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Honda NT700V ABS Deauville (2009) – Bob Pickett goes budget touring (for a couple of hours)

With thanks to Johns of Romford, London Road branch for the loan of the bike

2009 Honda NT700V ABS Deauville - one of life's oddities, but with a loyal following There are things out there that don’t fit any conventional bill. Take the coelacanth for example: by all rights, it should have died out 65 million years ago, but instead, it carried on, unknown to the world, along an evolutionary cul-de-sac, until being discovered alive and well in 1938.

The Deauville is like that.

It packs a 680cc, liquid-cooled 4-stroke 8-valve SOHC 52° V-twin, that redlines at just 8.5k and is propelled by shaft-drive. Sounds like a cruiser – but the Deauville certainly isn’t a cruiser. Rather it is a commuter/mid-sized touring machine, featuring an upright riding position and integral panniers.

It began life in 1998, springing from the loins of the NT650. From then on, changes to the basic design have been incremental. In 2002 the integral panniers were enlarged and in 2006 it got a capacity increase to 680cc. ABS came on board a couple of years later.

Since it launched, it has suffered a torrent of abuse from all-corners of the biking world (probably by people that have never ridden one), morphing the name into the ‘Dullville’. But this is a bike with a strong fanbase; second hand prices remain strong. So who is right, the detractors or the supporters? Only one way to find out…

Despite having spent a lot of time with twin-cylinder bikes over the years, to begin with I struggled to get on with the Deuville’s mill. It wants to be ridden in a relatively tight sweet spot (between 4-5k). Below that, every time I drop off the revs I’m ‘rewarded’ with a juddering ride. After a time I start to get a feel for how the bike likes to be ridden, but it is an awkward experience at times.

2009 Honda Deauville, side on - the budget touring bike aspect becomes apparant When the road opens up, my natural inclination is to up the revs and try out the top of the range. And again, the Deauville disappoints. Taking it over 6k and up towards the redline and the Honda vibrates – not just through the bars, but the entire frame!

Lesson learned, I back it off and work at keeping it where it wants to be ridden. And in that 4-5k range, the ride smooths out and the Deauville buzzes along nicely.

The Deauville performs better in town than I thought it was going to. The fairly soft suspension can handle every lump and bump that poorly-surfaced, pot-hole ridden central London can throw at it. Again, you don’t want to let the revs drop, but a little careful planning lets you keep it spinning.

A real surprise was slow manoeuvring. Again, the Deauville doesn’t look like a bike that will excel in this task, but it is composed and balanced, with the generous full lock allowing you to keep your feet up for all but the narrowest U-turns.

Large, wide ‘A’ roads and motorways are the natural stomping ground for the NT700; sitting the revs in the sweet spot, the handling works perfectly in this environment. Composed and assured, the relatively narrow 150-section tyres allow you to tip in easier than a big bike like this (236kg dry weight) would suggest. I find myself happily leaning it over – not into knee-down territory, but certainly finding angles I never thought I’d be looking at to begin with.

2009 Honda Deauville - will haul you for miles with a big tank range, amazing levels of comfort The Honda has just the 5 gears, but given the limited rev range, this is all it needs. This is enough to let you keep it where it wants to be, most of the time – but at lower speeds, you’re still thinking about needing to slip that clutch, just in case.

Distance riding is where the Deauville shines. With the awesomely comfortable saddle, aligned to the upright but neutral riding position, covering tank-range busting miles is no issue on this bike. The adjustable windscreen also benefits, but make sure you’ve got it at the tallest position before you hit the motorways – once you up the pace, if it is sitting lower, then it will throw a lot of air at your head. But set right, it throws most of the air over and away from the rider.

The example I rode had the optional top-box fitted. This, along with the 20+ litre integral panniers and 19 litre tank range (and this is a frugal bike – I used less than a quarter of a tank and I put in perhaps 50 or 60 miles on the clock, which suggests a 200+ mile tank range) will let you perform the touring role with ease. And talking about that top-box, I was expecting it to affect the handling, especially at higher speeds. It has no effect whatsoever. The Deauville carries its weight low – I didn’t go two-up, but I doubt that this would have any impact on the handling.

2009 Honda Deauville - good clear display, which is handy given the tiny rev-range and need to keep it in the sweet spot Things don’t go as well on the backroads though. I find myself struggling to keep that engine sweet again, and this brings a wallow to the handling at times… like on a tight roundabout, where you really want things to stay right and controlled. On tight, twisting roads, I didn’t want to try pushing the NT700 hard, and I found myself taking this part of the test at a leisurely pace, way inside the speed limits for the roads in question.

But this isn’t a back road scratcher. It does what it does; and that is tour, commute, haul DRs and riding instructors and examiners about, for miles on end, in perfect comfort.

The Deauville is a model of practicality. The linked ABS brakes will stop that weight sharply and in total control, but do like a firm haul on the bars. The mirrors actually work, giving just the slightest hint of elbow. The clocks give a great display. It is also beautifully finished, with a rich, glossy sheen to the paintwork. You can tell it is, with a little care and attention, going to stay like that for years to come.

Verdict: If you are looking to cover a lot of miles, but don’t want the bulk (and cost) of a full-blown touring bike, then the Deauville will tick a lot of boxes. Amazing comfort levels, neutral riding position, integral luggage allied to a frugal nature and large tank range, this bike will cover mega-miles as well as anything, plus it will cope with town work.

But don’t expect it to deliver too many thrills while it does it. Even Honda hasn’t made too much effort to make it sound interesting in their promotional material. But then they know this bike has a market – and a very loyal one at that – who know exactly what they are getting... and like what they get.

Thanks again to Johns of Romford, London Road branch for the loan of the bike

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