised with 270º crankshafts and balance shafts, and are far more reliable due to japanese engineering (so the new reputation goes, anyway). And automatic transmissions have come on miles since the awful days of fluid torque converters and three speed gear boxes. Now they are more like a manual clutch and manual gearbox, just automated with hydraulic actuators and electric motors, all controlled by computers, of course, linked to loads of sensors and mixed in with fuel injection instead of carburettors. So, now this is worth a try.

Although the NC750 is generally regarded as just a commuter bike, a bike for non-enthusiasts, even a boring bike, as I’m now a rider that has nothing to prove, that just wants to enjoy the road and the place I’m at, and I think that the NC750 fits that bill very nicely. I ‘only’ need a bike that is good at general road riding and can keep up with modern traffic without being a specialist speed machine or a continent crushing machine or a road racer or a supermoto or an about town moped. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but at nearly 70 years old I think this is the right motorbike for me.

I hunted around my local area (SE England) and eventually found (in my eyes at least) a pretty black and red example at the right price in Laguna’s Honda place in Aylesford. (Coincidentally, Aylesford is the place I first rode a motorcycle over fifty years ago, a BSA Bantam (old even then) in a field farmed by my friend Angus Tucker’s family – so that’s me gone full circle then!) They serviced it, MoT’d it, put new tyres on it and the deal was done. Added it to my Fantic insurance, taxed it and rode it home on a rather chilly February day. Although it has heated hand grips they didn’t turn the summer gloves into winter gloves… but the ride was still good as I avoided the motorways and dual carriageways and got home with no issues.

So, now I own a late 2016 Honda NC750S in black and red; let’s see how it meets my needs and what changes I need to make. But first, what makes it so special?? Click here to find out.