2014 Honda NC750S Review (Impression)

Pros

fit and finish, smooth engine and shifting, large storage compartment where fuel tank is typically

Cons

brake feel, modest power, tachometer hard to read, not that thrilling to ride

Comments

The 2014 Honda NC750S that I test rode had only about 2700 km on it. I only had the bike for a short time and rode it about 50 km, so this can't be considered a full review of the bike, but I'll give you my impressions of it anyway.

First off, I think the bike looks quite good, especially with that nice, rich, red metallic paint. Fit and finish is typical Honda quality. The bike has a convenient and large storage compartment where the fuel tank is on most bikes, but the fuel filler is under the passenger seat which may be a nuisance if you strap luggage across the seat, especially while touring. The instrument cluster is small with the bar graph type tachometer difficult to read while riding. The horn and turn signal switch positions are reversed from standard which makes it uncomfortable to "cover" the horn button with your thumb (the horn button is above turn signal switch; I’ve noticed this on some other Honda motorcycles). The bike feels lighter than it actually is due to a low centre of gravity, making it easy to manage at a stop or at parking lot speeds.

The motorcycle handles fine. I didn't notice any wallowing when hitting a dip in a corner on the highway. I found the suspension to be a bit firm; it's satisfactory, but not exactly plush (for my weight, anyway). I did not check or adjust the rear spring pre-load, so maybe it's possible to soften things up a bit.

The motor is very smooth and low revving. The power is ok. Acceleration is fine in the lower gears. Top gear (6th) is an overdrive resulting in poor roll-on performance at 100 kph. You need to down shift in order to pass other vehicles on the highway. Gear changes were smooth. I found that the brakes have kind-of a wooden feel; also, there's not much initial bite to them.

Last Words

This is another “nice” bike from Honda, but to me it seems lacking in character. I think the bike looks great, but riding it didn’t really illicit any strong sensations or emotions for me. I think this bike looks better than the NC750X, but the NC750X offers better weather protection. I considered buying an NC750X a few years back but decided against it. I would probably buy a Suzuki V-Strom 650 over the NC750X mostly because of the motor characteristics and the conventional fuel filler location. The NC750S was discontinued in Canada. The NC750X had a major update for 2021.

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