Honda NM4 inspection today at dealer.

My Local Powersports dealer had a shiny new, Black NM4 on the showroom floor today and it certainly was an eye opener!

My objective opinion: First glance it reminded me of the Batman motorcycle, a sidekick to the Batmobile.

After staring at it and checking the features for maybe 30 minutes, it started to grow on me. In an ANIME way, it is a real class act and has many nice features.

The tried and proven inline twin engine and auto trans has been around a long time and has been proven to be extremely reliable. The rear tire is absolutely huge and the front is big too. Chain final drive may put some off but I've had lots of bikes with chains and if the NM4 was mine, I would put a heavy duty, X ring racing chain on it and never have any problem. Since it isn't a CVT trans at all, there is no belt to worry about for failure and/ or replacement. The engine tilts forward and the 'Screw and locknut' valves would be easy to adjust. Bye-Bye complicated dealer maintenance

It had some storage in the front side pockets and of course in both sidecases but not a whole lot.

The ergonomics were a tad cramped but I believe it was because the riders backrest was down and forward just enough to poke me in my upper butt area.

The Petrol capacity is small at a little over 3+ gallons but the engine and trans combo is giving great mileage in other applications, like 55 to 75 mpg, so touring distance shouldn't be to bad.

The Gage cluster is a work of art and very informative and the color can be changed to meet one's mood. The Led lights and turn signals are neat also.

My first impressions may not be positive enough for me to buy the NM4 but who knows??

My 2012 Goldwing always looked like a Spaceship to me, something like the NM4 but I had two of them and even worse as far as style goes, I also had a BMW K1200LTC that I called the Starship Enterprize so maybe I'm the perfect candidate for this scoot/ motorcycle/???? :lol!:

Sam

I looked at it too. Loved everything about it except:
Where do I put my helmet?
Those hard sides look roomy on the outside but the inside is a joke.
I'd consider this bike if I had the money AND if it had a tail case of some sort that could hold a full face helmet.

I think we Silverwingers are spoiled.
You can outfit it to do anything a Goldwing can, at half the cost.
Feature-wise it can be configured to hit all the check boxes, except being a motorcycle.
Compared side by side feature by feature, other bikes always seem to come up short or more expensive.

Ride a lot----open chain real messy turn off. And how is the weather protection of the rider on this bike??

I can get high miles out of open chains and sprockets by slopping lots of motor oil on. Ex. Suzuki GS 500E, 43,000 miles on original chain and sprockets using lots of oil. Do same on my TU250.

Think closed drive lines of beginning with Vespa, etc, Helix/Reflex/SilverWing are one of the appealing scooter features.

I thought my BMW 650 was a bit odd looking but the NM4 is beyond odd to me. Also I've owned a lot of bikes with open chains. No more for me. My scooter has a chain final but it's running in an oil bath, not much maintenance there. Plus I have a lot more cargo space even when I don't have the top box on. Interesting bike but not for me.

I think maxi riders go on about chain drive a lot more than bike riders do. So you have a bike with an open chain, the quality and durability of chains has improved over the years, modern chain lubes don't fling off the rear sprocket at speed and coat rear wheel and rider like they used to, and there's a whole range of aftermarket chain-oilers and chain guards you can easily fit.

MZ had the simplest and I think the best solution, the front sprocket covered by an alloy cover, rear sprocket enclosed in a type of Bakelite/ plastic and the chain running through a pair of rubber gaiters. All you had to do every few hundred, or a thousand or whenever you had a spare 10 minutes, were undo the bolts on the alloy cover and remove the cover, then use a rubber gloved finger or rag to remove the gob of dirty grease that built up at the bottom of the casing and look for any bits of broken roller that might be in it. Some of the chains MZ fitted were good quality, others not so durable.

Then it was a quick rotation of the chain to inspect it and the front sprocket, then another rotation or two to smear grease on the chain. While the cover was off a quick look at the points/ contact breakers and maybe a dab of oil on the felt pad, then cover back on. Adjusting the chain was another simple 10 minute job.

I liked MZ chain case----some chains from DDR were not very good, rollers broke but there was formula for how many could be broken before replacement.

Best solution---replace with cheap Japanese chain.

Really liked simple MZ maint. procedures.

I agree Meldrew, chains have come a long way in quality! I remember riding across Canada back in the 80's on a Yamaha sr500 chain driven. The chain was constantly stretching and to keep going I had to remove links every so often! I think by the time I arrived at my destination i had enough links to make an extra chain . I now have a chain driven Suzuki Bandit. Last spring I did the usual chain inspection and lubrication, then went over a couple thousand Klm over the summer, checked the chain in the fall and it seemed as tight and same condition as it was in the spring! Not a long distance but the old Yamaha would have me pounding out the links in the same klm range .

My Jawa 350 twin two stroke had the chain totally enclosed in a metal case.  The rattling noise let you know when it needed adjusting!

I think we are showing how old and experienced we are:)

My first new street bike---well to me at 15 1/2 it was a bike but now it looks like a mini-bike, was a Honda C110, 50cc, 4 speed, clutch type bike and it had a totally enclosed chain and all it took was the removal of two, 10mm little 1/2 long bolts.

When my wife and I made our first cross country vacation, about 6,500 miles, in 1974 aboard our new 1974 CB 750, I carried a can of Moly-blue chain lube and every other tank of gas, I'd just spin the rear one revolution and apply the lube. This type was easy to just wipe the excess off but in the entire trip, while doing my 3,000 mile oil and filter change, I did the normal maintenance stuff I always did and of course that included adjusting the chain. Even then, the chain only required maybe 1/8 inch adjustment during the entire trip.

At about 40,000 miles, in 1976, when the very first oil/ lube free sealed roller chains came out, I installed one and it never needed lube again, with very if any stretching after the initial amount when new. The old chain was still like new.

I actually prefer a shaft drive and have had lots of them.

This NM4 scooter/ bike would be a nice ride if a person didn't care what others thought--Oh wait, we don't because we ride scooters anyway:)

Go look at one, adjust that back rest to suit you and see what you think! The power train is highly tested and powerful enough and reliable and an accessory larger windscreen and luggage rack is available right now. Install a racing chain, 'X' oil less chain on the rear and enjoy. The rear tire is HUGE in diameter and width and the front is also large by scooter standards.

I sold my 2012 Goldwing a few weeks ago and the Kymco is for sale and if the weather would just get a little warmer, I'd be riding another new scoot!!!!!!!!!!! What one I don't know.

A $6,500 out the door, Silver Wing still makes the most sense to me as the BMW. Burgman 650 and this NM4 are all hovering around +- $10,000---so, woe is me to make a decision:)

Sam:)

I had a 74 CB 750 also Porkie. I loved that bike! My wife and I took it from MN to FL one summer and it handled both us and our gear with ease. My son has it now. I gave it to him when my wife's health started going down hill and we didn't ride anymore. He likes it too. I now have an 08 SWing with just over 19,000 miles on it and am waiting for warm weather to once again hit MN for a couple of weeks this summer. I bought it from my sister in FL and had to do some maintenance on it as it sat under a tarp for two years. Not it's back up to its normal happy self and ran great last summer. I am looking to a great summer on it this coming season. Well, at least for the two or three weeks of warm summer we have here in MN.

Porkie wrote:

I think we are showing how old and experienced we are.

… and we're not the 'young social media-engaged urbanites living a digital existence in fast moving world' Honda designed the NM4 Vultus for.

No doubt some old git will buy one just to stick a bigger car tyre on the rear wheel to claim he's a Darkside dude, and mess with it's Stealth bomber looks by fitting a beaded seat cover and a radar wave absorbing cup holder.  

Great idea Meldrew, you ought to take out a patent on that radar absorbing cup holder lots of folks would want one to keep their coffee hot. Those picture takers alongside the road ought to be good for something besides tickets.

Mildrew, I would be interested in what you and John Grinsel think after you personally sat on one and gave it a good going over. Both of you Bloke's have lots of experience. Maybe both of you have already done so?

For something so obviously pointed at young digital techies, I found it odd that it didn't have a built in USB charging port or MP3/ USB wiring for music??

As far as the DARKside goes, the rear tire on this NM4 is absolutely huge already. I bet it would last a long time.

"NM4

If you’ve ever wanted to transport yourself into the future, this is your machine. By design, the NM4 shakes up the status quo and explodes conventional barriers in order to attract a whole new segment of forward-thinking riders to motorcycling. Beneath its futuristic bodywork there’s a 670cc, liquid-cooled, parallel-twin engine with four valves per cylinder, automatic dual-clutch transmission and ABS. Storage pockets in the fairing plus saddlebags add real-world utility, and the rear turn signals are neatly integrated into the rear bags. The rider settles easily onto a comfy seat that’s perched a low, 25.6 inches off the ground, and there’s also a cool and practical rider backrest feature—the passenger seat flips up and can be set at three different angles and slides fore and aft to one of four positions. Full LED lighting lets the NM4 stand out whether it’s coming or going, the fat, 200mm rear tire imparts a cool look, and the meter display can be illuminated in any of 25 different color choices—nearly one for every day of the month. All this and more add up to one of the coolest new bikes in the Honda line. Color: Black Metallic; Price: $10,999; Availability: June." Motorcycle daily.


My Son and I are going to go look at it this coming Saturday:)

Have a great weekend everyone! It is going to be 58 Degrees today and for the next week maybe!!!

Sam:)

Porkie wrote:

Have a great weekend everyone! It is going to be 58 Degrees today and for the next week maybe!!!
Sam:)

We should be so lucky!! Looking between 3c and 5c (37f - 41f) for about the next week!

Didn't Honda give out some PR guff about 'early adopters and new ideas' when the let out the DN01 and we all know how successful that was !

I know what you're saying BikerBoy about the DN-01. To me it was weird looking but what really put me off was the HIGH price of almost $15,000.

Now, when I look at them, I am impressed for a lot of reasons, like the real shaft drive, non CVT auto trans, the 670cc, V-twin engine like I had in my two, 2010 Honda NT700's (Deauville.) The overall build quality is superb.

I know people who bought them when new and they love them. Almost brand new 'used' ones with very low mileage are available for right around +- $8,000.

Really the Anime style doesn't put me off a bit, after having a new 1989 Pacific coast, a new 1997 Goldwing, an almost new BMW K1200LTC and my recently sold 2012 Goldwing, all of which look very weird themselves compared to 'ordinary' motorcycles.

The salesman called me from the local dealer where I saw the NM4 to tell me he has a new 2014-15 Burgman 650 for me to look at tomorrow so my Saturday is looking up, especially with the temps in the 59-60 degree area:)

Sam:)

I have not sat on one, nor really have any interest. But BIG QUESTION----does it have centerstand?? Without, taking care of that open chain=real pain.....if you ride a lot or tour.

I've no intention of going into a Honda dealers to look at the NM4 Vultus, because like John I've no interest in them. Plus I'd hate to own anything that small folk gawped at and came up to me and asked silly questions about. I had enough of that when I owned a Helix back in the Nineties when they were a rare beast on UK roads and the name maxi scooter hadn't yet been coined.

As for that other Honda oddball the DN-01, the engineering and concept may have been impressive but they were a sales flop for Honda. Even dealers painting them in Team Repsol Honda colour failed to shift more than a few. I went and sat on a low mileage used DN-01 in a showroom in West Yorkshire about 9 months ago. It looked great, Mrs M could climb on and off the passenger seat OK, even though it had a taller Givi screen fitted it was still far too low, I'd have been wind blasted and deafened, and my hands and legs would have been soaked after a few miles in heavy rain in the gyno's chair riding position. It needed full Givi or Honda luggage to carry stuff, and like the Vultus would attract the gawpers and inevitable idiot questions from randomers.

I had a look on that dealers website a couple of days ago, the same DN-01 is still For Sale.

I realy think Honda have lost the plot, the NM4 seems to be the latest horrible creation they have dreamed up to ruin yet another proven and good scooter.
They hinted at this with the DN01 and I should have guessed that it was a forerunner for the NM4 monstrosity! The only saving grace for the DN01 was the shaft drive, the rest was horrible and it fell flat on its backside here in the UK! Perhaps it was an overwhelming success somewhere else, however this seems to be Honda these days.
My main bike is a Honda Blackbird which has a great following here in the UK, but yet again Honda pulled the plug and brought out a semi replacement in the VFR1200 which is yet another bike from the ugly school of biking. Suzuki kept the Hyabusa
Kawasaki have the Z1000 & ZZR1400 and Yamaha have the FJR.
So this NM4 seems to me as being a case of Honda just not listening yet again to its loyal customers, getting rid of yet another great machine and bringing out an ugly joke!
Don't even get me started on build quality which was always a reason for buying Honda and now sadly not!
The same however doesn't seem to happen with their cars, look at the Civic range which has been going for quite a while always the same basic concept with Tweeks made with each successive model to improve it as new features became available, admittedly the Civic became the Jazz two generations back and an all new Civic came out which certainly catered for the customers and what they wanted. The latest one has moved on and is yet another car basically from the same stable with more refinements.
Why do Honda listen to their car customers but not their bike customers?

"Why do Honda listen to their car customers but not their bike customers?" (Hornblower)

They do listen to their biggest market, ASIA. The United Kingdom and North America are but a 'drop in the bucket,' in total sales. Honda sells more motorcycles in the world than any other manufacturer so I'd say they know what they are doing. Harley Davidson sells more bikes in America than any other manufacturer, so contrary to the opinions of some, they obviously know what they are doing.

We "Baby Boomer's," a term coined in the U.S., are getting old and very settled in our ways and look with disdain at styling innovations.

We all want to somehow relive our youth and rekindle memories and long for that bike we owned 30-40- or 50 years ago and somehow forget why we sold them in the first place and moved on.

Bike sales of these so called "Universal Japanese Motorcycle's," (UJM) that we all longed for and told the manufacturer's we wanted have not sold basically at all and still sit unnoticed and unloved in the back corner of a showroom, price drastically reduced and still unsold.

We Senior citizen riders are gravitating in HUGE numbers toward big, comfortable cruisers first, (Lounge chairs) touring rigs (Better lounge chairs) and some large comfortable so called adventure bikes, not to mention the new rash of spaceship looking 3 wheelers, leaving the new and innovative to the young crowd, who appreciate it.

Myself, even going on 68 years old, try not to let nostalgia overcome me and blind my vision. Owning a high tech Electronics business (www.carthageelectronics.com ) and having to keep up with innovation on all levels, (New 3D printer--wow!) allow me to embrace style and innovation. I love this new look on most of the bikes and scooters especially if the style and function are symbiotic in nature.

My problem is that almost all of the offerings nowadays, are not ergonomically acceptable to me: I don't have the body to be a 'Jockey' and be forced into awkward riding positions anymore!

If you've ever traveled to Hawaii and seen hundreds if not thousand of Japanese tourist exiting their bus for their company sponsored yearly vacations, then you've probably noticed that absolutely 99% of them are maybe 5ft-5in and 130 lbs and I believe that the Asian bike builders cater to them and their wants and not we LARGER folks.

If that neat little NM4 that my Son and I looked at yesterday at the dealer had a 4 inch higher seat that was also longer and if the floorboards were another 4 inches further ahead and maybe 2 inches lower, I would have bought two of them right then and there----but, they are made for the small and delicate and not we corn fed mid-western folks.

The new 2013-15 Burgman 650, another example, is also ruined for me because compared to my 'Old style' 650, it is no longer comfortable at all, with a lowered seat that effectively raises the floorboards up, think 'Jockey' position and the same floorboards don't go forward as much as they are on my Burgman 650. Now if I want a new Burgman, I'll have to buy a new, leftover 2012 Executive, just so I will be comfortable on it.

The brand new for this year Burgman 200, was actually more comfortable than the 650!

I may buy that new leftover 2012 Silver Wing this week but it's 200 miles away and will take a little time off of work to make the trip.

So many choices (Ha-ha-ha) so little time!

Sam:)

Porkie your link is not working for me. When I try to go there I get "The server at www.carthageelectronics.com%29 can't be found, because the DNS lookup failed. DNS is the network service that translates a website's name to its Internet address. This error is most often caused by having no connection to the Internet or a misconfigured network. It can also be caused by an unresponsive DNS server or a firewall preventing Google Chrome from accessing the network."
I just thought you might like to know so you could check to see if it's on your end. It could just be me.

Just type this in your URL: www.carthageelectronics.com

Your link above has %29 extension?????

Not on my end my friend---that's poetry. Our web-site is undergoing updates of data but is still functional.

Sam:)

Thank you for whatever you did because the link in your new post works. I don't know where the %29 extension came from either, that's where the first link took me.  

Roger,
I had that problem too.
The problem was that the closing parenthesis was part of the link.
I've edited his post so the link should work properly now.

Dan

Thank you Dan. So much to learn and so few years left to learn it.