On the street, the Versys comes into it's own. With the inverted fork and the non-restricted use of front brake power, the Kwacker is the street fighter of the group. It's quick, nimble and fun. The Suzi is ok around town, but it seems to beg for the open road with it's seeming huge appearance (not mass just bulk) it seems to clamour fo the backroads and highway. the tow NC's are light handling, comfortable and would be ideally suited for commuting (the cavernous faux-tank storage would be a boon to any commuting rider, even if it won't hold a full size laptop. All four bikes have plenty of streetable power to contend with any traffic situations, and slipping in and out of gaps is easy and effortless.
Out on the open road, things change however. The Kaw quickly loses it's street appeal, and the free reving motor soon punishes the rider with unwanted vibes (ok ugly) and feedback interference throught the bars and seat. Bearable yes, but very unwelcome.
The Suzuki at first seems to beg to be unleashed and let the wonderfully powerful v-twin and slick transmission shine (easily one of the nicest gear boxes in any midsize bike, RR types included) so typical of Suzuki. Sadly it isn't so. Vibration at 'legal' highway speeds is ever present. Not like the Versys, but still it detracts from an otherwise near perfect machine, with great power and wind protection all rolled into one package. The seat is likely the best of the four, but I'd still give it no more than a 6.5 over any distance. It is also a bit of a handful in crosswinds, something the other bikes didn't exhibit. Likely a factor of it's larger physical profile.
The NC700S and the 700X share identical frames and millsbut there are differences in the suspension systems/travel, wheelbase, and seat height. Now is when the lack of a gear indicator makes itself known. The engines rev easily, and hitting the rev limiter under hard accelleration and open throttle comes up quick. It's very easy to have these bikes in 4th gear on the open road and then a handful of throttle bumps the limiter to fast. There's enough torque available to accellerate quickly in almost any gear from 60 mph on, although brisk passes could certainly benefit form a drop of a cog or two depending on the rate of speed. What is most noticeable is the lack of vibration at the bars at high rpm in almost any gear. And only at extreme high rpm near redline is there any tingling coming from the seat area. Mirrors on all bike have good view and little fuzz in the relfection, but the NC has vitually no distortion at all. what disappointed me was the seats on both NC models. This isn't uncommon on all the newer Hondas I've tested, the seats are just not what I like. The Versys is bearable, and the V-strom is better (but I found myself trapped into a single spot for my body type on it, not an uncommon trait on any mid-size bike IMO), but the two Hondas are barely adequate. I didn't get a chance to try the rear pegs for a change of position on any of the bikes, something I'll do even on my Wing on a long solo ride, and certainly on a sportbike for a change of foot/knee angle. Wind blast on the two NC's and the Versys is an issue on the highway, but there are aftermarket solutions for those that want to tour the open spaces. The V-strom is fine just as is. Only it and the NC700X would be what I call suitable for one-up pseudo adventure runs, the lack of decent dual purpose rubber being the caveat for the Hondas. The Suzuki's intrusive vibes would deter me from one for any major distance.
The NC exhibited a bit of fuel mapping stutter at very low speed, 1st gear is rather tall (2.81 vs 2.438 Kaw and 2.46 Suz). Not bothersome considering the torque of the engine but I'd like a shorter ratio for first. Braking is vastly superior to the other two in both feel and performance, and the NC is way smoother running. The seat is bothersome, and I found the transission a bit rougher than either of the other two. No rebound or compression damping is a bit of a bummer on the spec sheets as well, but it didn't prove to be much of a detriment on the bike's performance in either guise; it's not like our Wings have it either. No price info to compare the four so that's an unknown, but seat of the pants feels like there is reason to consider the two NC's as viable competition for the other two. Better seat, a gear indicator, and suspension adjust are my biggest complaints, but overall I'm very impressed at the total package of the NC700. Smooth, agile, fantastic brakes, and typical Honda build quality, better than what the Kaw and Suzi show in that dept. I was skeptical of these two new offerings, but I can't find fault with anything major, and I think I secretly wanted some significant failing in them so I could cry out "look at this crap" to my reps, but I really can't. Are they spectacular? No. But damn, they are very good. Especially compared to what we rode in conjunction with today.