The new (2025) Honda NT1100—the fancy one with DCT and Electronic semi-active suspension—has a lot to live up to. Parked in the same garage as the new NT1100 is my (2023) NT1100, which I have perfected over the 18 months I’ve owned it, well, for me anyway.
The rear shock has been changed for a Maxton unit. The screen was swapped for the MRA Aero. The stock tyres binned for Dunlop Mutants; I fitted Honda’s quick shifter and even went as far as fitting V-Strom Handguards.
Refining what was already a damn good motorcycle put my NT1100 in the middle of the sweet spot, and now Honda is telling me that they have improved the NT1100 for 2025.
The new bike has a long hill to climb, but let’s find out.
Aerodynamics
I always try to avoid reading other road test reports on a motorcycle I’m told I’m testing. Despite this, negative comments about the new screen and buffeting on the NT have worked their way through my avoidance tactics.
The new NT1100’s aerodynamics are different from those of the older model. The screen is pushed further forward, away from the instruments, and it is a different shape. You can’t mount older model screens on the new NT1100.
The screen on the new bike moves the air differently, and I needed to run the screen lower—one stop before the lowest—to prevent buffeting and get smooth air.
Setting the screen by eye to roughly the same place I would have most screens did produce buffeting around my helmet, and following my instinct and raising the screen made it even worse.
With the screen set low, it is as good as most other bikes in the dry, but this position didn’t work in the rain. And it did rain – hose pipe level downpour.
With the screen low, the air carried the rain onto my helmet, obscuring my vision. I had two options: significantly reduced visibility and smooth air or more protection from the rain and endure the buffeting. The buffeting won.
Honda NT1100 DCT ES (2025)
- 1084cc 270° P-Twin 4 Valves Per Cylinder
- 102BHP @7,500 – 112Nm Torque @ 5,500
- Dual 310mm Disc – 4-Piston Callipers
- Airbox inlets 8mm wider Longer Trumpets
- Longer Pistons – Redesigned Bottom End
- Three Preset & Two User Rider Modes
- Tubeless Tyres 120/70-R17 & 180/55-R17
- Choice of DCT or Manual +/- Quickshifter
- Electronic & Traditional Suspension Models
Puig Flip 2.0
As often seems to be the case, the Puig Flip, which we have tried on several motorcycles, once again was the answer to the buffeting.
The screen is now set to the middle setting, and the airflow is smooth and remains so even at European Motorway speeds. If it rains again before the bike goes back to Honda, I’ll see if it fixes that problem, too. [Strangely, No More Rain ~ Ed.]
Reading the comments on the forums, I also heard good things about PowerBronze screens, and HPS also has the MRA Touring Screen (with flip) available.
DCT Gearboxes
Cards on the table; I’m not a fan. The technology is brilliant, but for me, changing gear is part of riding a motorcycle.
DCT Gearboxes are here to stay, and now that Honda’s patents have expired, other manufacturers are running, trying to catch up. Good luck to them. Honda has a seven-year head start and is already onto the next iteration—e-Clutch.
I’ve ridden several different versions of DCT, starting with the early Africa Twin version, a couple of generations of the DCT on NT1100s and the version on the new Africa Twin ES.
Remembering that I’m not a convert and therefore have a natural bias, my experiences with the DCT gearbox on the 2025 Honda NT1100 have ranged from “That’s surprisingly good” to “Why can’t I make you do something stupid?”.
The gearbox is impressive. Even the much-derided Drive Mode is workable. Slow-speed manoeuvring is a delight, with the gearbox keeping just the right amount of drive to the rear wheel to make trickling along in traffic easy.
The clutch engagement is now exquisitely smooth, both from a standstill and when trickling along in traffic. That sudden drive engagement found on earlier DCT models has been blended out.
Sport Two remains my setting of choice. Roll-on overtakes in Sport One don’t typically involve the DCT dropping a gear, no matter how much I open the throttle, whereas Sport Two has no problem meeting my desire for excessive levels of forward motion.
IMU
The arrival of the IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), which works with the DCT to stop inappropriate upshifts, has elevated the NT1100’s technology to a new level.
Trying to make the gearbox do something stupid by orbiting a large roundabout, opening and closing the throttle, and changing the lean angle became boring because the gearbox software refused to do anything stupid.
After three orbits at different speeds, trying to force an error by picking the bike up and then dropping back towards the centre of the roundabout, I gave up.
We have a roundabout near the office that consists of two semicircles joined by two comparatively long straight bits. This was the only time the DCT changed up on me on a roundabout, and honestly, it was correct.
I’d ridden one of the semi-circles in third and accelerated along the straight, where the DCT changed up to forth.
As I checked the throttle and tipped in again for the other semi-circle, the DCT held forth, where there was plenty of torque to drive off the corner and onto the motorway.
Where Can I Find
- Honda NT1100 – Official Site
- Puig Flip 2.0 – Pyramid Plastics
- MRA Screen for NT1100 – HPS
- Honda Africa Twin ES – Road Test
- Handguards – V-Strom Handguards on an NT1100
- ECU Remap – Road Test Results
Throttle Response
The 2025 Honda NT1100 produces 102BHP @7,500 – 112Nm Torque @ 5,500 rpm. Riding solo, you get to 70mph plus without any effort. Use the torque of the engine and low RPMs, and the DCT will rattle up through the gears, resulting in a slightly soggy, uninspiring ride in Drive and Sport One.
Ride the same bends at the same speeds, and this time, crack the throttle open and push on; the DCT software will respond with a much more engaging ride.
If you are trying to be super smooth or perhaps out on a test ride and are hesitant about the DCT technology, the new NT1100 will respond in kind and give you a soft ride. Make a statement with how you work the throttle between the corner apexes, and the bike will instantly change character.
Rider Modes and Suspension
If you’ll excuse the pun, there are lots of moving parts to consider when setting up the 2025 Honda NT1100 with Showa Electronic Suspension. The NT1100 ES has three predefined rider modes (Tour, Rain, Urban) and two user-configurable ones.
Each mode has settings for Power, Traction Control, Engine Braking, and Suspension Dampening. You can then alter the DCT Gearbox response by selecting Drive, Sport 1, or Sport 2.
The final piece of the puzzle is whether you are riding solo, with luggage and/or a pillion, which varies the suspension preload.
In the preset modes, most of the options are locked in, with traction control and preload being the only variables.
You can switch modes when riding, so if you get caught in a sudden downpour, increasing the traction control and softening off the suspension dampening is only a button press away.
User Modes
This is where Honda gives you access to just about everything. You can define the pre-load values for the front and rear suspension and then combine these with soft, medium or hard suspension dampening.
Then, after setting your desired Engine Braking, Traction Control and Power settings, you are good to go.
Refining all the options to give you your perfect ride will take some trial and error, which is perhaps why Honda has locked in the settings on the pre-defined modes. However, you have complete control in the User Modes to set the new Honda NT1100 precisely as you would like.
The Engine
From the outside, the base engine design hasn’t changed much and judging by how much fun I have on my 2023 NT1100, Honda could have used the same engine, leaned off the mixture to get through Euro 5 plus and called it “job done.” But that isn’t the Honda way.
The size of the air inlets has increased, and the airbox has longer trumpets. There are different pistons, and Honda has played around with the ECU to extract more mid-range torque from the engine without losing any top-end power. It is a clever trick, yet Euro 5 plus and more mid-range have come at the cost of ultimate smoothness.
The exhaust sings the same pleasing song, and the fuel gauge steadfastly refuses to drop even when working the throttle (it does eventually).
The torque and power curves follow a smooth upward trajectory devoid of holes. Work the throttle as you wish; the engine will always deliver what you want.
The Ride
Sitting here with a mug of tea, reflecting on the stand-out behaviours of the 2025 NT1100, the balance and smoothness of the throttle/gearbox response are what keep coming back to me.
Honda NT1100s have always been well-balanced, considering their height. Add to this the improvements in throttle response and the smoothness of the latest development in DCT, and if I had any offroad skills, putting a set of Dunlop Trailmax Meridians on the bike and heading off on fire trails would be a tempting idea.
Back here in reality, the NT’s slow-speed manoeuvrability makes it a delight to ride through towns, filter between rows of queuing traffic, and along the outside of the cars waiting at the numerous temporary traffic lights.
The electronic suspension minimises the impact (another pun) of the speed humps and the potholes. Urban mode was the best as this softened off the Tour mode damping, where the dampening was harder than I wanted.
I found the same to be true on the B roads and faster A roads. Most of the time, the default suspension setting of Tour Mode didn’t match the road surfaces, so I ended up using Urban Mode to get the suspension suppleness that UK roads often demand.
Give the NT1100 a smooth road surface and couple that with the desire to crack on through the corners, and tour mode will work well.
The 2025 NT1100’s advancements are evolutions and refinements of what was already a very good motorcycle, so its overall handling has nothing to prove.
It steers with the minimum of effort, delivers day-long comfort, and has been made even more comfortable with a wider seat.
You aren’t going to beat sports bikes to the next tea stop, but then again, while the sport bike riders are still taking their helmets off, you’ll be riding past, not needing a break until you’re low on fuel.
Bottom Line
Demand for the 2025 Honda NT1100 is understandably high. It represents the latest evolution in a long line of New Tourers (which is why it is called an NT). The previous NT1100 model was a top seller across Europe for Honda.
But let me ask you this … When you have come so close to perfection with the previous model, exactly how much headroom do you have to make improvements before it is change for change’s sake? Manufacturers engaged in a perverse game of motorcycle top trumps.
There are risks on both sides of that equation. If the motorcycle remains the same, we will consider the model “old.” Conversely, if you change something that is singing a very sweet song, you risk spoiling the secret sauce that makes the bike so wonderful [Mix those metaphors ~ Ed.]
The IMU would be a welcome addition to my 2023 NT1100, but beyond that, I’m searching for the must-have improvements.
Electronic suspension reacts to the road surface undulations multiple times a second. Still, I’m unsure I can find and utilise the difference between my Maxton shock and the new NT1100s electronic Showa system.
More power is always welcome, and Euro 5 plus is better for the environment, yet lean-burning engines typically mean additional vibration (I found this when I had my V-Strom mapped). Is that something I really want on a touring motorcycle that already returns 50+ miles per imperial gallon?
With the 2025 NT1100, Honda improved some areas and impacted others. They have taken the long way around producing a great bike by starting with … a great bike.
If they have improved the area that was holding you back from buying an NT1100, then happy days. Get yourself to a Honda Dealer.
If not, go to the same Honda Dealer and grab one of the outgoing models, which will have had a chunk of cash knocked off the price.
You win either way. Just remember to budget for an after market screen.
