The Rumors Say It’s Coming
Honda used to sell a bike called the NT700 Deauville. It was a 650cc motorcycle with built-in panniers and a more upright seating position. The motorcycle was a middleweight touring machine that was well-like in Europe. It didn’t last forever, though. Now there are rumors of the company bringing back the Deauville name on a new bike.
According to Morebikes, the French publication Moto Station reported that Honda would bring the Deauville back. The motorcycle that would bear the Deauville name would be based on the Africa Twin DCT. At least it would be built around that bike’s 998cc engine. It’ll be an automatic machine and have a shaft drive.
According to Moto Station, the bike will also have a roughly 31-inch seat height and make about 95 hp. I’ll weigh somewhere around 570 pounds and have some big panniers so that you can have a place to put all your gear and whatnot on touring rides.
It’s important to note that Honda has not confirmed this motorcycle nor said it would use the Deauville name on anything. The name is more or less just speculation from Moto Station. We would assume that the two separate sources that spoke with the magazine aren’t fibbing about the bike.
I’m all for more good touring bikes, and I’ve long thought that having more automatic motorcycles is a good idea. This bike will likely roll out in Europe and possibly make its way to the U.S.
In the mid 1980s, Honda designers hoped to spread the joys of motorcycling to new riders by offering a quiet, functional, and stylish touring machine. The PC800 Pacific Coast debuted in 1989 with elegant full-color ads in major magazines that promoted the sophisticated lifestyles of its intended owners. It was a sales flop; people bought Harleys. But for some riders, including me, it made great sense; my 1998 PC still pleases me with its balance of power, handling, and practicality, and I still love the way it looks. Honda stopped making PCs that year, but to its credit it did offer the Deauville, a light-touring machine that had its own appeal, though it never quite matched the virtues of the Pacific Coast. My PC is now 21 years old. It runs very well, and it will outlast me. But I’d dearly love to own a new version with all the blessings of today’s technology; the idea of a new mid-sized Honda touring motorcycle with anti-lock brakes and a dual-clutch transmission fills me with joy. We don’t all need Gold Wings! Please, Honda, build this bike – or, even better, build a brand new Pacific Coast!
The bike you have described would make sense to a lot of riders, especially if it came in around $12-14k. While I would love to have a new generation Goldwing, the financial impact doesn’t work for me. My short inseam eliminates the Yamaha ST, or Honda AT as well. A Honda NT with AT power would be a great solution for my next bike. It won’t carve up the roads like my tweaked 17-year-old VFR, but it might keep me riding a bit longer.