I do miss this bike as it made me feel special. But every speciality bike has quirks and issues. This bike was a gem. The design was groundbreaking. I had a few bikes and this bike did not fit my needs. My spine issues were progressing and I needed a better seat and bigger fuel tank.
You can tell I loved this bike. I still ride an NC700X with the same motor. The military guy I sold it to was so excited to get it for $7000. So black... so cool. My body was just not compatible with this bike. When you sit this low, you can accelerate as fast as the tire can let you. You can brake equally fast. I have melted the tires doing traffic light stop-and-goes. I have rode the bike tilted over so far that the metal foot pad grinder caps were sparking in the dark. I have slid the bike at 70MPH under hard braking and spun the bike around in dirt. It is a lot of fun. If I had the time to rework the seat, I might have kept it. But I had three bikes at the time. I just was not riding them all enough.
I looked at this after seeing one listed at a shop near me. I always like the style of the bike but i always knew that the storage was so small. It wouldn't fit my needs. I have a harley ultra limited and i like having all my storage space. It comes on handy whenever my wife decides she needs me to pick up a "couple of things" from the grocery which always ends up being a full load in all my storage. This is a great review. Thanks for uploading! I really helped me decide on not getting one. I'll just admire it from a distance. There's some things that are cool but its always different when you actually own one.
For those of you club members who love the NM4, I do understand the appeal. Yes. They are awesome. But... if your spine does not fit that flat backrest comfortably on long rides, you are SOL.
Yes, I was unofficially pulled over out of sheer interest by a local cop. It is a true story. I was... after all, wearing all black with a silver helmet. Sometimes you just need to be subtle to be cool.
I never had range anxiety. But the 1.5 gallon fill-ups made me feel short changed when riding with other riders with 3 gallon tanks or more. The NC has very good range having a much larger tank. So I know what kind of range the Vultus could have.
This bike runs around $11,000 new. A total waste of money. I sold mine for $7,000 in mint condition and I rode it weekly. A huge loss. Motorcycles are never investments. No matter what you think. All I can say is that my NC700X keeps me out of the gym.
i have been surveying this bike. wen to see 2 bikes. i agree with you totally all the negatives . i really wanted this because of my height. 5 feet 6inches. i really had to straighten my legs and i am sure they would feel sore after a long ride. there is little chance to put the legs up like my present auto silverwing. I think honda should scrap this dct idea. make it manual or just auto.
I have had the joy of riding many models, and many makes over 40 years. So many group rides. So many opportunities to explore what everyone else has. Honda and the Vultus explored a niche as only Honda could. The Vultus is a low sleek reclined rider. Not suited for sitting up straight. The DCT is the way of the future. A care-free motor and transmission combination that when leveraged properly, will suit a number of riders. The NM4 was a very quirky design. The storage was the quirkiest. The back rest needed more customization. Sadly everyone needs a bespoke seat and this is where the NM4 falls short. The reclined position and tiny fuel tank were the biggest failures. I only wanted a slightly bigger tank. I needed a slightly higher range and a seat that did not cause so many spine issues. Other than the annoying fan-boy following, the bike was a slam dunk great ride. It needed a makeover that just was not available. This is why so many people paint them. People customize them. But even then you cannot get past the 1.5 gallon tank.
You will find that as far as larger highway bikes are, this bike is great for shorter riders. There are a few concerns: The long wheel base vs overall weight. This bike handles like a school bus on two wheels. Much of your steering is found in lateral tilt. Instead of tilting from the hips and legs, you will tilt from the spine and shoulders. The front wheel is far ahead of you in between your feet. This changes your whole thought process about riding. I owned four bikes with the Vultus. A VMax and a Rebel 500. And a race-level XR 650L. Each bike was on the extreme in terms of riding style. The Rebel is underpowered for highway touring but an ideal ride for the shorter rider. I suggest the Rebel 1100 for shorter riders. You may not like the DCT, only because you have not learned how to use it. I was a manual gearbox guy for 20 years. Then I started performance riding and driving with paddle shifters. A whole new world opened up to me. A world where you focus on pure directional control instead of what gear you are in. You eventually reach a higher plain in terms of your riding. It is very spiritual. The gearing is no longer a concern. The bike begins to compliment your riding style and movements. This is the DCT way of riding. The key issue on the NM4 is the rate at which you run out of fuel. A manual gearbox on any other bike becomes a distraction to your riding enjoyment once you ride with a DCT. My old VMax helped me see the way of the DCT. The Vmax was a gear-head machine. On the vmax, you had so much power that all you could do was hold on while your cheeks distorted from acceleration. The Vultus allows your mind to relax. Sometimes a little too often. When you ride the NM4, you are committed to one body position. On my NC700, I have three stances. I still have the DCT and a lot less range anxiety. The NC gives me a variety of road choices. The NM4 is best suited as a smooth road bike. Smooth city street or highway- these are your preferred choices on the NM4. I had problems with rear wheel alignment and pulling of the rear end. The bike is so long that slight rear tire problems or axle-pin deviations become super obvious. So to enjoy the NM4 bike thoroughly, you need a back tire that is balanced perfectly, does not have any distortions, and absorbs a lot of road bumps. The stock tire was terrible for this. So the first thing I needed when I bought the bike new was a better rear tire. From the dealer the Vultus would pull to one side in the rear forcing me to tilt back and correct. I had to work through this quirk for 2 months before I figured out how it happens. So the unique layout of the bike has its own sensory quirks. You feel things differently. You notice your neck muscles swelling and pulling. I grew a whole neck size riding the Vultus.
I have since learned the lessons of being too cool. You attract a lot of attention. Good attention and bad attention. So, you cannot look too perfect, too black, too color coordinated. People stare and cause distractions around you. People wave you closer. I am not kidding. This happens to me. The last thing you want is an accident between two people staring at you. Then, the people at the bar pay too much attention to you... in all kinds of ways. I could leave the bike lit for more than 1 hour without running the motor. It was like a UFO that landed at the bar. At Dallas Comiccon, it was a crowd creator. I am too big to be batman, even when I am 210lbs. So, I just wore black... and that was enough.
@@imperialdra-mon5907 it just wasn’t compatible with my chronic spine condition. Yes I could have cut myself a vinyl-wood bolt on seat with my own cushioning and it would’ve lasted forever. But I was ready to move back to the XR 650 L I’ve always loved. Along the way I also said hello to the NC 700. And now I have both. NC700 DCT has the exact same motor. Because it is taller, it is not as quick. The coolest thing about the vultus was that it could out accelerate a cop car and out brake it too. A cop was chasing me in a rather playful way in his Police cruiser, and I outmaneuvered him. He was so excited about it that he asked me to pull over and show him the bike. I wasn’t doing anything wrong. I was just out performing his moves. The car over shot me by almost 100 feet and backed up in the middle of traffic. He had to apologize and admitted that he just wanted to see the bike. Of course I was like… okaaaaay.
Yes, I did own one of these, and as cool as they are, they are a mind-scramble to ride.
I do miss this bike as it made me feel special. But every speciality bike has quirks and issues. This bike was a gem. The design was groundbreaking. I had a few bikes and this bike did not fit my needs. My spine issues were progressing and I needed a better seat and bigger fuel tank.
You can tell I loved this bike. I still ride an NC700X with the same motor. The military guy I sold it to was so excited to get it for $7000. So black... so cool. My body was just not compatible with this bike. When you sit this low, you can accelerate as fast as the tire can let you. You can brake equally fast. I have melted the tires doing traffic light stop-and-goes. I have rode the bike tilted over so far that the metal foot pad grinder caps were sparking in the dark. I have slid the bike at 70MPH under hard braking and spun the bike around in dirt. It is a lot of fun. If I had the time to rework the seat, I might have kept it. But I had three bikes at the time. I just was not riding them all enough.
I looked at this after seeing one listed at a shop near me. I always like the style of the bike but i always knew that the storage was so small. It wouldn't fit my needs.
I have a harley ultra limited and i like having all my storage space. It comes on handy whenever my wife decides she needs me to pick up a "couple of things" from the grocery which always ends up being a full load in all my storage.
This is a great review. Thanks for uploading! I really helped me decide on not getting one. I'll just admire it from a distance. There's some things that are cool but its always different when you actually own one.
For those of you club members who love the NM4, I do understand the appeal. Yes. They are awesome. But... if your spine does not fit that flat backrest comfortably on long rides, you are SOL.
Yes, I was unofficially pulled over out of sheer interest by a local cop. It is a true story. I was... after all, wearing all black with a silver helmet. Sometimes you just need to be subtle to be cool.
All you say is true, but I still love mine!
I regret riding it to Comic-con.
I never had range anxiety. But the 1.5 gallon fill-ups made me feel short changed when riding with other riders with 3 gallon tanks or more. The NC has very good range having a
much larger tank. So I know what kind of range the Vultus could have.
I love it looks fking cool
This bike runs around $11,000 new. A total waste of money. I sold mine for $7,000 in mint condition and I rode it weekly. A huge loss. Motorcycles are never investments. No matter what you think. All I can say is that my NC700X keeps me out of the gym.
i have been surveying this bike. wen to see 2 bikes. i agree with you totally all the negatives . i really wanted this because of my height. 5 feet 6inches. i really had to straighten my legs and i am sure they would feel sore after a long ride. there is little chance to put the legs up like my present auto silverwing. I think honda should scrap this dct idea. make it manual or just auto.
I have had the joy of riding many models, and many makes over 40 years. So many group rides. So many opportunities to explore what everyone else has. Honda and the Vultus explored a niche as only Honda could. The Vultus is a low sleek reclined rider. Not suited for sitting up straight. The DCT is the way of the future. A care-free motor and transmission combination that when leveraged properly, will suit a number of riders. The NM4 was a very quirky design. The storage was the quirkiest. The back rest needed more customization. Sadly everyone needs a bespoke seat and this is where the NM4 falls short. The reclined position and tiny fuel tank were the biggest failures. I only wanted a slightly bigger tank. I needed a slightly higher range and a seat that did not cause so many spine issues. Other than the annoying fan-boy following, the bike was a slam dunk great ride. It needed a makeover that just was not available. This is why so many people paint them. People customize them. But even then you cannot get past the 1.5 gallon tank.
You will find that as far as larger highway bikes are, this bike is great for shorter riders. There are a few concerns: The long wheel base vs overall weight. This bike handles like a school bus on two wheels. Much of your steering is found in lateral tilt. Instead of tilting from the hips and legs, you will tilt from the spine and shoulders. The front wheel is far ahead of you in between your feet. This changes your whole thought process about riding. I owned four bikes with the Vultus. A VMax and a Rebel 500. And a race-level XR 650L. Each bike was on the extreme in terms of riding style. The Rebel is underpowered for highway touring but an ideal ride for the shorter rider. I suggest the Rebel 1100 for shorter riders. You may not like the DCT, only because you have not learned how to use it. I was a manual gearbox guy for 20 years. Then I started performance riding and driving with paddle shifters. A whole new world opened up to me. A world where you focus on pure directional control instead of what gear you are in. You eventually reach a higher plain in terms of your riding. It is very spiritual. The gearing is no longer a concern. The bike begins to compliment your riding style and movements. This is the DCT way of riding. The key issue on the NM4 is the rate at which you run out of fuel. A manual gearbox on any other bike becomes a distraction to your riding enjoyment once you ride with a DCT. My old VMax helped me see the way of the DCT. The Vmax was a gear-head machine. On the vmax, you had so much power that all you could do was hold on while your cheeks distorted from acceleration. The Vultus allows your mind to relax. Sometimes a little too often. When you ride the NM4, you are committed to one body position. On my NC700, I have three stances. I still have the DCT and a lot less range anxiety. The NC gives me a variety of road choices. The NM4 is best suited as a smooth road bike. Smooth city street or highway- these are your preferred choices on the NM4. I had problems with rear wheel alignment and pulling of the rear end. The bike is so long that slight rear tire problems or axle-pin deviations become super obvious. So to enjoy the NM4 bike thoroughly, you need a back tire that is balanced perfectly, does not have any distortions, and absorbs a lot of road bumps. The stock tire was terrible for this. So the first thing I needed when I bought the bike new was a better rear tire. From the dealer the Vultus would pull to one side in the rear forcing me to tilt back and correct. I had to work through this quirk for 2 months before I figured out how it happens. So the unique layout of the bike has its own sensory quirks. You feel things differently. You notice your neck muscles swelling and pulling. I grew a whole neck size riding the Vultus.
I have since learned the lessons of being too cool. You attract a lot of attention. Good attention and bad attention. So, you cannot look too perfect, too black, too color coordinated. People stare and cause distractions around you. People wave you closer. I am not kidding. This happens to me. The last thing you want is an accident between two people staring at you. Then, the people at the bar pay too much attention to you... in all kinds of ways. I could leave the bike lit for more than 1 hour without running the motor. It was like a UFO that landed at the bar. At Dallas Comiccon, it was a crowd creator. I am too big to be batman, even when I am 210lbs. So, I just wore black... and that was enough.
most of the problems you can fix tour self and the rest of the problems i also have on sport bikes😂
@@imperialdra-mon5907 it just wasn’t compatible with my chronic spine condition. Yes I could have cut myself a vinyl-wood bolt on seat with my own cushioning and it would’ve lasted forever. But I was ready to move back to the XR 650 L I’ve always loved. Along the way I also said hello to the NC 700. And now I have both. NC700 DCT has the exact same motor. Because it is taller, it is not as quick. The coolest thing about the vultus was that it could out accelerate a cop car and out brake it too. A cop was chasing me in a rather playful way in his Police cruiser, and I outmaneuvered him. He was so excited about it that he asked me to pull over and show him the bike. I wasn’t doing anything wrong. I was just out performing his moves. The car over shot me by almost 100 feet and backed up in the middle of traffic. He had to apologize and admitted that he just wanted to see the bike. Of course I was like… okaaaaay.
Seems like you just needed a gallon of Bio Freeze 😅
After riding that bike all day, haha, yeah. I would need a few globby handfuls. Sometimes I would soak my shirt with it and lay on a hot wet towel.