Article written by John Collins originally published in the July 2004 issue of Tourider
For more details of the International Motorcyclists Tour Club see www.imtc.org.uk
To sell or not to sell? That is a question I have been agonising over for the last few months.
I have waxed lyrical about my Honda Deauville on numerous occasions in this magazine but I fancied a change. (Judging by the number of new bikes in the club, I am not the only one!).
I have had the bike for 6 years. It has covered some 40,000 very enjoyable miles and has provided comfortable and reliable transport for numerous trips abroad and round the UK.
I rode it, for the last time it turned out, to Scotland in May for my annual trip to the Scottish Six Day Trial in Fort William and it seemed to me to be running better than ever. So, why change? And, if I changed, what to replace it with?
I looked at various other makes and models but I kept coming back to the Deauville. I even took out a new Honda CB600F for a test ride. I’m not a four-cylinder man really but this is a really nice bike with a super smooth engine, adjustable seat, screen and bars and ABS as standard. I came very close to buying one but the chain put me off. OK I know chains are not a problem these days but they are still more trouble than a shaft. (John Bramwell has bought a CBF. He has fitted a very neat Givi pannier system and it really does the “touring” bit very well, as well as being loads of fun).
A friend was selling a R1150GS, absolutely immaculate and a very good price. I thought hard about that too but it is really too big for what I need, and, anyway, he changed his mind about selling after riding BMW’s new R1200GS and deciding he didn’t like as much as his old bike!
When my son heard I was thinking of changing he said he would like to have my Deauville for his daily commute into London. This really pushed me into making a decision. I weighed up all the pros and cons of the Deauville against a number of alternatives and, guess what, I decided to buy a new Deauville. How boring is that? At least it is a different colour from the last one! I think the main “pro” is my comfort on the bike. Increasing age (it comes to us all!) means a few problems with squeaky joints and the hip and knee angles on the Deauville are just right for me. I can still ride all day without suffering too many problems in that department and I was really concerned that a different bike would not be so comfortable.
Honda has made a number of changes to the bike since I bought my first one and, having ridden the new one a couple of thousand miles now, including a pretty quick trip through France and Belgium, I can confirm that all the changes are for the better, and that I am pretty sure I made the right decision. Son Andrew is very pleased with his buy, which is now clocking up some 400 miles every week up and down the M4 – hardly a quiet retirement for the old bike!
So what are these changes? The most practical, as far as I am concerned, is a change of shape for the built in panniers which makes them both bigger and easier to get stuff into. The left pannier, up from 18 litres to 24 litres capacity, is quite a bit larger than the right one, up from 16 litres to 19.5 litres, and can now easily accommodate a laptop computer (if you really want to, that is!).
The bike is now fitted with a “combined brake system”. The front brakes have three-pot callipers with two pots being operated by the front brake lever and the other one coming on when the rear brake is operated. I wasn’t at all sure about this initially as I tend to trail the back brake into corners (bad habit, I know but lots of us do it) and I was worried the bike would become unstable if the front brake came on as well. I shouldn’t have worried. You really don’t notice the difference.
My other concern was the effect of the front brake coming on when descending, for example, a gravel or crushed brick driveway, such as the one at IMTC favourite Gina Bulot’s B&B in France. Again, I shouldn’t have worried. I arrived at the bottom of Gina’s distinctly non-motorcycle friendly new drive in one piece without any drama. (Don’t let the drive put you off. It is still worth staying there!).
The benefits of the linked braking system really come into play when you apply the brakes really hard. You stop! Very quickly indeed with no drama whatsoever – at least on a dry road. The forks don’t seem to “dive” as much and the whole plot remains very stable. (I haven’t tried braking hard in the wet yet, and don’t intend too if I can help it!).
According to Honda, they have made some 80 changes to the engine in the “quest for a smoother feel, performance and acceleration”. Well, whatever they have done works. I didn’t think the old Deauville was at all “rough” but the new one really is noticeably “smoother”. I seem to be using more revs than I used to, but that maybe something to do with the riding style of my companions since I bought the bike!
The gear change is better as well and, a huge benefit this, I can find neutral every time when the bike is stationary. This was a constant problem on the old bike. You could select neutral easily if you were rolling, even very slowly, but not once you had actually stopped, then it was very hit and miss. I didn’t realise what a major improvement this was until going through the tollbooths on the French Autoroutes. With the old bike I had to select neutral as I pulled up behind the person in front, then “paddle” through when it was my turn – not always easy on a fully laden bike! Now I can ride up, stop, select neutral, pay and ride away – easy. (I don’t know why they continue to charge bikes on motorways. The economic cost to the community of the traffic delayed behind a bike while the rider removes gloves, finds money and so on must be more than the cost of the toll – but let’s not get into that argument).
There are lots of little changes to the bike as well. A chrome gear lever is nice. Footrest hangers are painted instead of being bare alloy so should be easier to keep clean. There is an extra “tab” on the left hand glove box lid (two glove boxes - another “pro” for the Deauville), which makes it easier to open. The instruments have a new “carbon fibre” background and the kilometres are marked in white on the speedometer, rather than grey, so it is possible to read them now.
Honda’s Ignition Security System should make the bike harder to steal, or, at least, much harder to start if it is stolen without the correct ignition key. Sadly the bike still only has one trip meter and still has no fuel or water temperature gauges, but it does still have a large, easily operated reserve tap and a generous reserve. I’m told the headlight is much brighter but I haven’t ridden in the dark yet. The bike follows the current trend of “headlights always on” so there is no light switch as such. The “old” headlight switch now operates hazard flashers, a useful addition.
A bit more power would have been nice, but what is there is very accessible, usable and friendly. A bit less weight would be a good idea as well, but a pretty comprehensive fairing, built in panniers and a shaft drive all add up don’t they? All in all the Deauville is still a very good bike for touring, commuting and general days out. Yes, I made the right decision (and my son is a happy Deauville owner as well).
John Collins
I tend to believe that the Deauville is more practical than the new Pan but it's another story. Although the construction is not as good as the ST, it's a good tourer too. The Deauville Crowds have their gathering and farkles, the model by Honda is a winner.
This comment is from the ST1100 (pan euro) owners club from the states
In July's Bike you define a fantasy acronym, V-Nice, as a device fitted to Deauvilles that ensures no dangerous joy finds it's way to the rider. So how's this for joy: riding around the North Circular on my commute, fair weather or foul, staying dry on my Dullville still beating the SV1000s with their fat, anti-filtering exhausts.Or riding to Heathrow for business trips abroad, parking for free next to Terminal1 and stowing gear in the panniers, while R1 riders have to go by car, pay £12 per day parking or take the train. But the nicest thing is that in the nine years I've been commuting on NT650Vs and Deauvilles, I've had two minor collisions with unseeing car drivers and both times the car came off worst. I'ts time you acknowledged that though the 'Ville may not go like a Blade, there are forms of joy that can be had on it's practical,strong and reliable back that other riders can only dream about.
This comment is taken from a letter published on page 10 of the September 2003 isuue of "Bike" from Nick Wiseman in London. Go sock it to 'em Nick