HONDA

Honda NT1100 2025

The Honda NT1100, whose technical sheet you can find at this link, and the Honda NT1100 DCT, whose technical sheet you can find at this link, were introduced in 2011 with a name that came from “New Touring”. It was a new model based on the platform of the successful Africa Twin with a parallel twin-cylinder engine, which later, also with variations, was used for the CMX1100 Rebel. The NT1100 was intended as a simpler touring bike than the usual models in the segment, but at the same time with less sporting aspirations than traditional sport touring bikes and new generation crossovers.

This fairly neutral position has allowed it to fit in with a wide sector of the public, something that has led to more than 20,000 units being sold in Europe in these four years, being the best-selling bike in its segment in 2023, also helped by a lower price than that of large touring bikes packed with equipment.

Two options...Looking ahead to the next few years, Honda has updated it, but going a little further than the modifications necessary to comply with Euro5+ homologation, which will be definitively implemented at the beginning of next January. These are not major changes to a motorcycle that stands out for its sobriety and for being in tune with the line that Honda has established in some of its models, especially in its large scooters, which come from the same design centre in Rome, and maintain a certain homogeneity.

Looking ahead to 2025, Honda is planning to offer the NT1100 in two levels: on the one hand, the standard version, which has a conventional manual gearbox, and on the other, the DCT, which in our country will only be served with the option of electronically controlled suspensions. The price difference between the two is not excessive, €1,700 between the two, which makes the second one more attractive in principle. It should be noted that, in the current model, two thirds of sales have gone to the automatic transmission NT1100.

Greater performance...Apart from other aesthetic and comfort changes, the big change in the 2025 version is the evolution of the engine, especially in the DCT version. It now features the same engine that is already present in this season's Africa Twin, which, while maintaining the same maximum power, has seen its mid-range torque increase by 7%, something we were able to verify in our bench test a few months ago.

To achieve this, work has been done beyond the electronic management of the engine, increasing the compression ratio from 10.1:1 to 10.5:1 with new pistons that have higher heads, and also new connecting rods. The air filter box is also larger, going from 29 l to 33 l. The result is that the maximum torque figure rises to 112 Nm at 5,500 rpm. 750 rpm below the speed of the previous model.

Greater efficiency...The DCT gearbox has improved, especially in the operation of the clutches. On the one hand, a six-axis IMU has been incorporated into the electronic system, which allows the motorcycle to be positioned and its movements to be known in detail, which has led to being able to control the centrifugal force in each curve and adjust the programming of the changes.

On the other hand, the hydraulic pressure regulation system of the circuit that activates the clutches has been changed with a different sensor design, which increases speed and allows better regulation. With this, the jumps at very low speed of the clutch activation that caused a certain rattling have been eliminated.

Adaptable...The system continues to maintain its characteristics, with automatic modes D, and three S, and another manual. There are cams to act manually even in the automatic modes, and the system reserves the right to act on its own in certain occasions such as when the speed drops excessively, reducing to prevent the engine from stalling, or delaying reductions if the speed is going to rise excessively.

Externally, what is most striking is the new front, since the optics have been changed, now LED, with DRL lights and integrated indicators, which form two fairly thin lines. The screen is different, with more protection and a new manual adjustment system that makes it much easier to operate. Now you can even do it without getting off the bike. It has a 167 mm difference in height in five steps.

Improved comfort...The seat, which is still quite wide and comfortable, also receives a new softer material and, with the same height of 820 mm, allows better access to the ground because it has more rounded edges. The lower part of the front mudguard has also been extended to reduce splashes. Finally, the panniers, with the same shape, have increased in width by 25 mm to allow something very much in demand, to be able to store a good-sized full-face helmet in each one. The capacity is 37 l on the right and 36 on the left.

The novelty is the arrival of the electronically adjustable Showa EERA suspensions that come together with the DCT transmission. They have a semi-active operation, which regulates the operation of their hydraulics and can be adjusted from the frame to make them more or less hard. On the rear axle, you can also choose the preload. For this purpose, two “User” modes have been incorporated in which all the parameters of engine power, electronic aids and suspension adjustment can be independently varied, and which are joined by three other preset ones.

The great quality of the NT1100 is its ease of use, something that is multiplied in the version with DCT and EERA that we have had the opportunity to test. The low-speed regulation of the automatic clutch is better, you can accelerate very little without it engaging and staying in neutral alternately, which allows you to drive at very low speed and in maneuvers with more comfort. As always, the D mode, which changes gear ratio at 2,000 rpm, is very quiet, valid for city or highway, but on the highway or when you want some dynamism, you have to opt for one of the three S modes, which become more sporty.

In any case, you always have the option of using the levers on the left pinecone, or switching to manual mode, which, if you don't mind having to interact all the time, is more comfortable when you really want to go fast. The truth is that the changes are made in both directions with impressive speed, in most of them, you don't even notice.

Versatile...The riding position is slightly more forward-leaning than the Africa Twin, and you also sit lower, but with your legs equally relaxed. The wide seat narrows forward, so you can close your legs. You have the double frame relatively high and a screen that in its highest position reaches halfway up the helmet and moves forward, all aimed at doing many kilometers without problems.

The engine has no noticeable vibrations, just the sound of the crankshaft timed at 270º, which makes it different from traditional inline twin-cylinder engines. It responds well from just over 3,000 rpm, when the torque curve stabilizes and begins to stand out at around 5,000 rpm, with gear ratios that are not excessively long and allow it to have good acceleration and a maximum speed of about 200 km/h.

Evolution...The truth is that it is perfectly adapted to the purpose for which this bike was created, which is to travel long distances at a good pace on any type of road. For this it also has more than enough agility, with a weight of 239 kg or 249 kg depending on the version, to which you have to add the 12 kg of the suitcases and whatever else is on top, it is light enough.

In the test we carried out with the DCT version it was stable in any condition, both on broken roads with very tight curves, and on fast highways and ports in good condition. In reality, there are no major changes, the philosophy is the same, but now it has a more responsive engine, you can count on electronic suspensions and it has polished the details that were requested.

Conclusion...The Honda NT1100 continues in 2025 the same bike, which is not at all bad news. It has become a success, positioning itself as a logical model, focused on tourism, but without fanfare, without more equipment than necessary for that purpose and with a reasonable price. It is a light motorcycle in its segment, dynamically fun and now with the possibility of not only having the DCT automatic transmission, but also electronic suspension adjustment.

Reporter: Pepe Burgaleta