If you are in the market for a no-fuss, no dramas motorcycle, then Honda’s NT1100 should be high on your list. It is a motorcycle that oozes the ability to get the job done. While the other bikes would still be preparing for the journey, the NT1100 would be off and running.
Honda market the NT1100 as a sports tourer. We are not sure we would agree with that classification. There is a lot to talk about, so here goes …
Better Than A …
This was the problem we started with. What is there to compare the NT1100 to?
Yamaha’s Tracer 9GT would be a competitor based on price. Both list at roughly £12,500. Yet the Yamaha, which is a capable tourer, is much more a sports bike than the Honda NT1100. You don’t buy the NT1100 if sporty riding is your primary objective.
There is nothing to stop you from ragging an NT1100. A capable rider on the Honda will be quick, but they would be quicker on the Yamaha.
So, let’s compare it to an Adventure bike. But adventure bikes are designed to go off-road, even if they never do. Adventure bikes come with 19 or 21-inch front wheels, spokes and longer travel suspension. If you want an adventure bike, buy an adventure bike.
Perhaps a BMW R1250RT, then. Both twins, with an upright riding position, heated grips, TFT display, panniers and a centre stand as standard. But the minimum £4,000 price difference and 30+ BHP get in the way of that comparison.
You could – perhaps – compare the NT1100 to a Kawasaki Versys, but again the Versys is £2,000 more, four-cylinder, and 20Kg heavier. Not exactly two bikes competing with each other, but the closest competitor we could come up with.
The Honda NT1100 Problem
The NT1100 fits in between so many of the classic motorcycle definitions that asking the judgemental and often pointless question of whether the NT1100 is better than a “Insert your bike of choice here” is almost impossible as there will be a noticeable difference separating the two bikes.
What is it, then?
Having decided that the NT1100 isn’t a sports tourer, a finely honed tourer, a cruiser, an adventure bike, a sports bike or a naked bike, we decided a new category was required to describe it. The best we came up with was “Multifunctional Motorcycles”. A class for the fully functional, all-weather, economical, comfortable, quick when you want it to be, get the job done and go home motorcycle.
In that class, the NT1100 is an absolute rock star. And yes, we do need to work on the name for this class of motorcycles.
Rain and More Rain
Riding in the rain and when it is cold are two absolutes for a Multifunctional Motorcycle. To be multifunctional they can’t be show ponies that only come out three days after it last rained, providing the temperature is in the double digits centigrade. Multifunctional motorcycles are for everyday use, regardless of the weather.
While we had the Honda to test, the weather sucked. We had two dry days in 16, and the rest of the time, it was, at best damp, but mostly it rained.
As promised [see What Happened to the NT1100], we gave Dave the keys and pointed him north on the A1. Two hundred motorway miles later, he was back and not as wet as we thought he would be.
The fairing and bodywork on the NT1100 are a feature that is easily overlooked. Looking at the NT1100 in a showroom or online, who would notice the flare on the edge of a body panel and wonder why Honda did that?
Most of us – and you can include us– would look at the NT1100 and decide whether we thought it was aesthetically pleasing before considering the purpose of the design. Having ridden the NT1100 across Lincolnshire in the rain and been splattered with mud from the fields, look at how clean the engine casing is compared to the surrounding area.
The deflectors, fitted forward of where your foot is, work exceptionally well. The same goes for the wings under the screen. They deflect rain and cold air away from your hands. This also helps the heated grips to work well. Ultimately owners will most likely fit aftermarket handguards, but perhaps that is just the comfort of the familiar.
The screen in the middle position is comfortable to sit behind at motorway speeds. A notch or two higher would have been better, but the middle position worked best overall as we looked over the screen rather than through it.
DCT or Manual
Either is the answer. It depends on personal preference. The DCT gearbox in Carle’s 1000cc Africa Twin was delightful. The next-generation version fitted in the NT1100 is even more refined. Honda may be the only manufacturer banging this drum, but they are damn good at it.
As usual, “Drive” changes up too quickly, labours the engine, and prevented us from exploring the rest of the motorcycle. Touring mode settings for engine braking, power and traction control, and Sport 2 or Sport 3 for the throttle and gearbox mapping, were our preferred options.
My choice would be the traditional gearbox with the quick shifter, but most of that is due to my stubbornness. On the other hand, Carle would ride the DCT all day and never think about a manual gearbox. He’s right. DCT is that good.
If you have never ridden DCT before, ensure your test ride is a couple of hours long and get a briefing from someone who knows about DCT. If you spend an hour pootling about in Drive, you could easily think the bike is dull and the engine flat. It isn’t. You need to know how to find the fun settings, which takes a little time.
Brakes
The theme of things simply working without any fuss or bother with the NT1100 even extends to the brakes. The twin 310mm discs on the front are no surprise. They work well, have decent enough feel and when called upon, will bring the 320kg of rider and bike to a stop with all reasonable haste.
It is the 256mm disc on the rear that stands out. It is that unicorn of a rear brake. One that works and has excellent feel.
It’s the complete opposite of the rear brake on my Multistrada, which is a half-hearted afterthought that makes an insignificant contribution to the overall desire to slow down. The rear brake on the Honda is a work of art.
Combine DCT with the rear brake, and filtering through traffic becomes a delight. No nibbling at the clutch, just constant smooth drive varied by light pressure on the rear brake. And if … what do I mean if … when someone manoeuvres without looking, there is more than enough left in the rear brake to bring you sharply to a stop.
Suspension
The front suspension patters at the slightest provocation for the first few miles from cold. Once warmed up, this disappeared, and the standard pre-load setting on the front worked well for us.
I found the standard pre-load setting on the rear just the wrong side of hard. Then again, this could be due to the greasy autumnal roads and OE tyres. Two clicks down made the back end feel more compliant.
Taking the NT1100 to our favourite knackered backroads for some real-world suspension testing, showed that the Showa suspension is capable rather than outstanding.
Upgrade the tyres and spend an afternoon working out how best to set the suspension to suit your riding style, and a comfortable, predictable ride can be found. This isn’t the bike for you if you want something that will soak up the bumps and chewed-up road surfaces on back roads. You would be better off with a road-biased adventure bike (KTM 1×90 – V-Strom – Africa Twin).
Alternatively, if you are looking for something better than single-leg damped Triumphs, that will deal adequately with those backroads, then look here.
Navigation
In the design meeting for the NT1100, adding Apple CarPlay and Android Auto must have sounded excellent. The bike has a small LCD screen that always shows speed so the 6.5-inch TFT can be repurposed as a GPS display.
The practicalities of life, however, get in the way of realising the full potential of that idea. For Android Auto or Apple CarPlay to work, you need a phone. A built-in USB socket connects the phone to the bike, which requires a cable. There is nowhere to put the phone – no cubby hole in the fairing – so you need a mount.
Now that I’ve mounted the phone on the bike – I went with a wing mirror stem mount and case from Ultimate Addons – I need to wrap the cable around the bars to stop it from flapping about.
If my phone is now mounted where I can see it, why wouldn’t I use it for navigation and use the bike’s TFT screen to display the other information I would like to see?
Perhaps the idea was that riders would be using a tank bag when a GPS was needed, in which case the design makes more sense. But there is much more to a GPS than just navigation (real-time traffic, speed cameras etc.). A GPS is more a constant companion than an only-when-touring accessory.
All of that said, you don’t have to use the connectivity, which is how we have been riding the NT1100. The annoying “Would you like to connect” message that appears at the start of every ride, is frustrating. And escalating this foible into WTF territory is the fact that the option to have the bike remember my choice not to connect, doesn’t seem to work for my phone.
Luggage – Almost
It is almost perfect. Almost because the side-opening lids have a bad habit of looking like they are closed and then popping open. Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve gotten into the habit of gently thumping them to ensure lids are locked into place, and yes, more than once, they have popped open.
They are also (almost) square, which is the most practical shape. I have seen reviews where people complain you can’t get a full-face helmet in one, and this is true. I can, however, get the biggest laptop we have in the pannier with zero effort. Compare this to the Tracer 9GT panniers, which will take a full-face helmet (only but just, and upside down), yet I can’t get a small laptop in.
The panniers almost necessitate standing on the foot peg to get on the bike. They are precisely in the arc your right leg takes as you climb on the bike. If you are a gymnast or a dancer, this isn’t going to bother you.
For us mere mortals that can’t lift their right leg out to a 90-degree angle and then pivot onto the bike, we will buy the over-priced (£470) Honda top box. This is a shame, as the panniers in all respects – other than slightly suspect lids – are functional and well-designed.
Bottom Line
The Honda NT1100 is a very capable motorcycle. It will hustle if you want it to and cruise all day on motorways and backroads.
DCT or manual makes no difference. With the DCT version, Sport Mode 2 or 3 has the engine singing and gives a crisp throttle response. Don’t be fooled into thinking this is a slow bike. It cracks on effortlessly in the Sport modes.
The suspension leaves a little to be desired, but as we said at the start, this isn’t a sports bike. The handling is acceptable, and 90% of the time, it will be up to the job. If you want to trail brake into a bend with a chewed-up road surface and then get hard on the throttle, you bought the wrong bike.
The colour schemes need updating, or at the very least, you will want to take it to the local vinyl shop and have something done to brighten the very functional but bland colour schemes.
As to which of the colour schemes you pick out of the showroom … to us, they are all as bad as each other, but perhaps the gunmetal grey is the least bland, and hell no to the white.
Some doubters will describe the Honda NT1100 as boring and dull. I wish them well, but I wonder how many of them have actually ridden one.
The Honda NT1100 is a motorcycle for those who ride all year, commute, tour and enjoy themselves on a Sunday. The rider that needs it all and from just one motorcycle.
2 responses
Hi Rob, Thanks for the information. Is there no other fuel gauge available (I can’t remember). Only the one on the large LCD panel?
Bought an NT1100 6 months ago. I like it well enough, plenty of pull and equipment. Great torque and sound, a veritable Swiss Army knife used for touring, commuting and fun in all weathers. The connection to the LCD screen needs a flipping Masters in electronics but once you’ve finally worked it out then all’s good. Except:
A line developed on the LCD screen 5 months in, then another and now the blinking thing doesn’t work at all. Took it back to the dealer who took a few weeks to get Honda UK to agree it needed replacing under warranty and now……………you guessed it………….I’m still waiting a month later for the parts to arrive. So riding it with no super tech, just the basics. No fuel gauge, sat nav, riding modes dead etc.
Apparently they have 4 with the same problem and no solution, which for me personally renders the bike unfit for purpose. If it fails so early in its life I’d expect some serious action from the dealer/Honda. But no, just waiting.
Have decided to sell it before the warranty runs out and find something more reliable.