Honda 2010 Motorcycles/Scooters

Honda introduced a new model NT700 ( http://powersports.honda.com/2010/nt700v/specifications.aspx) 680cc 5-speed shaft drive as ST1300's little brother

Finally! Someone offers a sport touring bike with not too powerfull engine. I was looking for a smaller sport touring bike earlier this year and there is only one available - BMW F800ST (read $$$). This would be perfect for someone who's not ready for ST1300 (1300cc) or Kawasaki Concours (1400cc). I feel however that in best Honda traditions this bike is overpriced. $11,000 (with ABS) is way too much for a 600cc sport-tourer. Thanks. Miro.
P.S. oh, and a seat height is too high (even higher than ST1300). By the way, all BMW bikes are now offered with low seat and low frame options.

Nice looking though, and only a little heavier than the Swing. I like the red color too, and the integrated saddlebags are a great idea. The passenger leg position didn't look too comfortable I have to say. I'd guess that would be pretty uncomfortable after a little while.

Blurring the line between mega-scooter and "small" touring motorcycle.

Seat height is higher than the Swing.
That lets me out even if I were to settle for a manual trans.

I love the look. The seat height is to high for me also

I searched on the Honda model number NT700V ... evidently it is known by another name "Deauville".

Is this the same motorcycle that has been in Europe for awhile??

Yep
A crippled version of the deauville engine (-10 horsepower) is what's in the DN-01

Hi Everyone....

The Deauville is indeed that bike that has been around in Europe for a while has also got the nickname of the "Dullsville" I posted some stuff about it on the maxi scoot forum recently...

My brother in law went from a GTR 1000 (kawasaki concours) to the Deauville, or Dullsville..... He was in his lates 60s at the time and felt he didn't need as much power and all that weight... He regretted it and eventually sold the Deauville and went back to a GTR.... he argued that the "dullsville" whilst indeed very practical was in fact very dull, a VFR with no performance or anything in the way of exciting handling to talk of. But a superb commuter...?!!!! Except he was retired and didn't commute, but rode more for fun as a hobby!!!! A year later his GTR was stolen and he ended up buying an X-9 scoot for a year, and now has a burgie 650, both of which he rates as much better and more fun than the Dullsville...

Some people love them.... Others don't........ As for me, I'd rate my S'wing as a better machine..... A near if not top of the range scoot, not quite as fast or powerfull as the bike, but well good enough and much more fun..... As to the Deauville, it is outperformed by many of its competitor size for size bikes in just about every way. IMHO a better choice would be V-strom 650, the new 600 diversion, and the FZ6.....

Of course if you want an awesome bike, then the Fazer 1000, well man that bike rocks!!!! but then I'm a bit biased about that machine..... :-)

Bernardo,

I have heard similar reviews of the Honda 700 but it seems to be a very comfortable bike. It seems everyone that has reviewed it says it is very comfortable for the rider and the passenger. It seems that it should be more powerful since it has 15 more hp and only about 20 lbs heavier. I want to go sit on one to see what they are like. They sure are really nice looking bikes. It's too bad it doesn't have a 800 cc or so engine. But the people who have one seem to really enjoy them. But they also don't seem to be sport bike types either. Most though say they cruise at about 80-85 and say they are very comfortable and solid.

Have you ever ridden one? And are they much more powerful than the SWing? The SWing is hard to beat for the intermediate size bikes. I have heard that a scooter is about equal to a cruiser with an engine about 1 1/2 times larger. Not sure why but it seems when I read about reviews of the 900 cruisers, they seem to start to vibrate at about 80-90 and my SWing is still very smooth.

That is interesting. But I sure love my wing. The bike looks heavy but the side cases are really nice. I guess my Wing has all the power I need. But it is nice to have the option of the smaller engine for a touring bike.
Of course like many others the seat height leaves me out for sure

There are some folk who swear by the Deauville and who have had several.... As a Honda the finish is good and the bike has a bulletproof reputation, and is low maintenance. Many owners use them all year round, and occasionally you come across some that are ridden quite aggressively in town traffic through some of the smallest of gaps between the city traffic of trucks vans and cars.... Some end up as dispatch bikes. They are not especially powerful, though have more than enough to burn off most cars and scooters for that matter, but noticeably less power than most similar size bikes

If your main need from a bike is biased toward low running costs reliability, comfort, econimical all year round riding and you don't need / want the power of a bigger machine but want a tourer style bike, than the Deauville would be high on your list of potential bikes.

I have sat on one and had a look around, but not ridden one. The standard built in panniers are in fact quite small, OK for a small briefcase, and most people buy upgrades from Honda in the way of replacement lids, that effectively increase the size of them.

Perhaps the best bike to compare it too as a comparison is the older Pacific Coast 800cc which was loved by many..... the Deauville would be a slightly less like a mini Pan European, and with footpegs as opposed to running boards....

Interesting discussion. I like the way the Deauville looks and I like the small size. They claim it puts out 64 horse power and about 48 lb/ft of torque, and has a top speed of about 125, so I am guessing that the performance will be just a little better than my modified Swing. I have always liked the PC 800 too. The PC 800 put out about 57 hp and 48 lb/ft of torque, but it is carburated. The Deauville is fuel injected, so I am guessing that the Deauville will provide better fuel economy and slightly better acceleration. I may just have to go try one out to see how it fits. I suppose another option is to wait for the new VFR 1200 when it comes out next year...

Gentlemen

I have 09 Silverwing purchased in January this year and have been delighted with it.

Except for the usual noises from front plastic, its been fault free - fully serviced at 4000 miles by ex Honda mechanic of 30 years experience.

Main use is for shopping/local trips and always raises a wry smile on my face when cars are left in my wake at traffic stops.

However, I yearned for a shaft driven 'tourer' and puchased via E bay a 18month old 700cc ABS Deauville, one owner, Honda service history and 2146 miles completed. Great price compared with other offerings and owned by guy of my age group (62) who used for local rides and small tours in dry weather. Unmarked and gleeming like new machine. Only downside, bike was in Largs Scotland and I live near Dover in South of England!! Travelled to neice's place and taken by car to pick up bike.

Rode from Largs to my neice's place at Gretna (138 miles) and spent night. Next morning, rode 402 miles to my home. No back ache, no butt ache and a pleasure to ride.

Averaged best part of 60 mpg and cruised 70/75 mph all the way, and a delight to ride.

Deauville will not set the world alight but will deliver you in comfort, carry vast amount of gear in extra large panniers and top box, and with renowned reliability.

Silverwing and Deauville are like chalk and cheese but each is delightful in its own way.

Silverwing will remain as my day to day shopper/runabiut and Deauville will be used for longer runs to my fiends in France and Belgium.

I researched Deauville before buying one and took due note of all views. My view is great bike for comfortable touring and will get you to your destination without drama's and with your back and butt in good order. Bike for gentlemen and appears bomb proof Honda build. Not a machine for flinging about the road and burning rubber.

Bill

Bill:
Thanks for your review. Do you think the Deauville would be be reasonably comfortable for a rider who is 6"5"? From what I have heard so far, I could see having both the Swing and the Deauville in my garage...

Hi Scootist

I am 6' and weigh 224lbs and found Deauville very comfortable

However, I have ordered knee pads and knuckle deflecters to enhance the ride and also have positioned the screen to to highest position. This deflects wind nicely over my head and no battering, hence comfortable ride of over 400 miles on first day, stopping every 100/125 miles to fuel and take a short break.

At 6' 5", I would have thought screen would need to be in highest position to deflect wind over head and knee pads essential to protect paintwork on sides of tank and remove slight vibration you will experience via fuel tank.

Otherwise, I would have thought your height will make Deauville a superb ride for you - for example, I can place both feet flat and firm on ground with my height when stopping and therefore me and bike stable

Hope this helps

Bill

Thanks Bill.
That helps a lot. One more question. In your opinion is the performance of the Deauville at least comparable to the Swing? The Swing is pretty quick, but I wouldn't mind just a wee bit more acceleration.

Scootist

Bearing in mind a manual gear change on Deauville, I think its marginally quicker when well underway but not from standing start - Silverwing always will be quick up to 50 mph or so with automatic gearbox.

On my initial ride down from Scotland, the torque of Deauville engine came into its own when cruising at 70/75 mph and certainly pulled away to 90mph on couple of occasions quick enough for me for overtaking purposes. Inclines on UK motorways were laughed at by this bike and same speed maintained with little input from me on throttle.

Deauville seemed less stressed to me than Silverwing at same speeds and certainly more stable at higher speed which were maintained for 1+ hours at a time

Bear in mind this is bike and engine are built for cruising and not boy racing and I would agree with some owners describing Deauville as 'baby' Pan and certainly easy to ride and forgiving at all speeds.

Hope this helps you in your decision - Honda must see a good market in US to import it as its not cheap in UK - with latest price increase due to exchange rates and state of £, ABS model is now £7621, a jump of nearly £900 in one hit !!!!!! Fit a top box and couple of options and £8000 is average price new on the road with all taxes!!!!

Hence my secondhand purchase direct with private seller at £4000, deal of the year for 18 month old 2146 miles and 6 months Honda Warrantly left and most options needed fitted !! Bonus was I avoided giving my usless Government any further taxes to waste !!!

Bill

Bill:
I really appreciate all of your insights into the two bikes. I am well past the need for a bike that will go a gazillion miles per hour. I admit that I enjoy carving turns through the twisty bits and having the ability to pull away from cages when needed, but I don't see the need to pull wheelies or slide around corners while dragging a knee.

It sounds like you got a heck of a deal on your used Deauville. Here in the States Honda has priced the ABS version at $10,999.00. I figure with the matching top case and larger Panniers it will end up right around $12,000 or so. Admittedly, that is a lot of money for a bike, but I really like the durability and reliability of Honda products in general, and I like the look of the Deauville, so it may be worth it. I don't plan to do anything right away. I would guess the earliest I may get serious about buying another bike would be in the Spring of 2010, but maybe not until sometime in 2011 or even 2012. I do like to look and dream though...

Thanks again.
David

honda_silver wrote:

Honda introduced a new model NT700 680cc 5-speed shaft drive...

This bike has been available in Europe and Australia for several years and is known as the "Dauville". My riding mate has one and it is very good. We have done thousands of kilometres around outback NSW and it makes a really good one-person tourer.


Hopefully my new SW will show it up a little

Regards,
Peter

Interesting thread....!


It got me thinking.... If you were to combine a S'wing and a Deauville.....

Would you get a DN-01?!

Bernardo wrote:

... If you were to combine a S'wing and a Deauville would you get a DN-01?!

YES! but without the luggage carrying capacity of either .

Regards,
Peter

pja wrote:

Bernardo wrote:

... If you were to combine a S'wing and a Deauville would you get a DN-01?!

YES! but without the luggage carrying capacity of either .

Regards,
Peter

Good point!! But Givi do a great luggage system that'll fit the DN-01, and a decent screen that actually offers the wind protection.......

Technically despite not being a cheap bike one DN-01 with givi extras is gonna be cheaper than a Swing and a Deauville.... And no matter from what background you are coming from, that DN-01 does offer a very cool looking and ultimately practical (ish) hybrid.....


That said at one point I owned three bikes a Yamaha Diversion 900 (big shaftie), a S'wing and a Fazer 1000 (hooligan tool)..... OK the Swing and the Fazer are not prisitine, but altogether the three mahcines have cost me about the same price as a DN-01, that's including my project when I got hooked onto getting the S'wing better and better with all the extras I had done to it......

I reckon now that although my S'wing still doesn't have the same bhp as the Deauville or DN-01, it does have the same torque...... It is perhaps a bit slower, but only a little, although it now does have good economy thanks to the power commander and dynto tune... And the usual S'wing accoutrements, comfort, weather protection, luggage space etc. I fact when I bought the diversion, (I wanted the low down grunt acceleration pull of a bigger bike) I thought that I now had the perfect pair.... But in real terms, the only thing that the S'wing couldn't do that the diversion could was that low down grunt, and to be honest it around cars and town, in the real world the difference wasn't that much...... Now with the Fazer which is ridiculous power and performance you do notice the difference between the S'wing and Fazer in a big way..... But good as the Fzer is... come the all round ability, colder weather / need for luggage capacity, pillion comfort etc... the good ole' Swing wins again!

A pity Honda don't do a souped up version... but if they did they wouold be selling as manny DN-01s or Deauvilles!!

But then I'm biased!

Happy riding!

I am wondering if you added some basic after market performance enhancements to the Deauville. (K&N Air filter, free-flow exhaust, power commander) what sort of hp and torque you might be able to get out of it.

I've actually been looking for performance parts for the deauville because the engine for the deauville is the same as the DN-01, except for some reason it has 10 more horsepower.

I also can't find any forums for the Deauville. I would think there must be someone who decided to soup up the bike, but who, and what did they do?

I also can't find what gives the deauville the extra HP. If anybody gets any clues, let me know.

dspevack wrote:

I've actually been looking for performance parts for the deauville because the engine for the deauville is the same as the DN-01, except for some reason it has 10 more horsepower...

My riding partner has a Deauville (see my earlier posts) and we have done several 3-4 day trips through out-back New South Wales and I can tell you from experience the Deauville DOES NOT need and performance increase. These trips have been done with my Honda CB900F Hornet (919 for you Americans) and there has never been an occasion where the Deauville has been left behind by the Hornet; in fact the opposite is more likely to occur because Cliff has a more comfortable riding position and all his luggage is stored away not out in the air stream like my tank bag and back pack (hopefully my new Swing is going to change this ).

My advice is save your money and enjoy the bike, fit the expensive Honda accessory larger pannier lids if the money is burning a hole in your pocket.

The Deauville is a great tourer especially if you ride one-up.

Regards,
Peter

Here are some sites I have joined recently for the Deauville:

http://www.deauvilleuk.org/

http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/hondadeauville/?yguid=224953824

This is the only bike that has interested me since I bought my SWing. I will sit on other bikes but only this bike has peaked my curiosity. It should be out in November I think.

JeffR wrote:

...This is the only bike that has interested me since I bought my SWing. I will sit on other bikes but only this bike has peaked my curiosity.

Jeff,

If you are interested then I could put you in touch with my riding partner here in Australia. He has had his Deauville for almost a year now. See my earlier posts; we have toured and done day rides together and it looks really good, just sits on the road very smoothly at quite high speeds. Handling and performance are quite good. He loves it.

E-mail me (peterjohnanderson [at] gmail.com) if you want his contact details.

Regards,
Peter

I feel like JeffR about this particular bike. My wife would like a DN-01 as she does not want to shift, but this new sport tourer is right in line with the type of riding I like and gives me the added storage capacity for touring.

Next spring may be quite interesting for us. The local Honda dealer has given us a real good price on the DN-01 they have sitting on the floor. Just need to wait until they get the new sport tourer in and see what a package purchase looks like...

honda_silver wrote:

Honda introduced a new model NT700 ( http://powersports.honda.com/2010/nt700v/specifications.aspx) 680cc 5-speed shaft drive as ST1300's little brother

If you want to see some more pictures of the Deauville click here

Regards,
Peter

I heard that Honda is coming out with a 1000cc Scooter has any one else heard this or is it just a wish.....
Old Dave

DaveR,

I haven't heard anything about that. I've been intent on watching for any developments of the E4-01, which has been reported to have a 900cc triple. But no news on it since it was initially shown when the DN-01 was first shown at the Tokyo Show as a concept. That was possibly in 2005.

The E4-01 is still very much a scooter with a step through body style and much underseat storage. Has an odd windscreen that the engineers claim works to keep the breeze off, but looks really small.

Dale:
This is the first time I had heard of the E4-01. I watched the video that is online and based on what I saw, if Honda comes out with that I will very likely end up on one. What a sweet piece of machinery.

How sweet is this?

Yeah, if Honda comes out with this I'm buying it. I bet that 900cc engine puts out about 80 hp or so. I also read that it only weighs 440lbs so I bet this thing goes. Also, if it does come out we will have to start a new section just for the E4-01. Get it over here Honda.....

Wow... That is nearly as sexy looking as my S'wing..!!! Lol

I remember reading that it was just a concept model.... However Honda have apparently filed several design patents on it, which is a good indicator that some of it at least may come to fruition in the future.....

I think though that the big thing that are Honda rumoured to be doing is to introduce the HFT Human Friendly Tranmission from the DN-01 (renamed dual transmission I think) into their bestselling models as an option.... the VFR, Pan, and Gold Wing for starters....

That should set the cat amongst the pigeons with regards to the rest of the bike manufacturers!

If they do, then in 5 years from then I might be able to afford one!!!

honda_silver wrote:

Honda introduced a new model NT700 ( http://powersports.honda.com/2010/nt700v/specifications.aspx) 680cc 5-speed shaft drive as ST1300's little brother

I stopped by my Honda dealer this morning ... they had a NT700 in the showroom. I slung my leg over to see how it feels.

It felt much more top-heavy compared to the SWing. I could feel the difference in forward riding position the more I sat on it. It looks like the windshield would raise/lower by ~6 inches. I did not open the side storage boxes, but I thought they would have been wider.

I believe you can get wider ones from Honda, which are essentially bigger lids.....