Honda NCs are not performance bikes. Instead, the ‘New Concept’ twins are hugely versatile, peerlessly easy to ride and irresistibly useful. They’re successful too: the adventure-styled NC750X is Honda’s best-selling big bike in Europe with over 70,000 having rolled out of showrooms. And now the 2016 New Honda NC750X has the style to match and an improved dynamic too.
Friendliness, practicality and low price can only compensate for a lack of sexy styling and performance to a point, so a major makeover is aimed at improving image and dynamism. New and more aggressively-styled bodywork now mimics the rest of Honda’s adventure range, and has natty LED lights front and rear. 2016 New Honda NC750X's Paint is livelier, and there’s a colour-customisable LCD digital display, better detailing and a restyled exhaust, which has a new catalytic converter to get through Euro4 and also sounds better.
Practicality has also been upped. The 2016 New Honda NC750X's scooter-style storage compartment in the fake fuel tank (the real one’s under the seat) is now a litre bigger at 22 litres, so swallows a fullface helmet with greater ease. The screen’s 70mm taller and there’s a new, bigger luggage rack-cum-grabrail.
Best of all, though, the New 2016 Honda NC750X not only looks better. In the popular DCT trim we’re testing (Honda sell more NCs in Dual Clutch Transmission form, despite the £400 premium) it goes better, too. System tweaks now give two additional ‘Sport’ settings, clutch action has been smoothed, and operation generally enhanced.
So while the low-revving twin’s easy and unstartling performance is unchanged, for 2016 its delivery is significantly more engaging and entertaining; flick a switch and it’s higher revving with sharper response. And, with uprated suspension and brakes, there’s a better ride from the chassis. We see that best-selling status remaining intact.
