‘Adventure’ is defined in the dictionary as ‘Unexpected or exciting experience, daring enterprise, hazardous activity’. Now, as motorcyclists, we know that even cruising to a coffee spot by motorcycle is a minor adventure as opposed to rolling there in a four-wheel shopping basket. Sometimes the planned adventure takes a twist before you even get going, and so it was on this occasion. Let me explain. My son Dave trains and mentors staff in the motor industry. On this occasion, it involved visiting a Ford dealership in Kokstad. When he saw that getting to Kokstad involved traversing a large part of the KZN Midlands, he started thinking of a motorcycle trip, and I got a call, ‘Hey Pops, are you up for a road trip?’ ‘Hell yeah!’ was my predictable response. Let the planning begin! That’s when I thought of what could make a great story, so I contacted Rory at Honda SA.
My idea was to do a touring comparison between Honda’s ubiquitous NC 750, which is a road bike with dirt road capability, and their TransAlp 750, which is decent off-road but with great road manners. With a special deal running on the TransAlp at the moment, which comes in at a purchase price of around R190,000, it is a huge amount of bike for that money. I have always been of the opinion that the Trannie is vastly underrated and one of the gems in the Honda range for someone in the market for a do-it-all bike. Rory arranged for the knobblies on their demo bike to be swapped for Pirelli STRs, which are ideal tyres for the skills of the TransAlp. I picked up the bike from Bikers Warehouse, and a new 750 manual NC 750 was dropped off at my home. Let the games begin!
We planned to leave on a Thursday at lunchtime when Dave had completed his online training of Ford staff in Cambodia and Myanmar. Ain’t the internet something! This meant a brisk ride to Nottingham Road, where we planned to overnight at the iconic ‘Notties’ hotel, then leave early the next morning to ride from Howick to Underberg and on to Kokstad. The bikes were packed and ready to roll, so we kitted up and hopped aboard. Dave was going to do the first stint on the TransAlp and wheeling it out of the garage, he gave a cry of dismay. The front tyre had totally deflated overnight. Pressed for time, we had to change our plan. My NC DCT 750 was wheeled out, luggage transferred, and we got on our way. Adventures don’t always happen as you planned, and over the years, I have, on a few occasions, had to roll with the punches that Murphy throws at me.
I rode my DCT, and Dave was on the manual NC. We successfully negotiated hectic Johannesburg lunchtime traffic and felt a sense of calm wash over us as we headed towards Heidelberg. The first tollgate eradicated that sense of calm. For at least 4 kilometres, the highway approaching the tollgate was gridlocked solid with trucks. I thought that there had to be a massive accident, but no, it was simply an accumulation of the trucks that infest our roads, creating total chaos. We idled past the mess and nipped the tollgate and proceeded on our way, so grateful to be on bikes. We settled into a comfortable 120 plus VAT and enjoyed the laid-back and relaxed demeanour of the NCs. There was a brisk headwind which was going to haunt us for the duration of our trip. Inexplicably, the wind changed direction as we did and, by and large, smacked us in the beak. Despite this, our fuel consumption was typically NC frugal, with the manual consistently giving an extra kilometre on every litre consumed.
We rolled into Nottingham Road in a heavy mist so typical of the Midlands. The temperature also dropped dramatically. ‘Notties’, as the hotel is affectionately known, is a typical Old English-style country hotel. The pub is a watering hole for some interesting locals. There was a TOPS festival being hosted at the hotel in full swing, with superb snacks and various purveyors of fine wines, whiskeys and gin with their wares to sample. Because of this, the kitchen in the hotel was closed, so we voiced our displeasure at not being advised when booking that this would be the case. We unpacked our kit into our room whilst mumbling and grumbling about where we would find a meal. As if on cue, the receptionist arrived and issued us with complimentary tickets to the festival. Score! We punished a couple of ‘vuil cokes’ in celebration of the first day of our road trip, then joined the festival for further refreshments. Chatting about the ride as bikers are wont to do, I could sense that the NC was weaving its magic on Dave. He commented that it is endowed with the sweetest clutch and gearbox that he had ever experienced, and he was gobsmacked by the general refinement.
As is customary, we rose early on Friday morning. We needed to be in Kokstad by 9 AM, and the road to Kokstad is ‘technical’ in nature. It would be a real-world crucible of fire, testing the abilities of the two NCs to the max. It meant getting on the N3 to turn off at Howick, where we would ride the mountainous route through Bulwer and a number of rural Zululand villages before Underberg, literally in the lee of the mighty Drakensberg. All these villages must have got a special deal on speed bumps, as you first negotiate rumble strips before bunny hopping a bunch of speed bumps. From there, the road opened up for the run down to Kokstad. The weather threw a huge challenge. We rode out of Nottingham Road in heavy mist, which was destined to envelop us in varying degrees of density all the way to Underberg. The road surfaces were slick and wet, pothole-strewn and incredibly bumpy in places. In some places, feeble attempts were being made to repair potholes, leaving big rectangles of dirt devoid of tar to traverse. The two NCs were a revelation! The perfect power delivery and dialled suspension, allied to a perfect rider triangle, simply gives great rider confidence despite the dire road conditions. To add to our misery, it was extremely cold with temperatures hovering around 7 degrees. Well, as the old saying goes, ‘a bad day on the bike is better than a good day in the office’.
Thankfully, we dropped out of the mist as we exited Underberg and descended down the mountain to Kokstad. To lift our spirits even more were the incredible mountain vistas in all directions. The road surface was also vastly improved. The NCs swept through the sweeping bends with commendable accuracy. I normally ride the DCT NC in Standard mode, dropping a gear with a quick prod of my thumb on the paddle shifter to drop a gear for more go. Needing to get a hurry up, I selected Sport mode, powering through the sweeps and then upshifting with my index finger. We were able to make up time lost on the road to Underberg and rolled up to the Ford dealership in Kokstad at exactly 9 AM. It was straight to work for Dave while I went in search of a cup of coffee and some chain lube. The wet roads had washed all the lube from our chains, and being endowed with a big dollop of mechanical sympathy, I wanted to sort that situation. I also wanted to study my map as I didn’t want to ride that shocking bit of toxic tar twice on the same day. I decided we would ride the road to Pietermaritzburg, which, chatting to the locals, was in reasonable nick. Dave had to see more staff than anticipated, so we only managed to get back on the bikes at 2 PM, with a 420-k ride in the offing to our destination, Amphitheatre Backpackers near Bergville.
The ride to ‘Maritzburg was a goodie. The first stretch out of Kokstad was brand new and apparently goes all the way to Port Shepstone. It undulates and sweeps through stunning mountain scenery. We then turned off onto an older, but relatively decent road, which took us into ‘Maritzburg. We got to strafe some serious mountain passes where we had the opportunity to thoroughly test the handling capabilities of the NCs. Suffice to say, we wore all the hero knobs off the tyres and had a whole heap of fun. Even bumpy sweeps do not deviate the bikes from their course, and ground clearance is good. We rolled into Maritzburg at rush hour and eventually found our way onto the N3 and made haste towards Bergville. Bikes rock when it comes to maintaining speed through heavy traffic, and so it was through the course of the ride, slicing and dicing traffic with aplomb. We eventually pulled into the Backpackers at 6.15 PM, properly weary from muscling the bikes over mountains and fighting headwind for the better part of the day.
With a shared sandwich, our only meal of the day, we were properly famished. The Amphitheatre Backpackers is highly recommended. It has an amazing view of the Drakensberg in the distance. We watched the last vestiges of sun kissing the peaks of the Berg as we sipped on our first drink, before tucking into a plate of tasty pasta. Needless to say, we had no trouble sleeping. We were not sure what the next day’s ride would bring, with weather apps predicting significant rain just about everywhere. The wind, which had transpired to be in our faces irrespective of which way we rode, picked up even more during the night. I opened the door the next morning to an angry, windswept sky but no rain as yet. The power was out, so coffee was not in the offing, so we packed the bikes, took some pics, then hit the road. The R74 past the Backpackers takes you over Oliviershoek pass and past the Sterkfontein dam to Harrismith. What transpired was one of those epic rides that stays etched in the memory for aeons.
It was cool but not cold. The bikes were running sweetly, and the light on the pass was sublime. Streaks of sun played on the mountain, doing its best to penetrate the clouds. The views from Oliviershoek pass must be experienced, especially at first light. It was so good to be alive and on a bike in that place at that time. All too soon, we pulled into the Harrismith Wimpy for a triple-shot mega coffee, then it was back on the bikes. It was one of those rides where everything just feels good. The bikes were singing their 4200 rpm song at 135 kph, devouring the distance effortlessly. It is a speed which allows you to relax and enjoy the ride without fatigue. It seemed like no time before we were past Heidelberg and pulled into the Steers for a brekkie. The weather had been kind thus far, but the bank of dark clouds over Jo’burg told a different story. We pulled on rain kits and rode straight into spots of rain, which varied in intensity all the way onto the R21 from OR Tambo to Pretoria, where it was raining steadily, and the NCs were throwing up plumes of spray in their wake. We had made short work of a 400-odd km ride home.
Dave and I chatted about the NCs that had carried us far and wide without so much as a murmur. When you fire them up in the morning, the motor instantly settles into this even idle that shouts refinement and reliability. These bikes are beyond dependable. The 23-litre locked storage space or ‘frunk’, as it is affectionately called, is a game changer.
Weatherproof and instantly accessible, you wonder how you can get by without it. My rain suit, spare gloves, puncture repair kit, camera, wallet and cellphone were gobbled up effortlessly and with space to spare. Having experienced the wide array of talents of the NC, I will be the next guy who labels it ‘a commuter’ in the nether regions! This is a travel bike par excellence! In stock trim, it is extremely comfortable. Spend a little loot, and you can kit it out for far more adventurous journeys. I have Honda’s touring screen with a wind deflector and the excellent quality SW-Motech crashbars, soft luggage racks and bashplate fitted for a bit of dirt road without pain. Barkbuster handguards keep the worst of the weather off my hands. The final pieces of the puzzle will be a radiator guard and mainstand, then my NC will be totally sorted.
The NC has such an easy-going nature, it works with you no matter what terrain you are traversing. It carries its weight low and is extremely comfortable. In real-world riding, it punches way above its weight. Reliability is a given, and fuel consumption is spectacular; our average for the trip, despite the headwind, settled at around 25 km/L, giving a range of over 300 km between fill-ups. The option of DCT [Auto] and Manual shifting is another winner. Both versions function superbly in their own way. 6th gear is an overdrive, which keeps the motor relaxed at highway speed. With maximum torque at a low 4,750 rpm, it results in a punchy midrange, easily accessed by dropping a gear.
In 20,000 k’s of travel on my personal DCT NC, I have never experienced under 20 km/L, even after extended 150 kph cruising. For someone like me who rides his bike every day and everywhere, there is quite simply nothing like it. It is like that dependable buddy who never lets you down and never says no. Dave’s parting shot was ‘Pops, there is definitely an NC in my future’. I get it! Needless to say, thanks to that sod Murphy, I have unfinished business with Honda’s TransAlp. Watch this space.
Honda NC750X:
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