The ‘Do Everything Motorcycle’
Honda has a refresh for the 2021 NC750X, and *spoiler alert*; it’s better than ever before.
Honda markets the NC750X as a motorcycle fit for any occasion; and the features prove it. The first time I sat on one at the Honda dealership I was confused for a moment trying to figure out why there wasn’t a clutch present on the handlebar assembly, but that’s for good reason… There’s nothing better than cruising through traffic on your daily commute without having to worry about the technicalities of riding a motorcycle; and these days it seems like we’re quickly approaching an age where motorcycles can ride themselves.
There have been some sizable improvements to the 2021 model worth noting, such as an increase in power. Although at first glance, we thought Euro 5 regulations may impact the power output that some of these motorcycles were capable of putting out, but we’re quickly learning that OEMs have found a way around this are happy to shell out more power than ever. The NC750X’s 745cc twin-cylinder engine gets a bump in power while still working towards a cleaner future. Nice. With great power also comes great weight reduction, and this bike has shed a couple of pounds to accommodate.
The storage area of this motorcycle sees an increase in size well. Some unfamiliar with the NC750X might be asking, “wait, this motorcycle has built-in storage?” – and the answer is yes. Honda wasn’t lying when they labelled this motorcycle as the Swiss-Army knife of riding. Only Honda will know if the new frame and bodywork was a result of this storage increase, but it’s nice to know this bike has a healthy amount of updates beyond the engine and tech.
Although I touched on the fact that the one I sat on at the dealership didn’t have a clutch, this motorcycle comes with two transmission options: conventional manual six-speed clutch transmission and Honda’s automatic DCT.
The tech on this model makes it’s way comfortably into 2021 with the inclusion of standard ABS, a ride-by-wire throttle system (which now allows for selectable riding modes depending on the road conditions), and a new instrument cluster.
These nice upgrades come at an immense cost of $100 USD when compared to the outgoing 2020 model bringing the total base MSRP to $8199. $100 for more power, weight reduction and new tech? I spent $100 on eating out this week… Thanks, Honda!