Honda NT1100 2022–2026: Specs, Facts & Known Issues

The Machine's Character

Honda took the Africa Twin platform, pointed it at pavement, and stopped pretending it needed to be an adventure bike. The 1084 cc parallel twin makes 102 hp and 83 lb-ft, and the delivery is the whole point: low, wide torque that does not care much which gear you happen to be in. The standard kit is the real story, though. TFT display, cruise control, heated grips, center stand, luggage system, adjustable suspension at both ends, plus ABS, traction control and ride modes. Honda's DCT (3rd generation) sits on the options list if you want the clutch lever gone.

It rides smaller than its 549 lb wet weight suggests, and that trait defines ownership more than any number on the spec sheet. This is a machine for riders who cover real distance and want the bike to fade into the background instead of demanding attention every mile. Honda built it to age, and the engine is the kind that piles up years without fuss. The honest caveats: final drive is chain rather than shaft, so touring miles come with a maintenance rhythm. Weather protection is good without leading the class, and several luxuries heavier tourers carry are simply not on the list here.

Hard Numbers

Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.

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Key specifications
Power	102 hp (75 kW) @ 7,500 rpm
Torque	83 lb-ft (112 Nm) @ 5,500 rpm
Displacement	1084 cc
Engine	Parallel twin
Cooling	Liquid-cooled
Gearbox	6-speed
Final drive	Chain
Fork	Upside-down (USD)
Front tire	120/70-17
Rear tire	180/55-17
Seat height	32.3 in (820 mm)
Wet weight	549 lb (249 kg)
Fuel capacity	5.4 gal (20.4 L)
Fuel economy	47 mpg (US)

Equipment check

Chassis

Front Suspension Adjustable Standard
Rear Suspension Adjustable Standard
Cruise Control Standard

Comfort

Heated Grips Standard
Luggage System Standard

Connectivity

TFT Display Standard
USB Charging Port Standard

Drivetrain

Automatic Shift (DCT / ASA / AMT) Honda DCT (3rd generation) Clutchless ridingAutomatic gear selection Optional

Safety

ABS Standard
Traction Control Standard
Ride Modes Standard

The Truth on the Street

Two decades of listening adds up to a lot of NT1100 conversation: pit-lane talk at track days, gas-stop chats on tour, club nights in winter, and the mail riders send me directly once they have a season or two on one. The pattern is consistent. Owners describe this bike the way you describe a tool that works, and the complaints they raise are small, specific, and aimed at details rather than the machine itself.

Cheap Miles And Long Service Gaps

The most repeated praise has nothing to do with excitement. Owners consistently report low running costs, with strong economy on real trips and service intervals long enough that shop visits never shape the riding season. Price comes up in the same breath. Riders who cross-shopped European touring bikes say the Honda asked for less money without a thinner equipment list to explain the gap. The other steady note is breadth of use. Owners talk about running the same bike through the daily commute, the long motorway slog, and a weekend away, without feeling like they set it up for one job and compromised the rest.

Where The Engine Asks For A Downshift

The recurring gripe is roll-on. Riders describe the bottom of the rev range as flat, with mapping tuned for economy, so a pass in a tall gear at low revs feels laboured until you drop down. Above that, the complaint disappears from the conversation entirely. A related sentiment surfaces less often: that the output feels modest for a bike carrying full touring bodywork and touring weight. That one comes from a minority, and it usually reads as a preference rather than a fault.

Cockpit Clutter And Soft Damping

Two smaller irritations keep coming back. The first is the switchgear. The left cluster alone carries seventeen buttons, and riders report fumbling for the right one while moving, more so on bikes fitted with the optional automatic gearbox and the extra controls it brings. The second is the suspension. Owners call it compliant and easy to live with at touring speeds, then soft and under-damped once the pace picks up through corners. Both come up as things riders adapt to rather than deal-breakers.

Known issues

Spontaneous riding mode switching

electrics occasional

The bike may change riding modes by itself without rider input, for example from Rain to another mode, which can be disorienting and affect throttle response.
DCT throttle click noise

drivetrain rare

When returning the throttle to idle, a distinct click sound and physical sensation can be felt coming from the transmission area, reported on 2022 DCT models.

The Expert Benchmark

Where this Honda NT1100 pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.

What kind of bike this is — character vs. the class

First-Class Ride Comfort

Effortless Mile Silence

Passenger Throne Quality

Smoothness Above All

Weatherproof Travel Bubble

Low-Speed Luxury Manageability

Long-Life Trust

Premium Ownership Confidence

This bike Class average

The shape of the Honda NT1100 — numbers and character vs. the average Tourer

Head-to-head: Honda NT1100 vs. its rivals

Power

102 hp This bike 145 hp BMW R 1300 RT 101 hp Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide FLHXSE 96 hp Moto Guzzi California 1400 Touring 120 hp Kawasaki Versys 1000 SE Grand Tourer

Torque

83 lb-ft This bike 110 lb-ft BMW R 1300 RT 123 lb-ft Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide FLHXSE 89 lb-ft Moto Guzzi California 1400 Touring 75 lb-ft Kawasaki Versys 1000 SE Grand Tourer

Displacement

1084 cc This bike 1300 cc BMW R 1300 RT 1868 cc Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide FLHXSE 1380 cc Moto Guzzi California 1400 Touring 1043 cc Kawasaki Versys 1000 SE Grand Tourer

Wet weight

549 lb This bike 615 lb BMW R 1300 RT 866 lb Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide FLHXSE 743 lb Moto Guzzi California 1400 Touring 567 lb Kawasaki Versys 1000 SE Grand Tourer

Seat height

32.3 in This bike 32.2 in BMW R 1300 RT 27.2 in Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide FLHXSE 29.1 in Moto Guzzi California 1400 Touring 33.1 in Kawasaki Versys 1000 SE Grand Tourer

The Long-Haul Verdict

Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the NT1100 is actually built for.

Aerial view of a winding asphalt road cutting through volcanic terrain on La Gomera, Canary Islands. The road curves through sparse green vegetation with rocky volcanic peaks visible in the background and a settled valley to the left. Clear lane markings, dry climate, partly cloudy sky.

Best touring motorcycle for long distance?

Loaded up, two-up, with a thousand miles of park road ahead: this is the job it was built for. Just budget chain care into your maintenance stops instead of pretending it is a shaft-drive bike.

Made for Beartooth Highway · Blue Ridge Parkway · Going-to-the-Sun Road

Best motorcycle for Highway 1?

Day stages of 200 to 400 miles suit it perfectly. Light steering, genuine comfort and torque everywhere make a twisty coastal or ridge road entertaining without turning the day into work.

Made for Black Hills · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway

Best motorcycle for Tail of the Dragon?

It holds its own on tight East Coast roads and rewards clean lines, but 549 lb is still 549 lb. Repeat runs on the tightest stuff ask more of you than a lighter bike would.

Made for Back of the Dragon · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway

Variants, Models & Special Editions

The Honda NT1100 also comes in these variants, models and special editions. Each has its own page covering only what differs from the standard NT1100 — equipment, electronics, specs and used price.

DCT/ES

Honda NT1100 DCT/ES

Alternatives to the Honda NT1100

If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.

Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this Honda NT1100. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.

Successor · 2025