“I have the 2013 DCT version. Simple to ride. Drive mode is low revving and changes up fast and down slow. Pootle along at 30mph in 5th gear through town. Takes a while to respond on the throttle to inputs, but you can just blip up/down a gear using the manual shift buttons (located on left hand switch). Sports mode revs higher and changes down faster. Very useful for twisty sections of the road and more aggressive riding styles.
Seating is higher up, adventure style and gives you a good view over the top of cars. Worth mentioning that the standard configuration of the seat slopes into the tank. You can level this off by putting two small rubber ferules on the front stops on the underside of the seat and it is then much more comfortable for longer rides as you now sit on the plush part of the seat! Pegs are in normal position and give good clearance.
Centre stand is useful if fitted and worth having. Easy to adjust chain and clean the bike. Sidestand plate is tiny and I added an adapter to give it a bigger footprint. Now I can park on soft ground with impunity!
LIghts are decent enough, indicators are clear and bright. My bike came with a shock protector fitted, a strip of rubber that sits on the rear of the swingarm and keeps most of the road rubbish off the shock. Sold for £10 on Ebay. Not bothering with a rear hugger as this does the job. Not fitted heated grips, but may do so. Using Tucano Urbano muffs which are brilliant.
Fuel economy is over 61mpg for town riding and over 70mpg on motorway work. All depends on how hard to ride and your levels of enthusiasm whilst jousting with traffic.
Valves must be checked very 8k. Oil and filters (two oil and one air) every 8k as well. I've checked my oil levels and after 2k riding, it has not budged and is still clear. Impressed and as expected with a Honda.
Suspension is decent enough over London roads. Gets a bit bouncy when you press on and it is a bit unsettled over rougher road surfaces. I would not track day this particular bike, but would bimble around in novice group for fun. It is easy to ride, low down weight means it is stable and switches direction easily enough in heavy traffic. Motorway work is a breeze and the bike was planted in heavy rain/wind conditions (motorway was flooding and speeds were inexcess of 60mph).”
“Having riding motorcycles for 30 years it was strange at first to have an automatic bike. It moves up and down the six speed box with ease and it always tries to find the most economical gear. Putting it into sport mode makes it slightly more revvy and changes gear around the same revs as you would on a manual bike. If you get bored then you can then change gear manually using paddles on the left handlebar. Commuting it is great as you can always cover the rear brake without dancing around changing gear. It is nice to get to your destination also without an aching clutch hand. If it's economy you want and easy riding then it's a good bike. 70mpg + is pretty good for a 700cc machine.”
“I've come back to biking after almost 15 years and this bike is great. I'd gone out a couple of times on my husbands Triumph Tiger 800 and not felt very confident. But I got on the Honda and at once felt part of the bike. The weight is beautifully distributed and it's no effort to ride at all. having the petrol tank under the seat and storage for my helmet, or shopping at the front is fabulous!. The only slight negative is that the gear box is a bit slow but riding it in sports mode all the time sorts that out.”
“Very underpowered for a 700cc bike. If you're used to a normal bike, you will hit the rev limiter every time you overtake or accelerate hard. And the rev limiter comes in so sharp, at just 6000 rpm, that if you're leaned over, eg accelerating out of a bend it's just plain dangerous. The seat is awful. Don't know why, it looks ok but within a couple of hours you'll be in pain. Someone had the stupid idea to put the fuel filler under the pillion seat. Having the tank under the seat is ok, but if you're touring with throw over panniers or a bag tied on the seat it means unloading every time you refuel. Why can't the filler be on the side panel like the BMW650's?. A lot of the bike is so nearly right. It's light for an adventure style bike, plenty of leg room, economical, handling and brakes ok for a budget bike, but it just needs another 20bhp and another 2000 rpm to make it useable.”
