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2025 HONDA NT1100 DCT ($11,899 / $13,258, AS TESTED) ENGINE Parallel-twin, 4-stroke DISPLACEMENT 1084cc VALVETRAIN SOHC COOLING SYSTEM Liquid BORE X STROKE 92.0 x 81.5mm COMPRESSION RATIO 10.5:1 TRANSMISSION 6-speed semi-automatic FUEL SYSTEM PGM-FI electronic fuel injection, 46mm throttle bodies, throttle-by-wire CLUTCH Wet, multiplate FRAME Semi-double-cradle steel FRONT SUSPENSION 43mm inverted Showa, preload adjustable REAR SUSPENSION Pro-Link Showa shock, preload adjustable FRONT-WHEEL TRAVEL 5.9 in. REAR-WHEEL TRAVEL 5.9 in. FRONT BRAKE Radial-mount, 4-piston calipers, 310mm discs, ABS REAR BRAKE Single-piston caliper, 256mm disc, ABS FRONT TIRE 120/70-17 in. REAR TIRE 180/55-17 in. RAKE 26.5° TRAIL 4.3 in. WHEELBASE 60.4 in. GROUND CLEARANCE 6.8 in. SEAT HEIGHT 32.3 in. FUEL CAPACITY 5.4 gal. CLAIMED WET WEIGHT 547 lbs. P126 RIDE REVIEW I 2025 HONDA NT1100 DCT of the bike balanced. Get the balance somewhat right, and the NT is a lovely long- ride partner. Comfort from the wide and plush seat is miles bet- ter than something like the Kawa- saki Versys 1100, and it should be for your passenger, too. Honda has fitted Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so pairing your phone should be a breeze for navigation, etc., but there's a bit of a catch. You need to pair your headset to the bike, then pair your phone to the headset. It's confusing, and often my headset would just drop out, and I'd get no music or navigation, which wasn't a big deal given I was on a group ride, but if I were on my own, that could be annoying. As it stood, I was able to get it going again by turning everything off, unpairing it all, and repeating the process, but I wouldn't want to do that too many times. You may not have this problem, but it's something to be wary of. These gremlins aside, I will look into my crystal ball and prophesize that the Honda NT1100 DCT will be quite the sales success over the next few years—so long as Honda stays competitive on pricing. At under $12K, this is a lot of bike for the money; at just over $13K as tested, that's better than almost everyone and substan- tially less than their archrivals in blue, with the Tracer 9 GT going for $16,499. It's been a massive hit in Europe, so there's no reason this country, with its masses of sport-touring goodness roads, will not follow suit. CN better (something Drive mode was lacking). However, all the auto modes suffered from a distinct flat spot when you requested hard acceleration from a closed throttle, such as when pulling away from a stop sign quickly. This was something other testers also commented on, and the only solution was to switch to manual mode. And, hallelujah, the manual mode is huge amounts of fun. I love a good gearshift, and although the DCT allows you to focus more on the road and less on the shift, I love the engage - ment of grabbing gears at the right time. With the manual mode, this sensation is height - ened because it feels almost like you're playing a PlayStation as you fire gears at the NT via the paddles on the left handlebar. Not only that, but the gear - shifts are also incredibly precise. The chassis never gets upset if you throw another gear at it while you're leaning over, and the rev on downshifts is oh-so-sat- isfying. So, for me, if I'm getting a DCT, I'm sticking to manual mode. But then, I'm old school. The ride quality is good, but not perfect on the NT1100. The suspension action is not at the same level for some of the sportier machines in this category, but they also cost a lot more as well. The base suspension settings are quite soft, so I adjusted the rear-end preload by two turns using the knob located under the seat. However, if you're riding two-up, you may even want a heavier spring to keep the back