Honda Deauville NT700V

V-Twin Magic – Best all-rounder Honda mid-range touring/commuter I have ever owned. Beautiful to look at... powerful and lovely to ride. The so-called "heavy" of the bike never affected me - only made handling better out on country roads. Only negative feature is the seating.. needs customising and shaping for comfort to ride long distances, especially if planning to carry a passenger. Easy to maintain and cheap to run. Great storage in side panniers.  Show details

Ok, but too heavy and fat – I've had a 650 Deauville and an NTV650 too. I had hoped that this one would be an improvement on the sluggish 650 Deauville. It is, but I didn't keep it long. It is actually a Montesa/Honda, and the quality, like the 650 version, is not up to the earlier Honda standards. The design feels a bit lazy, especially when you strip it down and look.… Read more

Some of the panels are held on by Velcro. The discs are poor steel. Some bits seem to have been stuck on randomly. The panniers are still not big enough to hold helmets, and their locks are shockingly fragile, over complicated and exposed to road muck. The fairing pockets are poor. It is hard to take the panels off and refit them without damage. It is a good job that the old motor is a reliable thing, but no wonder that if anything does go amiss it is expensive to attend to. Some electrical problems are reported. However, the stainless exhaust is a good idea.

As to riding the bike, it's ok. It will cruise around very nicely, handles well except at low speed when you have to steer it consciously. The seat is the best thing about the bike- very wide and comfy. This is a good job because the tiller-like handlebars make you sit bolt upright. The engine certainly has better pull in the mid range than the 650 version, but there seems no urgency with the bike- probably something to do with the fuel injection. The gears engage smoothly, but 1st is too high and top too low. Do we really want a close ratio box on a sedate tourer? As another reviewer stated, the transmission is very noisy- not what you'd expect from a sophisticated all-enclosed bike The brakes work well, though I'm not a fan of linked brakes. The lights are good, but you can't switch them off. The analogue/digital display is a bit gimmicky (miles per litre anyone?) but are clear.

In all, I'm glad I kept the NTV650. Even with an aftermarket fairing, rack and big top box (for 2 helmets) it is 100 pounds lighter, handles much better, goes just as well and is altogether more satisfying.

Great do everything bike – I have a 2007 first registered 9/2009. Now 150,000 km traveled, touring, week-end rides and city shopping. The machine has never been back to a dealer as I fully service it. Only fluids, filters and plugs have been needed ad all are easy to do on the Deauville. Naturally there has been a stream of tyres, pads and a change of battery in that time.… Read more

At 127,000 km the fork seals, both, began weeping, easily fixed with aftermarket items, $16 plus $20 of fork oil plus a couple of hours of my time. The valves I have ignored. Horror shock I hear you say.

I am experienced with Hondas and they know their stuff in this area. It is a two cylinder bike and If the valves go out of wack you will know it in performance, staring and economy. That is my opinion anyway. Valve adjustment is not difficult, just time consuming as you must undress the bike. The bike has done non-stop runs from Melbourne to Noosa a number of times and back again the same way. Economy and tyre life are excellent for a machine of its weight. There is not another medium sized shaft drive tourer out there with the ability of the NT700V. It is not an exciting bike but if you can only have one to do it all it is hard to find better. The longer you own the NT700V the more you appreciate it. Its a HONDA.

Great all rounder – I did quite a bit of research before purchasing my Deauville. Great all round bike with lots of v twin torque. Have only ever had sports bikes but am impressed with the handling. Slightly higher and heavier than I would like but got used to it quite quickly. Great brakes and very comfortable on long rides. Love the centre stand. As previously… Read more

mentioned, needs 6th gear but still maintains good cruising speeds and very economical. Terrific carrying capacity for gear and 2 up touring. Looks good and draws comments from other riders. Easy to service and keep clean. Noisy gearbox but changes well and love the shaft drive. Would highly recommend to all but the die hards. If you are looking for a great all rounder this is it. Happy riding to all.

Old Rocker Returned – Lets just say I am over 60 years young, and have just purchased a 2007 NT700v 680cc as recent as March 2016. My first trip was from the dealers in Accrington England to North Ayrshire Scotland. A total mileage of 225 miles completed in 3 hours. A full tank at start and a little of the empty when finished, this was my first solo in about 30… Read more ·  1

years my last bike was a Honda super dream 250.

Now back in the seat the only niggles I have are, a little top heavy when stationary, and the lack of a 6th gear, as I am about 5ft 6in. I will be getting a narrower seat. All in all a very forgiving bike and a joy to ride. I live in an area not unlike Yarra Glen and Doreen as far as roads are concerned and great for M/cycling.

Enjoyable ride and love the look of it. Cheap to maintain and essential add ons – Approaching my mid life crisis at 43 I thought it was time to get in early and get on a bike again. When younger had a CB400 for riding to uni. Wife wasn't happy about it with 4 kids but told her I had to live before I died, and she's a lovely women! I didn't want to spend a lot as I thought it would be more of an occassional fun ride so had a $5k… Read more

budget which I picked it up for from gumtree second had a year ago with 35K on the clock and have done 10K since. I've seen a lower km trying to sell for $7300 so got a good price.

Its never missed a beat, starts first time and has turned into my main commute. Whenever weather is fine and I don't have to drop of kids I take the bike to work. Its a lot faster to get around with through Sydney traffic now lane splitting is allowed. Kids love going on pillion whenever they can.

Maintenance and running costs

Front tyre was low on tread when I got it and took it for service at Llyod Penn in Artarmon. Was about $300 for the tyre and service. Picked up a screw in the rear tyre which got plugged for $60. The flat while parked on a bit of a slope caused it to tip over while I was away so came back to find it on its side. The protector saved any damage other than to the protector plastic cover which I lightly sanded and sprayed so you can't tell.

Have done 1 oil and filter change myself which was easy and fast for about $80 including best synthetic oil enough for 2 changes and filter from sparts for about $10. Love the shaft drive. No mess or noise and no chance of getting anything chewed in it. Haven't had to do anything with it and apparently the shaft oil lasts for ages.

I always use best fuel and costs about $25 to fill which last 400-500ks

The panier latches are a bit fiddly and I found most of the catches had been re glued on. One of the catches broke off and disappeared. I haven't found where I can get a replacement if someone can point me in the right direction?

Speed and handling

The bike can take me up to 185 being 90kg and 6'1" but it could probably get a bit higher on a longer clear stretch of road. As others said could do with a 6th gear but I wasn't red lining to get there.

It gets grumbly and rough pulling at low revs, likes to live above 3000rpm for smooth engine performance and power.

Taking corners low and fast I have to pull my feet back or I scrap it on the bitumen, and have scraped the footpeg a couple of times but it handles corners nicely.

Although it would be nice to have more grunt, I think the power is sufficient and keeps me at sane speeds, I've heard 50% of 1000cc+ bike riders get themselves killed.

Guy who works for me is ex Harley rider and said he wouldn't want to be seen on it, but I think the bike, particularly in gold looks great and makes it more visible on the road. Too many bikes are black making it more difficult for drivers to see them.

Add ons

Found a cheap second hand top box mount for $80 on ebay and bought new 51L helmet top box for even less which fits 2 helmets. It was fiddly to fit and took me a few hours, but worth it. I use it all the time.

Also bought the custom fit pannier carry bags which are really worthwhile for $70 delivered from ebay. I use them all the time and my wife and I went to the airport for a long weekend at daydream island and had enough space to fit all we needed in the paniers and top box.

Bought an ram mount for my iPhone with ball joint and screw which is an excellent phone holder. All parts about $60. Easy to insert and remove the phone and totally reliable hold with excellent position, I use it every day. The Honda has a screw slot spare on the left which I forced the xmount screw into as the thread size was slightly different and I couldn't seem to get the exact thread match.

I've seen others mention the cigarette lighter for phone power and I looked into the parts for it but haven't needed it and looks like a few hours to install. I just carry a plug in battery pack, but could see it would be a must for longer trips where you're using GPS.

Summary

Overall a pleasure to ride

Great capacity with a must have top box add on

Good value to buy used

Easy and cheap to maintain and fuel.

Not hugely powerful, but thats no a bad thing.

Looks great

Reliable

Was planning to have it for a year or so and then sell having had my fun, but can't bring myself to sell it now as its everything I need and I use it so much.

Six years on and still happy with this bike – I purchased my NT700V new in August 2006 and have never had any problems with it - in fact it still has the original battery in it (very impressive to have survived six Canberra Winters). The bike is a pleasure to ride and very economical to run (I get an average of 22.5 km/l). I had an MCCruise control system fitted to it about five years ago… Read more

and this has turned it into a great touring machine. I've also fitted lots of other accessories. Everything - I owned an NT650V Deauville from 2004-2006 and the NT700V Deauville is everything I wished that bike had been! Sixth gear would have been nice and would have preferred something that was easier to service (eg, adjusting the tappets).

2010 Honda NT700V – I have been looking at the Honda NT700V for several months. I am not what you would call a flashy rider. I am very practical. I was looking for a quality motorcycle which would power through two riders up the mountains of eastern Tennessee. I took the plunge when I found a 2010 Zero miles Honda NT700V. My wife and I took out the NT700V for on the… Read more

first trip of about 50 miles each way through winding roads with a few open spots. These are my first thoughts:

1. The bike is very forgiving through the corners and is very balanced. It is not a power house, but it had decent acceleration and I felt comfortably in control throughout the ride. I expect power to improve some as the engine breaks in.

2. Finding the correct gear setting is very important on this bike. I ran 60 mph in fifth gear and found the bike having large amounts of frame vibration. I dropped back to forth gear and the vibrations dissipated. The bike favors running 70 mph in fifth gear.

3. We tried the adjustable windshield and found it to work fine in the low position at slower speeds. At 70 mph it was a must to have the windshield in the highest position; otherwise, the vortex plastered my wife’s helmet. Windshield up fixed this issue.

4. Braking is superb. This is a large tall motorcycle, and I was pleasantly pleased with the feel of the brakes. When applying the rear brake the number 2 piston on the left front caliper is slightly engaged. I never felt the front dip at all and it felt solid.

5. The motorcycle has two large rear trunks and two small compartments at the front fairings. While riding we came across a farmers market. Without thought, we bought a fair amount of fresh produce. Even with the jackets and emergency rain gear already loaded, we were able to fit the produce in the rear trunks. The extra weight was un-noticed on the ride home.

6. The motorcycle is a good looking bike with an aggressive front and a docile rear end. It is not a flashy motorcycle by American standards and will not make an “I am cool statement.” The bike screams practical, useful, and playful. I think we will enjoy it. More to follow as the ride continues. Very Forgiving, 60 MPG out of the box before break in completed. Good in the corners. Room in trunks. Solid Motorcycle. Could use a few more engine cc's, but does the job as is. Excessive engine vibration at lower rpms

Excellent – There are better sports bikes around, better tourers, and no doubt better commuters, but you'll be hard pressed to find a better machine to tick all the boxes like this does. Middle weight = a managable mass in traffic, yet big enough to have good visual presence. Highly effective design keeps weather off you- you'd need to be stationary to get… Read more

saturated in a down pour- rain just flows over you once you are on the move. Did a 2,500 km road trip over 4 days and was ready for more- Couldn't believe how capable it was as a mile muncher, and the comfort was extraordinary. She gets along too with only the remaining points on your licence left to hold you back. Can't believe that they are so under-rated. I bet they'll prove popular as second hand machines long past teir model life. 400km plus fuel range from 19 litres- averages 4.1/100km. Smooth, quiet, extremely practical, 12 volt accessory plug in lockable LH glovebox a must-have for mobile phones and laptops. Panniers fit almost all laptop sizes. Shaft drive- you'll never go back to chains ever again. 10,000 kilometres and getting better all the time as it runs in. Can be punted about quite quickly- not quite the 'Dullsville' others would have you believe- have humbled others on so called quicker machines but that might be because i'm a sh.t hot rider! Honda top box fits large Dominos Pizza (4 in a stack) or a carton of Coronas. Sixth gear would be nice. Keys get hooked up in standard handlebar guise - 50mm risers would perfect the riding position for me at 173cm for a slightly more up right position. No fuel reserve indicator- you're on a hope and a prayer in that department. Would be good to be able to remove keys from pannier lids without locking them - It gets a bit fussy when you need the keys for the ignition and you have to close everything up (TIP: Get a spare key cut and attcac to a discreet under bike locatioN)

A great bike for the real practical want to do everything rider – I have been riding bikes for 43 years now and used to race bikes when I was younger. I do know what I am talking about. I have done the sport bike thing, the Harley thing and the BMW thing. I would like to say if you are happy owning 3 bikes don't get this one. Get yourself a scooter for the city, a sport bike for being a weekend hero and a… Read more

tourer to see the country. If you are now at the point of only owning one that can do everything well get this the Honda NT700V. You won't be the fastest, but you can do a weeks shopping, put a fat slob on the back comfortably, and still commute through city traffic. The screen is great. Get to a highway, take two hands and pull up, no tools required. If you are like me and over six feet tall, yes you will get a bit of buffeting. If you want no buffeting you will have to crouch down slightly. Sure a tourer won't have the buffeting, but who wants the bulk for everything else, and the extra fuel consumption? The shaft drive is great, I change the engine oil every 2,000km and that is it. I opened the exhaust slightly to capture the v twin sound without being an inconsiderate [censored word removed] like some of the Harley non-riders. Happily I have not had a speeding ticket since selling the sport bike and no longer need to ride around with a back pack. It is not the best bike at any one thing, so don't complain about its shortcomings, but overall it is the best thing I have come across. It is like the Tour de France, the overall winner did not have to win any of the stages to be the best. The ability to competently to everything well

OK – The bike is a replacement for my BMW 1150RT and has only done 4,5ooK so it is early days. The riding position is good and the range gives plenty of leeway between fuel stops. Luggage space is great but I find the transmission noisier than my other shaft drive bikes. The bike is fine for the type of touring I do so I will persevere for a little… Read more

while longer. Smooth and easy to handle, plenty of luggage space with large panniers and top box. Large fuel tank giving good range for touring. Very noisy transmission mainly in final drive but I am told by the Honda dealer that this is normal for the setup of the Deauville. Has anybody else found this.

Mini tourer par excellent – I bit the bullet and arranged to fly from Wollongong to Melbourne and pick up this motorcycle from a private seller. I had seen pictures of the bike and test ridden one in Wollongong which was $1k more expensive The seller met me at the airport and after inspection and exchange of papers I rode back to Wollongong. It was sunny, cloudy, cold,… Read more ·  3

raining and windy at various stages of the ride.

The bike got me home with a minimum of fuss. A lof of bike for the money. Economical tourer getting over 20 km/lt easily on the highway. The easily adjustable fairing is great for me at over 180cm. One click from highest position was fine for non rainy condition. The click up to highest in the rain. It could have more noise from the exhaust and a power outlet in the fairing pocket.

OK – The wind blast problem has put me off a little. After riding a Pan for 5 years in the U.K. I returned to Melbourne. As I had a heart attack whilst riding the Pan in the U.K. I decided to downgrade to a smaller bike. I came down to two bikes the BMW 800ST or the Deauville. As a fan of Honda I went for the Deauville as I thought it was better value… Read more

for money. Still early days as I have only covered 1500K's but I am not sure what I can do about the buffeting. Should I try a Givi windscreen? Any comments would be helpful. Light & easy to ride. Great range and fairly comfortable. I am only 5'7" and 73 kgs. I just can't find the right setting for the windscreen. In all settings I find my head is affected by the wind and I end up with tense neck muscles. Any suggestions? I also find ithe final drive noisy against my previous Pan European.

Good – Spent a long time deciding which bike to buy (budget $10K-$15K, 6FT tall, been riding sports, commuters, adventure bikes for 15 years), compared the F800ST (pricey with panniers but lovely) TDM (capable but weird looks), GSX650F (fantastic but looks cheaply built), CBF1000 (capable, good looking, nicely built but pricey when you add the extras),… Read more ·  2

Breva 750 (poor sales service from dealer put me off, very dissapointing), V-strom 650 (nice bike, very capable, cheap to buy) FZ6S (love its looks, beautifully put together, but peaky motor and not that comfortable).. all great bikes though. The short list came down to the F800ST, V-strom 650 and the NT700V but in the end the features and value of the Honda with its built in panniers, adjustable screen and shaft drive won in the end. Would have originally prefered a sportier bike but have found the Deauville to be surprisingly quick enough for (legal) road use and handing is excellent, very confidence inspiring. The motor is fairly smooth (above 3000rpm) and the shaft drive unnoticeable. Brakes and strong (not sharp, but predictable). Clutch is light and a joy to use. Levers are adjustable! Fantastic rear pre-load shock adjustment via knob. Instruments are easy to read and comprehensive (incl fuel consumption figures) - best I have used. The bike is heavy but the weight is unnoticeable once underway. Feels like the weight is carried low so is not top heavy. Couldn't imagine an easier bike to live with for an everyday rider. Absolute joy not to have to inspect, lubricate and adjust chains! Feels solid on the open road and handles rough tarmac reasonably well, once the rear shock is adjusted to suit the rider. The seat is comfortable (esp for pillion). Grab rails work well with gloves. Ride position is fantastic with a very slight lean to the bars, extremely comfortable. Headlight very strong and a nice touch is the warning hazard lights. Very quiet exhaust, but the feel from the slightly vibey V-twin lets you know that is running when you are stationary. I think the only thing that lets this bike down is its conservative styling, though the black model in my opinion is the best looking. If you want a bike just for Sunday rides then I'd probably opt for a sportier bike but if I had to choose a bike to ride through all weather, commute through city streets, twisty country roads, freeways and with the ability to carry gear and a passenger, safely and in comfort for long periods with the low maintenance of a shaft drive then I'd have trouble finding a better machine to do it on and possibly couldn't find another bike for $15k that would fit the bill. Handles nicely, smooth shaft drive, great brakes and clutch, excellent built in panniers, screen and fairing work well, can be ridden suprisingly quickly. Build quality and finish are very classy. Ride position and ride comfort are perfect. Instrumentation and features are very well thoughtout. Styling is a little too conservative, would be nice if it was a little lighter and would be great to hear that V-twin a little more, aprt from that not much to dislike.

Good – Ideal for the 'not-so-tall' and for those that can't cope with a heavy bike. The 700cc is adequate enough for general touring, but don't expect to take on the sports bike sat the lights! The bike corners very well and is very easy to ride around town - or slowly. I would by another, but will probably go to an ST1300 if I eventually decide to… Read more

change - big difference in the price though! I moved up from a cruiser in an attempt to ease the backache it gave me. I went for the Deauville because of the relatively low seat height and reasonable weight. I also had a problem with wind buffeting (I'm 5'8") and found that raising the windscreen to it's highest setting did away with the problem. I have also fitted 50mm bar raisers and find it has helped my back problem even more, they also help with the problem of separating keys from handlebars... I had expected a slightly quieter and smoother gear-change and would have liked a sixth gear, but other than that, I can't really fault it.