Honda NT700V Deauville
It’s fair to say excitement levels were not at their highest when I was led towards my steed for the week, Honda’s mid-sized tourer, the Deauville.
The bike comes in a variety of shades of cardigan and has built-in panniers, shaft drive, high bars and an adjustable screen on the fairing. All the things that don’t usually get a biker’s mouth watering.
But go in with an open mind, I thought. After all, it’s been in production for more than eight years, is one of the best-selling bikes in Europe, and had a major makeover for 2006.
The day I picked this machine up from Fowlers was one of the worst we have suffered in the Bristol area in the run-up to the festive season. Yes, it was the day of the tornado in London and the lorry being blown over at Weston that closed the M5 in both directions. So, abysmal weather and horrendous traffic - thank goodness I was on a bike as competent and user-friendly as the Deauville and not on a race rep!
Blessed with a faultless 680cc V-twin engine that could teach my cat a thing or two about purring, the Honda slipped effortlessly through the stationary vehicles trying to get through the Broadmead redevelopment, its high bars and mirrors perfectly positioned to avoid clipping both car and van mirrors.
The Deauville uses Honda’s tried and tested NT engine, an earlier form of which was in use on an ex-courier bike, an NTV650 Revere, I rode as a winter hack in London back in the early 90s. That bike had more than 80,000 miles on the clock and still felt as fresh and strong as ever. And there’s no reason why this model, with its increased displacement and sharper throttle response, shouldn‘t last the same.
It just oozes low-down torque and, coupled with silky smooth, low maintenance shaft drive, the Deauville is a great bike for around town, but is equally at home on the bigger A-roads. The thing I enjoyed most about this bike was the way it just made such swift progress. There was no bluster, no song and dance, no dropping a couple of cogs and screaming past other vehicles. Just a rapid, regal cruise.
The fairing was a God-send and kept the worst of the inclement weather off, and the waterproofs were only needed for stop-start work. On a long run you just sit behind the plastic fantastic in a little bubble of dryness - with a big smile on your face.
Through its five-speed box, the fuel-injected, eight-valve lump puts out 64bhp at 8,000rpm, and while its top end is estimated at 120mph, the twin starts to send vibrations through the chassis as it approaches three figures. But then, given UK speed limits, you would have to be on a tour of Europe for that to become a problem.
Other benefits are a large fuel tank meaning around 200 miles between stops, an average of 45 to 50 mpg, 10 litres of storage space in the integrated panniers, and a combined brake system with optional ABS for controlled stopping power.
The only real annoyance I found with the Deauville is the positioning of the ignition barrel. It sits a couple of inches lower than the bars and anything else that happens to be on the same key ring gets jammed under the bars when you try to pull the key out.
So the Deauville is both nimble and versatile. It’s no hassle to take out on a winter’s day, it’s still great fun on the A-roads and it’s more than competent for a weekend’s touring. Even its soft colour scheme has grown on me!
Article written: December 8, 2006
The Honda Deauville was kindly loaned by Fowlers Motorcycles of Bath Road, Bristol. For more information about test rides, call Fowlers on 0117 977 0466.
OUR STEER ON THE DEAUVILLE
Price: £5,999 (Dec 06)
Engine: 680cc, liquid cooled, V-twin
Power: 64.8 bhp at 8,000rpm
Torque: 66.2 Nm at 6,500rpm
Transmission: Five-speed gearbox, shaft final drive
Weight: 236kg
Fuel capacity: 19.7 litres
Top speed: 120 mph (est)
Colours: Blue, black, grey, beige
by Jon Bennett
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