Although it’s
difficult to compare bikes of different sizes and types as all flowers have
their own peculiar fragrance, we proceed.
I bought my
Honda XR/Dominator 650 used, a few years
ago and have driven it around 10k kms. Drove new Inazuma for 1300kms and the
NC750 for 1000kms. Want to share my impressions.
1. Reliability.
A great favor of Japanese
for the bikers is giving extreme reliability in all sizes and prices. A
prominent Spanish biker friend, who is also a media personality, once drove his
very expensive Triumph to Lahore on a company sponsored trip. Early morning
when he was about to leave for India we saw drops of oil below the drive shaft.
It was scary. Upon contacting the factory he was advised to keep checking and
replenishing the drive shaft oil and reach Delhi driving very carefully where
they shipped a new drive shaft and got the bike repaired. The only thing coming
to my mind was that any cheap Japanese bike like Honda 70 would have done
London-Lahore without any hiccup unlike the expensive Triumph.
The British bikes of my
childhood era that I remember were very loud, vibrating, leaking oil and
breaking down frequently. Only the German BMWs were reliable but then very
expensive.
These 3 bikes have been
most reliable and I never had a problem with any of these.
2. Suspension
The shocks of XR have
long travel 11” and 11.5” making it the most comfortable driving offroads and
decent on metalled roads. NC is very comfortable on metalled roads with
fabulous suspension and controls while the Inazuma has slightly weak front
suspension.
Here XR wins hands down.
3. Quality.
The 2 Hondas are made in
Japan and that shows through its quality. Although Inazuma is a Japanese brand
but it’s manufactured in China showing quality much better than most Chinese
brands still feels somewhat short at times in its paint and workmanship.
NC has an edge in quality but just.
4. Starting.
Wonderful starting but only XR comes with a kick starter that a person like me
cannot even think of using even though it comes with a built in compression
release mechanism.
No winners here.
5. Braking
All the bikes have a
single front and a single back disc brakes with the Inazuma stopping most sure
footedly while the NCs brakes are barely adequate although it has ABS. The XR
brakes are hard to check as it’s thick knobby tires can’t tolerate much of
braking on black top while working well on the offroads.
Inazuma is a clear winner
in braking despite not having ABS..
6. Fuel consumption.
This one is surprising.
My old habit of noting the fuel and milometer allows me to comment somewhat
accurately. The Inazuma and NC have EFIs while the XR still comes with the old
carburetor. Over the years the XR averaged at around 18kms/liter including
highway and mountain travel. Inazuma like the NC was driven only in the city
averaging at 26kms/liter while the big NC with its 750cc engine averaged
27kms/liter. I am sure on the highways
after the engine had broken in well, these figures would further improve.
Honda NC750 wins here.
7. Vibrations.
XR although 650cc but
still has a single cylinder engine while the other 2 are parallel twins. All 3
have balancer shafts curtailing the vibrations effectively. The XR with the
100mm bore does vibrate at all speeds but is bearable till 100kph. The NC with
its 270 degrees firing order imparts certain vibrations but not very annoying.
The Inazuma has an undersquare engine imparting better low end torque is the
most refined and sophisticated running engine pulling sweetly till 100kph.
Inazuma wins here.
8. Tubeless tires.
The Inazuma and NC has
17” alloy wheels with tubeless tires effectively freeing from flats. The 21”
front wheel of the XR might be prone to flats but increases the reach a lot. It’s
a tradeoff, take your pick.
NC and Inazuma win here.
9. Acceleration/Power.
With its 750cc engine the
NC shows fabulous power although it doesn’t rev beyond 6.5k. Inazuma revs till
the double figures and shows decent power for its displacement. The XR produces
brute power that is at times hard to handle but a bit intoxicating, love it or
leave it.
NC wins here.
10.
Stability.
The XR is most unstable
on the black tops while NC feels stable and surefooted. Inazuma is well
balanced but feels a bit lighter.
NC wins here.
11.
Posture.
I found the Inazuma’s
posture and the seat most comfortable while the XR is great for the offroads
but its posture can be tiring on the tarmac. NCs seat needs modification and
the handle raised to make it comfortable.
Inazuma’s posture is the
best.
12.
Seat height.
For me seat height isn’t
an issue with any of these but still Inazuma is the lowest making it easiest to
ride. The XR’s seat is the highest and short riders might have problems putting
their feet on ground on the traffic signals. NC’s seat is an inch higher than
the Inazuma making it easy to get on without cramping..
Inazuma wins here.
13.
Off road capability
Although categorized as
an adventure bike didn’t find the NC very suitable for offroads just like the
Inazuma although these 2 just manage. The XR is a league in its own with 21”
front tire, long travel suspension and the high torque RFVC engine.
XR wins here, naturally.
14.
Ease of maintenance.
The XR just has an engine
and 2 wheels and nothing else, so easy to maintain. While the NC and Inazuma
need lots of work for even the routine jobs like air filter replacement.
Everything is difficult on the NC and had Youtube not been there for help, I
would have called it impossible.
XR wins here followed by
the Inazuma and lastly the NC. The only saving grace is that NC needs oil
change and maintenance after every 12k kms; no kidding J.
XR is a clear winner.
15.
Availability of spares.
Many Inazuma’s are plying
on Pakistani roads so spares like oil/air filters are the easiest to procure at
reasonable prices. Other parts like chain sprockets etc are also available. No
parts of any kind are available for the NC except its oil filter that it shares
with the police CBX500. Need a constant source abroad to keep the NC running.
XR hardly needs anything and as it’s in production for the last 30 years its
spares are abundant everywhere out of Pakistan.
Inazuma wins here
followed by the XR. NC is a clear loser.
16.
Top Speed
I really don’t know about
the top speeds as I rarely exceed 100kph except on motorways where bikes are
not allowed. Inazuma and the NC easily reach and maintain @ 100kph although
other members drove the XR @ 140kph on even smaller roads.
17.
Price.
Inazumas are the most reasonably priced @
1190k till the stocks last at Pak Suzuki and the price might go up a lot after
that. The XR if available used, costs the same if you are lucky enough to find
a seller while a new one would cost around 5M. New NC costs 7M if imported due
to very high duties and other taxes and used are not available.
In short.
For highways,
international travel and mountain roads Inazuma appears to be the most suitable
for Pakistanis by a big margin. It can be used for soft offroads too but
shouldn’t be put through the hard tracks like the Karambar.
Only if it
had a 100-150ccs more displacement and ABS, it might have been close to an
ideal bike for the Pakistanis.
Certainly
the best value for money.
