The Honda NC750X may be the most practical bike ever made | 2021-on expert review

Polite, mild mannered, and unpretentious, the Honda NC750X adventure bike is the unsung hero of British biking, and indeed is by far the most popular bike on the MCN website, in both reviews and our Bikes for Sale section.

An instant success all over Europe when launched as a 700 back in 2012 (even here in the big bike-loving UK), the NC’s unrivalled blend of usability, efficiency and value for money has made it the go-to option for riders after a true all-round workhorse – but one that’s enjoyable away from the daily grind, too. There's even the option of DCT - a twist-and-go automatic - transmission in place of the standard NC's manual gearbox. It's the epitome of versatile.

Gentle updates over the last nine years have kept the modest adventurer up to date, with the latest bevy of small but important upgrades arriving for the 2021 model year. Designed to keep the 745cc twin nose-to-nose with rivals and maintain its solid sales position, the NC has more tech, greater performance and better storage than ever.

And it all helps make a great bike even greater. I already really liked the NC750X, but the refresh has given it even more appeal. No, it hasn’t got power in reserve, won’t playfully leap of yumps and would be lost on a trackday.

The NC doesn’t have a TFT dash, heated bits or self-tweaking suspension either. And I don’t care.

The Honda is a genuine UJM; the sort of machine you’ll use for everything from commuting and running errands, to two-up weekends away, to sunny summer sunset rides just for the hell of it. Yes, it’s still more workhorse than passionate purchase – but it’s so damn usable you’ll ride more than ever before.

Crucially the Honda is still great value too. The original NC700X was a very attractive £5850 when launched in 2012. At £7849 in 2023, that represents a very modest uplift in price over the time it's been on sale. The DCT version starts at £8679.

The NC750X remains a popular choice, and indeed it made it into our expert guide to £5k do-it-all bikes.

Looks like all the NC frames before it, but the steel structure is pretty much new. With revised wall thickness it’s 1.8kg lighter than the frame of earlier 750s and with grams shaved in other places, including the engine, the NC weighs six kilos fewer than previously – about two house bricks or one portly cat.

Perhaps realising nobody sees the 750 as a real adventure bike, the Showa 'dual bending valve' forks and preload-adjustable monoshock on the 2021-on model feature reduced wheel travel.

This makes the already breezy handling of the agile, low-slung, well-balanced 750 even easier, and with revised damping it is more accurate too. The trade-off is a ride that’s a bit firmer than older NCs; not uncomfortably so, but enough that you notice large bumps a bit more.

A perfectly weighted riding position and first-class ergonomics make it a doddle to exploit the Honda’s brilliant low-speed agility. Comfort is very good too.

The seat heigh is 30mm lower than before (the amount the suspension’s travel was reduced, funnily enough) so it’s simple to hop aboard and easier for less confident riders to drop a hoof. The screen’s still a modest fixed affair but provides far more protection than its size suggests.

The brakes are entirely unmemorable, which suggest they’re not all that. But equally it means the simple set-up must work without issue.

It’s the low-revving, easy-access 745cc parallel twin that’s been in the NC since 2016, and which is used in the chunky X-ADV scooter and city-slicking Forza 750.

Tweaked to meet Euro5 emission rules and with ride-by-wire throttle, there’s additional torque for this version with almost a whole foot-pound of extra grunt. Maximum shunt is 50.9 lb.ft at a modest 4750rpm, in turn creating four more horses for a peak of 57.8bhp at 6750rpm – the highest peak-power engine speed of any NC to date.

With a rumbling 270˚ crank and different valve timing for each cylinder the Honda has plenty of feel. The first three gear ratios are lowered for sharper acceleration helping it to be the peppiest NC750X so far, feeling brisker than its modest numbers and limited rev range suggest.

It retains the frugality that the model is famous for too: averaging 70mpg is easy, and steady use pops economy into the 80s.

Buy an NC750X and you can expect faultless dependability. Previous incarnations have developed an enviable reputation for reliability and there are lots of massive-mile workhorses that slog on tirelessly without a niggle. Their owners love 'em, and there’s no reason why the 2021-on model should be any different.

Build quality on the Japan-made 750 is impressive; from the paint and fit of parts, to switchgear that will survive millions of prods.

As with any bike you’ll need a squirt of anti-corrosion fluid splashed on the brake banjo bolts and some fasteners to prevent them cultivating fur in the salty depths of winter. There are a few clips, bolts and brackets that’ll rust, too.

The suspension on well-used older variants gets a tad saggy at 30,000-odd miles, though the better-quality items on this model may well stay in shape for longer. Overall, the Honda has a finish that’s as good as anything else at its price point. Or better. Buy with confidence.

Our Honda NC750X owners' reviews don't indicate anything particularly surprising. This should be a reliable, sturdy workhorse.

Attractively priced? Indeed. The Honda is £7495 on the road and so is cheaper than the humdrum BMW F750GS, cheaper-feeling Kawasaki Versys 650 and less practical Yamaha Tracer 7. Suzuki’s evergreen V-Strom 650 is about the same sort of cash as the NC750X but just not as refined, agile or frugal.

Having a Honda badge and a solid reputation should mean pleasing residuals too. You could buy, say, a perfectly capable CFMOTO 650GT and save £1500, but the NC will do a grander job of holding onto its value. Same is true compared to the more mainstream opposition above.

The truth is, there's little can compare with the NC750X in terms of ease of use and practicality until you start looking at maxi-scooters but they don't carry the same kudos in the UK as a full motorcycle.

For a seven-grand bike the Honda NC750X has a decent quantity of accessories. It has a more sophisticated three-level traction control system than previous versions, linked to four riding modes – Rain, Standard, Sport, plus self-defined User. Each has a dedicated power output.

Go for the excellent Honda NC750X DCT option (dual clutch transmission, an optional extra) and you get automatic gearshifts. Or you can change gear using games console-style buttons on the left switchgear.

In auto the shift points adjust to suit the riding mode, with Sport noticeably hanging onto ratios for longer and giving keen autoblipped downshifts. It’s a super-posh quickshifter. It takes a while to get used to not having a clutch lever, but DCT makes the 750 super-smooth and is great with a pillion.

The Honda also has a little lamp on its LCD dash that can be set to show different colours for things like gear position, gearshift points and so on. I find turning it off is the best way to avoid continual annoyance.

What really makes the NC750X stand out is nothing to do with superficial electronics, though. Fuel isn’t carried in the conventional place but instead sloshes about in a tank within the seat unit, with the filler under a neat pop-up pillion perch.

And what looks like the fuel tank is a handy locking storage area designed to swallow a crash helmet. It’s always been a feature of the NC but unfortunately lids with fins or peaks wouldn’t always fit in earlier bikes.

For this model it’s increased in size to 23-litres and reshaped to accept an adventure-style helmet. This also means room for an extra portion of garlic chilli chicken and a side order of saag aloo when collecting a generous family-size takeaway.