Honda’s Stunning New Sport Touring Bike Is Easily the Most Affordable and Approachable in Its Class

Finally coming over from Europe, the NT1100 DCT is nicely priced and (relatively) simple to ride.

Published March 19, 2025

·

Every product is carefully selected by our editors. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more

With many of its vehicles — two-wheeled and otherwise — Honda has a rep for overdelivering on value versus the competition.

That trend continues with the recent announcement that a motorcycle that’s been a big hit overseas the past few years is finally making its way to US shores.

honda nt1100 hero — Right now, the NT1100 only comes in one colorway. Thankfully, Pearl Hawkeye Blue looks pretty sharp.

Said bike is the 2025 NT1100 DCT, which headlines a bunch of compelling new bikes and new model year updates the brand is rolling out over the next couple of months.

That list also includes the Rebel 500 I wrote about last week and the CB1000SP, confirming the rumors I covered last month.

But with regard to sport touring, when it comes to both cost and ease of riding, this NT1100 looks pretty tough to beat.

Price is right

From a pricing standpoint, it’s easy to see that this Honda is outpacing its rivals.

Especially easy if you read RideApart’s wonderful Janaki Jitchotvisut, who has already crunched the numbers.

She went so far as to make a helpful chart comparing the engine size, power and price of the NT1100 to comparable bikes from Suzuki (GSX-S1000GT+), Kawasaki (Versys 1100 SE LT ABS), Yamaha (Tracer 9) and Ducati (Multistrada V2).

honda nt1100 engine — The NT1100’s engine is derived from that of the Africa Twin, one of the most iconic adventure bikes you can buy.

While the NT1100’s 100.6 horsepower does come in dead last on the list, its Africa Twin-derived 1,084cc power plant is the second biggest and, perhaps most importantly, it’s tops in torque at 82.6 lb-ft.

More relevant for this part of the story, however, is the fact that at $11,899, the NT1000 costs $700 less than the Tracer 9 and $2,400-plus less than the three other bikes.

So you can check that “most affordable” box and move on.

Easy rider

As far as ride-ability is concerned, I did some digging of my own with a very rudimentary approach that should still be somewhat instructive.

I looked purely at how the NT1100 stacks up against those four other bikes with regard to seat height and curb weight.

While these are not the only factors that determine the approachability of a motorcycle, they are two big ones — and the NT1100 has an ace up its sleeve I will get to momentarily.

While I am personally a big proponent of manual transmissions, I do appreciate the convenience of automatic. And there’s no question that when it comes to approachability, not having to shift gears makes things a helluva lot easier.

Anyhoo, on these metrics alone, the NT1100 lands pretty near the middle.

It’s 32.3-inch seat comes in third, while its 547-pound curb weight makes it lighter only than Kawasaki’s Versus 1100, which kinda makes sense as that is the only bike with a bigger engine (1,099cc).

As for that aforementioned ace, it’s this: In case you weren’t already aware, DCT is short for dual-clutch transmission.

honda nt1100 carplay — Adding to the NT1100’s ease of use is compatibility with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. (The European model is shown here, in case you were wondering about all those accent marks.)

This technology, which Honda has been pioneering since 2009, does a number of things but the most notable is that it enables automatic gear shifting.

While I am personally a big proponent of manual transmissions — which you will find on probably 99 percent of motorcycles, excluding electrics — I do appreciate the convenience of automatic.

And there’s no question that when it comes to approachability, not having to worry about shifting gears makes things a helluva lot easier.

honda nt1100 action — No matter which shifting mode you choose, the NT1100 should be hella fun in the twisties, while providing enough power, comfort and storage accessories for ambitious two-up road trips.

It’s worth noting that the NT1100 offers two other gear shifting modes.

One is Automatic Sport, for more aggressive riding — the engine revs higher before shifting up and shifts down sooner when decelerating to boost engine braking.

The other is, yes, Manual. While it’s not quite like what you’d experience on a classic motorcycle — you change gears via a handlebar trigger — it at least provides a bit of that old-school flavor.