Back on 2 Wheels with an NM4!

I've been eyeing the NM4 since it came out.
This bike is visually polarizing.
Either you love it or hate it.
I think its one of the best looking factory models I've ever seen.

Its a completely impractical bike compared to the Silverwing.
Low windshield, Storage departments look big on the outside but are disappointingly small on the inside.
One riding position which is comfortable for a time, but its still only ONE position.
There are lots of reasons not to buy this bike.

I think its sexy as hell, just like me. I look at the bike and smile. It makes me happy. Bike sold.
I can get the bigger windshield and there as a luggage rack accessory from Japan that will allow me to use a givi box.
That will take care of the buffeting and give me sufficient storage. Those are my two biggest objections.

A look through cycle trader shows a lot of adverts for the bike, but the Honda dealer network shows There are less than 1/2 dozen of these for sale new in the whole country.

The nearest place I found to me was in Winston-Salem North Carolina. At a discount no less!
Google earth plots a route that is 800 miles home. SOLD!

Since I know about the small storage, I pack light.
2 pairs of t-shirts/socks/underwear, my rain suit, toiletries,
in a small nylon laundry bag, and a bungee to strap it to the bike.
Everything else I'm wearing, and goes in my pockets. Yes I have a helmet.

Lots of stuff happening in my life right now and had to complete it Tuesday night before leaving
Wednesday Morning April 8 on an 8:30am flight. (Translation: Only 4 hours sleep)
Uber picks me up on time and gets me to the airport. No time for breakfast before we board.
I get another half hour of sleep on the plane to Charlotte NC. where I change planes to my final
destination of Greensboro airport. Still no time for breakfast.

The salesman (Ron) picks me up at the airport, and its a 30 minute drive to his dealership.
I get there and give the secretaries my cashier's check and everything they need to begin the paperwork while we check out the bike. 15 minutes later the secretary comes to me with a hurt look on her face.
Seems the person who wrote out the cashier's check from Wells Fargo never signed it....
Fortunately there is a nearby branch. Ron gives me a ride over and the problem is resolved quickly.

After going over the bike with me I fill the storage compartments on the bike with the stuff I'll need quick access to, like the rain suit, and bungee my nylon bag to the back of the driver's backrest.

So I get on the bike and the first thing I notice, is ball position.
On my corbin seat on the wing, they just lay on top.
The shape of the seat on a motorcycle is that it always rises in the front,
so they have to be adjusted. It takes practice to do without appearing to do it.
I know those of you with motorcycle experience laugh at this, but remember
this is my first real motorcycle. When I did the test drive on this bike a month ago, I
was only on the bike for 15 minutes. Didn't think anything of it during a short ride.
But I have 800+miles to go. Long distance comfort is important.

Foot brake.....got to get used to a foot brake. To a motorcycle rider this is normal.
To a silverwinger this is not.
No brake on the left handle... hmmm....I could always move foot brake to hand control...

No cruise control or place for a GPS like I have on the wing...aftermarket of course...
I'll have to look into these things. Probably have to invent a few things again.
Not a lot of aftermarket stuff made for this bike.

Shifting...automatic of course, but shifting...what a concept! More noises to get used to.
In my best snooty French accent:
"We are Silverwingers. We do not.....shift"

I already had a printed map and route from google earth.
All that was left was directions to the nearest really good BBQ restaurant (This was after all NC), and I was off.
When I exited the BBQ restaurant there were people taking pictures with the bike.
This is not the last time during my journey with the bike.
Constant comments like "futuristic, anime, batbike, I've never seen anything like that before, is it custom?"
Were all music to my ears.
I even told one guy it was a prop for the new batman movie and I was taking it to the next shooting location. He bought it hook line and sinker.

There is a cage inside the gas tank so you don't stick the nozzle all the way in. You must be sure to hold the gas pump in a certain way to insure you don't get backsplash. I'll have to read up on tank size. Seems like I was filling up pretty often. Did not check gas mileage. I think that it has something to do with the bike leaning that you can't fill the gas tank all the way. Will have to try it straight up to see if there is a difference.

Lots of light on low and high beam...not going to have to convert to xenon/HID.
Need to put my motolights on the wheel of this bike like I had on my wing,
so light goes where I point the front wheel.

You know that machine in the GYM (a gym is a place you make a new years resolution to visit but always break) where the weights spread your knees and you have to use your muscles to squeeze them together?
When you hit 70 mph, that's what it feels like. Now do that for 250 miles at 70+mph. Remember I'm developing "riding muscles" for the first time...


First day I was having such a good time I missed my turn and rode about 40 miles in the wrong direction.
Did a total of 250 miles the first day. Not bad for no sleep and a new muscle workout.
Made it to Orangeburg SC.

Day 2, There was a Honda dealership near my path and my bike was making a whistling noise. So I decided to let a mechanic check it out. While I was there I bought a new modular helmet and Bluetooth and had the old one shipped home. Turns out the whistling is what happens when you go slow.
Slow. Who knew? New windscreen will take care of that. I'll have a helmet review later.
Did 450 miles on Day 2. Ended up in Titusville FL.

Day 3. 200 miles to home.

All in all a great ride on a fun bike.. I think I'll keep it for a while.
Will order the upgrades on Monday.

Dan

So lesson learned- dont buy a NM4?

Congratulations Dan. When you say; "It makes me happy.", it says it all.

hotwings wrote:

So lesson learned- dont buy a NM4?

Dunno where you get that from.

Lesson here is be cognizant of the difference between a motorcycle and a scooter,
and remember when you got your wing if you made any mods at all, then it wasn't
your perfect bike either.

hotwings wrote:

dspevack wrote:

There are lots of reasons not to buy this bike.

True. That doesn't mean they can't be fixed.
Another reason people might not buy this or any bike, is that it doesn't meet their expectations.
Someone coming from a scooter background like myself, had (unreasonably) scooter expectations.
I simply wasn't aware of the challenges that you face on any motorcycle that you do not face on a scooter.
Once I no longer expected it act like a bigger scooter,
and changed my expectations to what is reasonable for a motorcycle,
I now like the bike more.

Dan congratulations On your new bike and the safe journey home. Glad you're happy with it. Keep us informed how things change along the way.

Dan,

Congrats on your new bike. I think you will find the bike a really nice bike. It took me about 1,000 miles to really understand the DCT and how it shifts in twisties and things but I love the low-end torque. But you are right about being spoiled with the big scooters and having them set up the way you want. If I had the chance when I had my SWing, and even now, I would loved to have ridden the SWing through many states. I found it to be an extremely comfortable bike and had good power too. I don't find too much difference in power between my CTX and the SWing I had other than the CTX is a bit quicker

You may need to bring your seat to someone to redo it since I doubt they make a Corbin yet. But you should get in the 70's once you brake it in and get used to it. Again, congrats.

No center stand/goofy riding position/heavy/open chain/weather protection=real turn off for me.----I do not care how bike looks but how it functions.

As motorcyclist,, who has a scooter since 1968,I like the ease of getting on scooter among other things. But best to buy various stuff so you can really comment. This bike not on my list to buy or even ride.

john grinsel wrote:

No center stand/goofy riding position/heavy/open chain/weather protection=real turn off for me.----I do not care how bike looks but how it functions.

As motorcyclist,, who has a scooter since 1968,I like the ease of getting on scooter among other things.  But best to buy various stuff so you can really comment.  This bike not on my list to buy or even ride.

Let me add my congratulations to those of JG. Enjoy the ride cause that's what it's all about or so I think I've heard somewhere.

Congratulations on your new bike Dan. Sounds like you had a great time bringing her home. I look forward to hearing more about your experiences as you break her in. Have fun!

I took a long, close look at the NM4 and the CTX700 at the Chicago Progressive show, not that I wanted to lose the Swing, but, always gotta keep an open mind - right? The basic platform is the same, just the T'ware and color, so, why, I asked, the $2k dif in price? All the rep could tell me was "limited availability". I'm assuming you bought the NM to ride it, not for 'investment' purposes, so, it all comes down to beauty and the eye of the beholder, that and if you are happy, which you seem to be, what everyone else thinks " machts nicht"! So, ride the heck out of it and enjoy your ride!

Thank all of you for your support.

Dan

I'm not familiar with the bike, sounds interesting and as they say"variety is the spice of life". Congrats and enjoy your riding!

I dunno what this forum's coming to... Our Mr Spevack rationalizing himself onto a NM4, and now Uncle Blingy selling off his SW to make a down payment on a CanAm Spyder. Jeez, what's next, JG dusting off a barn-find Cushman and topping Pikes Peak?

Congratulations Dan.

Tim

Dan,

Madstad must think the NM4 will be available in some numbers - they already have a shield available for it - check out the link.

http://www.madstad.com/s.nl/sc.7/category.13193/.f

Rick V

Rick,

Thanks for posting that and it looks good with the madstad. I like the looks of the NM4 and think it is a cool bike. I like the way the back of the seat comes up and makes a backrest. After I saw that I wondered why other bikes haven't done something like this. I know the CTX's stock seat could have had a 2 piece seat with a hinge.

I know John is kind of picky with his bikes but the one NM4 that the Honda shop that I go to sold their NM4 before they got it. A new batch has been ordered too so it seems like Honda wil continue this bike, as they should.

Ya know Rick.....
Just when I thought I wasn't going to do any more long distance riding for a while...
Madstad is 272 miles from me each way. ROADTRIP!

No Cushman for me, even in the 50's they were too crude for me----front brake? tires only from Cushman----at that time Vespa from Sears was $325----the also had Puch 175 and 250, well developed machines, 125 was available,too.

I sat on one at the dealer last summer when I stopped in and saw one for the first time.
The double clutch was a cool feature and the epic bat bike look is off the hook.
I liked the flip up back rest too. When I stopped in just after christmas, it was gone.
Watched a review on utube who took one out for a test drive in poland.
I had my eye on the 2006 Swing instead. A few weeks later and now it's mine.
Just put a thousand miles on it yesterday since I bought it back in Feb.

So I get on the bike and the first thing I notice, is ball position.
On my corbin seat on the wing, they just lay on top.
I'm glad you broached this delicate subject. Left or Right, I think we can all agree that we can't just leave these guys hanging around. They must not get pinched; gotta get 'em situated.
It takes practice to do without appearing to do it.
Agreed. I'm getting better at making quick discreet adjustments. Even on the fly if I'm driving slow enough.

Anyway - Congratulations on your new bike.

Just so you don't have to "re-arrange the furniture" on the move!

It's allot of fun to try out new bikes. I got back into riding about 8 years ago and started out on a Burgman 650 and later a 400. From the Maxiscooter I thought Deb and I would do touring so I bought a GL 1200 and GL 1500. Deb is a fair weather rider and doen't like the extremes with cold and rain, so we decided touring was out for us. So, I got another Burgman 650 and last year thought I'd try out a Honda 919 naked motorcycle. Oh, and somewhere in there, there was a Honda Refex too. And tomorrow, I pu a 2003 SW. During this tenure of Maxiscooters and Goldwings, I've had a hankering for a Genuine Buddy 170i. However, I've decided for now to clear out the other bikes and sell them and just ride the SW. It appears to be the Swiss Army Knife of scooters. Don't know why it took so long to see the light?

When they first hit the dealers, I saw one on my way to the parts dept and it stopped me dead in my tracks and my initial reaction was shock! It was strange to say the least. Then on the way out of the store it caught my eye again and out comes the IPhone for lots of pictures. A few days later I realized that I hadn't sat on the thing or really taken any serious time examining it. I went back and did the official 'Butt test' followed by the leg and back and shoulder test: The ergonomics were all fairly good but the backrest when down hit me right in the small of my back right where it meets my Uranus. The pegs and handle bars were great but if I remember correct the mirrors weren't quite far out enough to see past my considerable girth. I absolutely couldn't stop looking at the bike!

I had already studied the bikes/ scoots mechanicals and knew that they had been proven bullet proof in Honda's other applications and I read about the very high fuel mileage attained by the scoot. The chain didn't bother me a bit: At replacement time, just use a Y or X no lube racing chain with matching heavy duty sprockets if needed and forget about it forever.

I did notice that lots of the Tupperware was extremely brittle, small gage and had some hinges that looked like they'd fall apart very quickly and in fact one fell off completely when the salesman opened one of the side cases.

I couldn't stop thinking about how I'd look riding it but thought that I wouldn't look much different than riding my new Gold Wing that looks like the Starship Enterprise. I left the dealership for more contemplation.

A few days later, I took my Son, that rides with me and who also has a B650 and we did a top to bottom inspection. When I saw how he looked on it, he being a big man also, I found out how incredibly small the thing looked compared to other Maxi-scooters, so I/ we passed.

I still love the scoot and would very much like to ride one sometime!

Good luck with your new one. You will have to answer so many questions, you might as well type it all out to hand out to the numerous people who will ask hundreds of questions!

Sam:)

German magazine "Stern" titles online: Black, distinctive, fast. Probably Batmans next stuff bike!

Just look at its shape, you can´t deny. It looks very cool and stylish.

Always have a good trip,

Peter