Can the NT match a Tracer GT?
Mile-muncher Simon contemplates the relative merits of two of the biking’s best sports tourers by riding them to Scotland
THE NT1100 HAD the start of the summer off as it waited for my ankle to recover from being bitten by a Tiger — the Hinckley 1200 kind. When I got back on board the Honda express last month, it was like slipping into a comfy old surgical moon boot — neither the most thrilling transport in the world nor the most attractive, and similarly made from lumps of black plastic which haven’t resisted the scuffs and buffs of daily life too well. But also easy, gentle, familiar, safe, stable and undemanding — exactly what you want to ease you and your fat leg back into riding across the country.
So that’s what we did — 800-odd miles from Peterborough up the Northumberland coast to Holy Island, then back down and along Hadrian’s Wall, back up to the Borders, then returning to Peterborough via a rip into the Pennines — and all in the company of one of the NT1100’S closest rivals, Yamaha’s Tracer 9 GT, and photographer pal Chippy Wood. As is the way, we swapped bikes a fair bit, which is usually a good method of working out who prefers what. When you’ve got 300 miles of motorway to ride and it’s already 6pm, you decide which bike you prefer fairly quickly.
The Honda and Yamaha are closely matched on trim levels and price, but differ wildly in approach and attitude. The Yamaha is light, raucous, quick steering and revvy, and always on the go, like an eager whippet. The Honda is much more considered and conservative, preserving its wafty dignity beneath a slightly ordinary exterior. It’s almost as if manufacturer stereotypes are a real thing. They both also have complex and fiddly switchgear and Marmite clocks. You can’t win, it seems, unless you try a Suzuki GSX-1000 GT, which has neither.
Both are about as fast as each other (and both electronically limited to 135mph, if you need to know why they won’t go any faster) but, for me, the Honda wins on better wind protection (from that massively adjustable screen, which goes from normal to slap upright); long distance comfort (the seat is a little nicer than the Tracer and the riding position a bit more spacious); and a slightly better tank range (the Honda can eke around 30 to 40 miles more).
As we saddle up to ride home, I ask Chippy the big question: which do you want? He pauses, then picks the Honda by a slight margin. Trouble is, I want it too. He gives in and takes the Yam. Five miles later, he pulls alongside me, points at the Tracer and gives two thumbs up. It’s so hard to choose between them, there’s no wrong choice; it depends what kind of mood you’re in. Ask me again without a swollen ankle, and I might say something different.