The NT1100 Thread

jfheath said:
I have niggles about how the bike would handle the same situation.
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I think the bike can handle it if you, as a rider, can handle the ins and outs of a DCT reflexively and without hesitation. Low down grunt will not be an issue. Time and experience may be.
Riding an NT like a car automatic, just gas and brakes, and expecting it to react the same way was a huge disappointment. The downshift lags tremendously when gassed, then hauls ass because it takes full throttle to make it shift, then big engine braking.
I tried Sport and now experimenting with Urban mode (controlled engine braking) plus shifting and having fun. I can see the learning curve will be a long one. It's a whole new way to ride.
 
billo said:
I think the bike can handle it if you, as a rider, can handle the ins and outs of a DCT reflexively and without hesitation. Low down grunt will not be an issue. Time and experience may be.
Riding an NT like a car automatic, just gas and brakes, and expecting it to react the same way was a huge disappointment. The downshift lags tremendously when gassed, then hauls ass because it takes full throttle to make it shift, then big engine braking.
I tried Sport and now experimenting with Urban mode (controlled engine braking) plus shifting and having fun. I can see the learning curve will be a long one. It's a whole new way to ride.
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Agreed
 
jfheath said:
I would be very interested to hear about how the DCT copes with the sudden gear change required for the sudden change in direction and gradient of a very tight, very steep uphill hairpin bend. If I approach such a bend, I drop it dowwn into first way before the hairpin and then adjust my speed so that when I am at the bend and already starting to lean, I have taken up all of the slack in the drive train and have the power to drive it round.
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John - When I read your post about 'very tight, very steep uphill hairpin bend', my mind immediately thought of HardKnott Pass ...;)

 
dduelin said:
For someone that has ridden manual transmissions forever the DCT will be very different at first and even for a while. That is a given. There will be adjustments to make and things to learn with things to like and dislike but one is just scratching the surface - a novice DCT rider. A manual bike is manual 100% of the time but Honda's DCT offers choices and options to explore and master in a variety of riding conditions. After 11 years and close to 70,000 DCT miles behind me I always counsel new DCT riders that don't like this or that to get plenty of experience with it before making a final judgement. It takes seat time to learn how to keep the bike working for you in the manner you want. An 30 minute demo ride is nothing. 50 miles is nothing. It's all new and weird. 1,000 miles is getting somewhere but not much, still mostly upper brain activity. It was probably at 2,000 miles on my first NC700X before I thought I knew it but looking back later it was probably 5,000 miles before I thought I could subconsciously make the transmission do what I wanted by using the switch controls to fluidly move through the offered modes on the fly in demanding conditions. A good rider on any bike can use power against brake to manage traction and the DCT is no different. Keeping tension on the drive train can help hold a gear longer than the PCM is programmed to do. Once we learn how and when the bike is going to shift we can go about learning how to influence it instead of just going along for the ride. At 10,000 miles I was at yet another level - using throttle and brake to influence the shift programming and that bike only offers two auto modes and auto vs full manual. 3rd and 4th generation DCT is much more sophisticated with many more choices. My DCT Goldwing challenged me again. Sure, twist & go in Drive or Tour will always work but to fully exploit a DCT bike takes determined practice and seat time.

I bought a NT1100 today. 1 mile on the odometer so I have a lot to learn about how this DCT works compared to what I've been riding but I'm looking forward to it!
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After 900,000 miles with a clutch I now have 3k on a DCT. I like it, I can just ride, I'm no longer good enough to worry what gear for what road. If I need to switch to manual, I can do so, but so not had to.

The trickest for me is low speed on bumpy roads, where the bumps jerk my throttle hand, it is those times I miss the clutch to feather, but I'm still learning.
 
billo said:
The hottest bike I ever owned was a 2002 Yamaha FZ1. At 80F it could be uncomfortable at lower speeds when the fans kicked on. The ST1300 throws some heat from the valve cover area that goes outside my shins. I notice the NT throwing heat only if I think about it. With high top work boots, it doesn’t call attention to itself up to the 90F I’ve seen so far. I always plan being home by 90.
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The FZ is a inline four?

Don't ever put a Iphone in the left pocket on a ST riding in Alabama or Az. lol
 
Donk said:
just like you would any other transmission
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:roflmao-2x::roflmao-2x::roflmao-2x::roflmao-2x::roflmao-2x::roflmao-2x:
except for maybe the timing and speed that have to be perfect. Learned things like how long multiple gear downshifts at once take, how long before the tranny automatically shifts back up a gear on approach. One curve of an infinite number curves, all different. It's simple after it's learned. It's called experience.
 
BamaRider said:
The FZ is a inline four?
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Yes. The radiator fan blew air towards the riders legs instead of straight back. Not the hottest bike I ever rode though. That honor goes to a Yamaha Midnight Star. Cooked one foot in no time!
 
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billo said:
I think the bike can handle it if you, as a rider, can handle the ins and outs of a DCT reflexively and without hesitation. Low down grunt will not be an issue. Time and experience may be.
Riding an NT like a car automatic, just gas and brakes, and expecting it to react the same way was a huge disappointment. The downshift lags tremendously when gassed, then hauls ass because it takes full throttle to make it shift, then big engine braking.
I tried Sport and now experimenting with Urban mode (controlled engine braking) plus shifting and having fun. I can see the learning curve will be a long one. It's a whole new way to ride.
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If you need acceleration now don't rely on the box to downshift for you by opening the throttle. Instead hold WOT and use your thumb to drop 1, 2, 3 gears just like that. It will drop a perfectly rev-matched gear or 3 faster and cleaner than the best rider can. But be ready to see 100 mph pretty quick. At just 300 miles in I've settled so far at D or S2 depending what I'm doing with the bike. DCT is sublime on this bike from walking speed to hustling down a twisty road.
 
180 mile ride this morning and I intended not to get off the seat until I had to in order to see if it was a tank to tank seat for me. I did not get off the bike for 3 hours 45 minutes. The seat passes that test. 80F to 93F today. The bike is not engine hot but the good wind protection makes it a warm bike similar to my RT.
 
dduelin said:
I did not get off the bike for 3 hours 45 minutes.
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It works for me too.
From the Revzilla review
“In response to feedback from European customers, Honda refreshed the NT1100’s seat for 2025. The plusher perch only borders on discomfort after several hours.“
No wonder the comfort seat is not offered in the U.S.
 
dduelin said:
If you need acceleration now don't rely on the box to downshift for you by opening the throttle. Instead hold WOT and use your thumb to drop 1, 2, 3 gears just like that. It will drop a perfectly rev-matched gear or 3 faster and cleaner than the best rider can.
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Honda's Dual-Clutch Transmission (DCT) shifts gears in roughly 8 milliseconds (0.008 seconds). This is significantly faster than a manual transmission shift, which typically takes around one second. The DCT achieves this speed by pre-selecting the next gear while the current gear is engaged, allowing for nearly instantaneous gear changes
 
Uncle Phil said:
John - When I read your post about 'very tight, very steep uphill hairpin bend', my mind immediately thought of HardKnott Pass ...;)

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Ay, that would be the worst of them. Worst case of target fixation ever. I know the lake district hills and was riding south down the coast road looking left to make sure I was well past the road over Hard Knott. I really didn't want to be going over there. So after checking repeatedly and well past, I took the first road left. ( No map with me and no sat nav)..

Yes I ended up climbing. Oh tish. The road had taken me back towards HardKnott Pass. Got up the first bit and thought - well that wasn't so bad. Then it started climbing steeply. I glanced right and up - there was what looked like a road up there. That's where I had to be. Came to that first tight hairpin. It has to be 45 degrees on the inside. Abpnd it was strewn with slate fragments on the outside from rain washing stone off the hills. Outside it was. Trying not to lean on the loose slate, trying to keep the revs up, trying to keep moving. Thank goodness it is a right hand turn - plenty of space to control the clutch.

I have not seen a video yet that illustrates how steep and how tight that bend actually is.

It was ok. But I won't do that one again. It relies too much on good luck. Lucky that the road isn't gravel strewn. Lucky that there were no cars coming down. Lucky no one was in front to stall. Car drivers are not sensible on such roads. They don't plan ahead or look ahead. To be fair, they are probably scared - some of those steep tight bends, you can see the bend before you reach it, but when you get there it disappears behind the bonnet. You're pointing at the sky or at the valley floor. Uphill and downhill. You have to remember where the road went and drive on memory. Scary when there are deep ravines on both the uphill and the downhill side.

I have to say, you negotiated the steepest bit very well. I think its the bend at about 1:35 that is the really nasty one. The camera doesn't pick out the gradient of the slope on the right hand side, but you were steering well clear of it.

I was actually thinking of some of the less severe ones that I ride regularly - you still need the low gear, but at least you can lean the bike a bit and power up and round it. Not so Hard Knott - its tip-toe nearly upright with steering on full lock.
 
the Ferret said:
Honda's Dual-Clutch Transmission (DCT) shifts gears in roughly 8 milliseconds (0.008 seconds). This is significantly faster than a manual transmission shift, which typically takes around one second. The DCT achieves this speed by pre-selecting the next gear while the current gear is engaged, allowing for nearly instantaneous gear changes
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Ah - but I don't shift gear on such bends - I get into gear well before and make sure that the engine is already pulling - ie has taken out all of the slack in the drive train. But that's something that I do anyway. I disagree with the police roadcraft rules on that one.
 
Donk said:
The DCT is adaptive not predictive. If you know you're riding into a tight hairpin hit the button and drop it down a gear just like you would any other transmission. Not sure what the big deal is. It's just a transmission, figure it out and use it.
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I don't know if it is a big deal or not. I have never ridden one. I'm thinking about it. So your comment is useful. Thank you.
 
jfheath said:
Ay, that would be the worst of them. Worst case of target fixation ever. I know the lake district hills and was riding south down the coast road looking left to make sure I was well past the road over Hard Knott. I really didn't want to be going over there. So after checking repeatedly and well past, I took the first road left. ( No map with me and no sat nav)..

Yes I ended up climbing. Oh tish. The road had taken me back towards HardKnott Pass. Got up the first bit and thought - well that wasn't so bad. Then it started climbing steeply. I glanced right and up - there was what looked like a road up there. That's where I had to be. Came to that first tight hairpin. It has to be 45 degrees on the inside. Abpnd it was strewn with slate fragments on the outside from rain washing stone off the hills. Outside it was. Trying not to lean on the loose slate, trying to keep the revs up, trying to keep moving. Thank goodness it is a right hand turn - plenty of space to control the clutch.

I have not seen a video yet that illustrates how steep and how tight that bend actually is.

It was ok. But I won't do that one again. It relies too much on good luck. Lucky that the road isn't gravel strewn. Lucky that there were no cars coming down. Lucky no one was in front to stall. Car drivers are not sensible on such roads. They don't plan ahead or look ahead. To be fair, they are probably scared - some of those steep tight bends, you can see the bend before you reach it, but when you get there it disappears behind the bonnet. You're pointing at the sky or at the valley floor. Uphill and downhill. You have to remember where the road went and drive on memory. Scary when there are deep ravines on both the uphill and the downhill side.

I have to say, you negotiated the steepest bit very well. I think its the bend at about 1:35 that is the really nasty one. The camera doesn't pick out the gradient of the slope on the right hand side, but you were steering well clear of it.

I was actually thinking of some of the less severe ones that I ride regularly - you still need the low gear, but at least you can lean the bike a bit and power up and round it. Not so Hard Knott - its tip-toe nearly upright with steering on full lock.
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Yeah my thought was 'If I drop this ST1300 since nobody knows I'm here, I'll be laying here a really long time!"
Those three hairpins right together are a bit of 'challenge' but I had my 'practice' when I did Stelvio a few years back.
It would be interesting how a DCT would respond in those extreme conditions - probably fine I would guess but I wouldn't want to be the one to find out! ;)
 
jfheath said:
I don't know if it is a big deal or not. I have never ridden one. I'm thinking about it. So your comment is useful. Thank you.
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I think we, as in all of us on the forum can sometimes overthink things. Oil, tires, and now transmissions :). I had tried the DCT for a couple of days on different bikes before I took the leap of faith. I'd like to think this old donk can still learn a new trick or two. It might have been a harder decision if the NT 1100 was offered with a manual in the US but it isn't, I wanted the bike and I'm very happy with the DCT. It's still a learning process but I am having fun sorting it out. U-turns are still awkward especially to the right, eventually with practice I'll get it. I got on my '14 Guzzi today, while I still like riding it it confirmed I'm alright without shifting all the time too.
 
I'll be honest, I test rode a DCT bike I think in 2017 and decided I didnt want anything to do with them. Over the years I kept reading and hearing from people who's opinions I valued, who absolutely loved their DCT equipped bikes. I kept thinking what was it that I missed when I test rode one? Finally in 2021 I decided to just go for it and ordered mine. For about 3 weeks after I got it, I kept thinking I had made a mistake, but after a couple of months I came to realise its really a brilliant transmission, and now after 4 years and 62,000 miles, I can't imagine my daily rider NOT having a DCT. It's just brilliant.

Like dduelin said a 15 minute test ride isn't enough time to realise its benefits.

I also have a 2014 CB1100 inline 4 with 6 speed manual. Love the bike. I've put 78,000 miles on it. Now when riding it I sometimes wish it had a DCT.... or that my NC 750 had the CB1100's motor lol.

A NT 1100 might be just the ticket if I weren't an old munchkin and could reach the ground while sitting on it lol.
 
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