Honda Deauville (1998-current)

Love riding the NT700V on the open road, where the comfort, ride quality, stability and wind protection are really appreciated. Brakes and grip from the Battlax BT020 tires are very good. However, the bike is relatively tall and top heavy, which requires considerable attention during lower speed maneuvering. Ride is plush enough that I only bother to stand over the worst railroad crossings and frost heaves. I can sit through a full tank (about 250 miles) in comfort, which is important here in the US since I live hundreds of miles from civilization in the corn belt. My lower rating on equipment reflects that only about a third of the options available in Europe are offered by Honda in the US, e.g. no over-size pannier lids, stereo, or GPS as dealer options. Build quality and fit and finish are generally good, however the pannier covers feel flimsy and a bit sloppy when closing. Had one replaced under warranty when the rivets came loose. The locks for the panniers and left glove-box are sticky, and the cover on the ignition lock is loose (rotates separately from the lock cylinder. The list price in the US is high due to the weak dollar, however very good deals can be had as dealers look to move inventory (my bike was built in October 2009 and purchased new with 0.6 miles on the clock in September 2011). Insurance is much less than for a 650cc "road sport" (e.g. Kawasaki Ninja 650) despite the NT700V being a couple of thousand dollars more expensive. Fuel economy is very good for such a heavy bike with shaft drive. Drive-line lash is acceptable, and fueling is generally good, which helps when riding in the rain or on gravel (we have lots of gravel roads here in Iowa). Only transmission issue is an occasional false neutral on the 2-3 up-shift. Engine flexibility is very good, with no lugging as long as one keeps revs over 2000 rpm, and decent power when revved above 5000 rpm. A sixth gear would be nice to reduce vibration at higher road speeds, however. Nice exhaust note, while quiet enough at idle and low speeds that I can go through residential neighborhoods at night without disturbing people. Only regret in purchasing is not getting ABS, dues to availability in my geographic location (i.e. middle of nowhere).

Ok long had problem with the thirst of this bike, which I have mentioned before, problem solved. To improve on the bikes performance and fuel consumption two things,firstly check the rear brake pistons as they get dirty very quick and cause the brake pads to touch a little on the disc, so clean this with care ensureing that the pistons are clean where it touches the pads as you will get rear wheel power lag. Secondly, the air filter from new is drenched in oil, I mean they soak that sucker something cronic, I found in my case by simply washing the filter off of most of the oil the bike performs much better, the breathing improves and the bike performs more like it should. If you live near a sandy or dusty location this is not a good idea to do and you will need to either change or clean the filter more regularly, but if you don't then you will notice a much better breathing machine. Oh and the air filters are made of a sturdy material good enough to be washed out. These bikes are so reliable but you do need to do regular maintenance such as servicing, and change that oil much sooner than recomended. One last thing, battery needs to be turned right side up from time to time and charged via a wall socket, but i'm still on original battery over 4 years this is a first.

Ok now had the bike for coming on 46 months now and in that time all I’ve had to do is general maintenance ie servicing. A few criticisms on the bike though it is a great machine it could do with an extra gear, there is a 6 gear version if you are thinking of buying one of these bikes you would be better off going for the 6 gear one. Also the handle bars are simply too low, the simple solution to this is to buy handle bar risers, I have been unable to find the correct shape risers for the 700 but the 650 ones will do just as good even though they don’t look as good as they should, a little bit of imagination could solve the look of the risers. To be perfectly honest the ride position of the bike using the risers has changed my bike into the bike I was looking for in the first place, the 25 mm risers make a huge difference to the handling of the bike in so much as to say it is so much better with them on while cruising along. Of course there is always a trade off for raising your bars; you feel the wind a little bit more, unless you raise the screen. But handling improves, where as with the bars in the old position you would get shoulder ache and arms aching, this simple solution seems to have solved this problem for me. Oh and because all the cables are long you don’t need to change anything, all parts remain standard and unchanged, but you do need to adjust the brake hose guide clip that connects to the top yoke, which is very easy to do. Another issue is the right hand pannier box which seems to become difficult to open unless regularly oiled and used, in order to gain access to it you have to take off the seat and release it under the seat then oil it up else it simply won’t open again, don’t force it else you might break the lever. Oh and the brake stopper bolt if you don’t ensure it is greased up, when you want to change your pads you will find it has rusted in tight which may be a problem. Other than these little issues a very good bike.

The Deau is a great long distance A road commuter. Quite large physically so less good in town where it is a little to wide sometimes to filter with ease. Engine and gearbox are well matched to its role although slightly thirsty compared to other 600s (think 5 mpg down so I get about 56mpg when I would get 63+ out of an ER6). Doesn't complain doing the same job day after day in the worst weather and when the mood takes you it can be hustled along quite quick and give you a grin. Finish is generally good (much better than my ER6) except for the gearlever which looks scruffy after only a few months! There is nothing to compare it too. Was thinking of buying a BMW R1200RT but they cost at least twice as much and although better will do the same job...

Ok MCN web site did it again and made my posting anonymous so I have posted it again. Not much new to report on this bike as it is still going strong with no major problems. Just one comfort issue with the bike, the throttle hand goes numb, you have to keep shaking out your hand to get the feeling back into your right hand, it is worse on a run but even with padded gloves on and riding gently I find my right hand keeps going numb. Now I have tried a few different things including riding as forward as possible but I keep getting the same problem. Apparently I’m not the only one as this has been reported on another web site about the Duauville making the rider’s hands go numb. It’s not vibration causing it; it feels more like the riding position. On the deauville you are sitting slightly leaning forward which makes you put quite a lot of your weight on to your arms, it’s never quite to the point of complete comfort, so the hands go numb. I suspect one solution would be for handle bars perhaps a little higher thus making it so you are not leaning and putting your weight on to your hands, I note you can purchase handle bar risers which enable you to affect a higher bar position than standard. Other than that the bike is still going strong, sailed through the MOT no problems at all. Oh I noted that my suggestion on keeping your down pipes clean lacked info so this is what I use to keep them sparkling clean. I mix ACF50 metal protection fluid with a chain lube and my down pipes never go that horrid dirty colour they are always shiny, if you use just one on its own it does not work but if you mix a little chain lube in with the acf 50 it works a treat, I use a silicon chain lube. Simply take the top cap off squirt some acf 50 into the cap then roughly the same amount of chain lube into the same cap and mix them together then just wipe them onto a cold exhaust pipe with a rag nice and thick, then wipe it off don’t polish it off just wipe it off, warm up the exhaust (it will smoke) then you are set, they will remain clean for a good two or more months. Either one on its own does not provide the best results the mixture works wonders, but be careful of splashes near your brakes as this stuff is really hard to get off, and if you get it on your brakes you will need lots of brake cleaner to get it off.

Not much new to report on this bike as it is still going strong with no major problems. Just one comfort issue with the bike, the throttle hand goes numb, you have to keep shaking out your hand to get the feeling back into your right hand, it is worse on a run but even with padded gloves on and riding gently I find my right hand keeps going numb. Now I have tried a few different things including riding as forward as possible but I keep getting the same problem. Apparently I’m not the only one as this has been reported on another web site about the Duauville making the rider’s hands go numb. It’s not vibration causing it; it feels more like the riding position. On the deauville you are sitting slightly leaning forward which makes you put quite a lot of your weight on to your arms, it’s never quite to the point of complete comfort, so the hands go numb. I suspect one solution would be for handle bars perhaps a little higher thus making it so you are not leaning and putting your weight on to your hands, I note you can purchase handle bar risers which enable you to affect a higher bar position than standard. Other than that the bike is still going strong, sailed through the MOT no problems at all. Oh I noted that my suggestion on keeping your down pipes clean lacked info so this is what I use to keep them sparkling clean. I mix ACF50 metal protection fluid with a chain lube and my down pipes never go that horrid dirty colour they are always shiny, if you use just one on its own it does not work but if you mix a little chain lube in with the acf 50 it works a treat, I use a silicon chain lube. Simply take the top cap off squirt some acf 50 into the cap then roughly the same amount of chain lube into the same cap and mix them together then just wipe them onto a cold exhaust pipe with a rag nice and thick, then wipe it off don’t polish it off just wipe it off, warm up the exhaust (it will smoke) then you are set, they will remain clean for a good two or more months. Either one on its own does not provide the best results the mixture works wonders, but be careful of splashes near your brakes as this stuff is really hard to get off, and if you get it on your brakes you will need lots of brake cleaner to get it off.

I've done 13K miles now and the bike has opened up and is running very smoothly. The buzzing at high speeds has gone and I'm getting 250 miles a tank, the weather protection is second to none and if you wanted to you could change gears(up)without the clutch. I can't really find a fault with this bike.

I've had a 2010 model(company bike)since the end of March and done 6k miles so far. In my opinion up to 65mph you can't fault it, it's not just a motorcycle, it's a proper vehicle but if you like cruising at 75-85mph it definitely needs another 10-20cc and a 6th gear then it'll be right behind bmw r12rt which is the best tourer on the market.

I've now had my '06 plate NT700 for four years. During that time, I've clocked up 45K miles. I've had to replace tyres, plugs, bulbs, brake pads ... everything you'd expect to have to replace on a regular basis, but nothing else! I use the bike for commuting - a 50 mile round trip daily in all weathers - I do draw the line at snow though! The salt on the roads has taken it's toll with almost all the exposed alloy showing either flaking paint or pitting. I don't have a garage, so it's open to the elements all the time. I regularly get 58mpg and insurance is cheap. I can get around 8K miles to a set of tyres. This is my second Deauville - the first was the original NT650 which had done a similar mileage when the '700 was released and, despite looking at Pans, BMWs FJR1300s and others, if I had to buy a new bike tomorrow, the Deauville would be a very strong contender ... shame Honda keeps bumping up the price.

I don't know why it says anonymous but there is my review again. Ok the bike is still going strong it is coming up to being 3 years old now and the only thing that has needed a change have been the tyres and one brake light bulb. At one stage the battery started to play up (around 26 months old), and would not hold a charge properly when charging from the bike, I noted that the battery is laid on its side while in the bike so took the battery out and stood it upright and charged it for a whole day then left it a day tested it then recharged it again two more times with layaway periods and standing over a period of approximately a week, this brought the battery back to life and seemed to correct the charging problem the battery exhibited. I then replaced the twin tail light bulbs with low power consuming LED bulbs later on and have since had no trouble with the battery at all, and remember this is the original battery supplied with the bike so is now coming up to 3 years old the same age as the bike. Cosmetics: the wheels corrode and the only way I managed to stop them from doing this is by coating them with a metal protection fluid, the right hand engine cover will also corrode on the front side, the foot rest painted plate, the paint blisters a little near the top and scratches easy, obtaining the right colour paint is virtually impossible. The exhaust centre rubber mounted clamp, the rubber always seems to split and the tool strap which is rubber also cracks. The new style tyres are much better than the old style tyres of the same make and type that ships with the bike which makes for better handling. The ABS modulator seems to be exposed to getting wet which makes it go rusty on the outer casing rather quick, likewise the bracket that holds it in place. Rear brake on new bikes; The brake stopper bolt needs to be removed cleaned and greased else it will seize as mine did and is a common known issue, if not done you will struggle to displace the calipper to remove the wheel. Over all a good bike still very reliable, but personally I would not leave the servicing at such long intervals as recommended in the servicing manual and would be more inclined to knock as much as 4000 miles off a recommended service of 9000 miles, however that is mainly for oil changes. This has been a personal experience review of my bike up to date which is near the 3 year mark I hope this helps anyone thinking of buying said bike. Just a quick note on this bike, I suspect this bike would be much better for the type of bike it is and the people that ride these types of bikes were it a diesel not only would it provide a much cheaper ride but a much longer distance between fill ups, performance wise I suspect could be made similar to that as it is now, as a town bike it drinks like a fish on a run its good but could be so much better were it diesel. I would buy a deauville diesel.