The Honda Deauville is a mid-range touring motorcycle, available as both the NT650V and the NT700V for a production period between 1998 and 2013.
The Deauville is celebrated for its shaft-drive transmission, painted bodywork that included panniers in its design, and its liquid-cooled V-twin engine.
That all sounds great on paper, but you’re probably still asking yourself, how long does a Honda Deauville last? We answer that in this article.
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Here Is the Short Answer to How Long a Honda Deauville Lasts:
A well-maintained and properly stored Honda Deauville can last for well over 100,000 miles. Its shaft-drive transmission, liquid-cooled V-twin engine, and Honda’s legendary Research and Development contribute to its reliability—there are Deauville’s on the road with upwards of 300,000 miles.
How Many Miles Do You Get on a Honda Deauville?
Honda Deauville can clock well over 100,000 miles on their odometer, a testament to the reliability of Honda’s shaft-driven transmission design and their state-of-the-art liquid-cooled V twin Engine.
Of course, we’d never ask you to take our word for it.
Below we’ve compiled some real-life examples of riders who’ve gotten high miles out of their faithful Honda Deauville.
- One rider bought their Deauville new and put 102,000 miles on the odometer before selling it to a friend, noting that all they had to do was keep up with routine maintenance. The bike has never failed the original owner or their friend and current owner of the Deauville.
- A UK Deauville rider claims their Deauville has 125,000 miles on the clock. They bought the bike used and were sure to examine the previous owner’s service records to be sure valve inspections and routine maintenance were all regular. The rider liked what they saw, bought the bike, and has put 54,000 of their own miles on the clock since. The only issue they ever had was a water pump failure (more on that down below). These Deauville enthusiasts were quick to add that they know several other Deauville owners in the UK who’ve cleared 100k, though, and that he’s the only one he knows who had the water-pump issue.
- One rider put a whopping 320,000 miles on their Deauville’s clock. He’s ridden his bike so hard he says that he’s had to replace the bike’s fairing, thanks to road debris damage, but hasn’t had to replace anything engine-wise in the course of the bike’s life thus far—impressive.
- Another rider spoke up to say that in the two-and-a-half years they’ve owned their Deauville, they’ve put 120,000 miles on the clock, to total 185,000 with what the previous owner had on it when he bought it.
- I was able to find one disappointed case in the form of a Deauville owner who claimed that, after clocking 140,000 miles on the bike, its fork seals, brake discs, speedometer, and wiring all had issues and needed to be replaced. He refrained from commenting on whether he’d performed maintenance; because he’s the only case like this I found, I’d assume he wasn’t inspecting and replacing components per his service manual.
- To end on a positive note, the owner of a Black 2008 NT700A I encountered bought his bike new, kept up with routine service maintenance, inspected, stored his bike properly, rode the bike responsibly, and put 255,000 all original miles on his Deauville’s odometer.
What Is Considered High Mileage for These Models?
While the longevity of a well-maintained Honda Deauville can exceed well over 100,000 miles, the used market considers a touring motorcycle to be high-mileage after 50,000 miles.
It’s true.
The used-bike rags consider a medium touring motorcycle like the Deauville to be high-mileage after 50,000 miles. For smaller sportbikes, they say to be wary of anything above twenty or thirty thousand miles.
That said, these figures are only relative to you if you’re trying to sell a used bike. However, if you’re in the market for a used Deauville, that 50,000 miles shouldn’t really weigh on your decision too much.
You can use other factors to discern a Deauville’s longevity, such as its service history, how the previous owner or owners stored it, its crash report, how the previous owner rode it, and where-things of that nature.
A bike like the Deauville that routinely lasts over 100,000 miles shouldn’t be steered away from if it’s got a few more zeroes on the clock. In fact, you may be able to find a Deauville that’s been well kept and had plenty of life left despite the high mileage and use the odometer reading to get the seller to drop the price.
A Honda Deauville that was stored properly but incurred high mileage, for example, is likely to last longer than one with low mileage on the clock that’s been stuck in storage, especially one that was just stored out in the elements.
How can you tell if the Deauville you’re looking to buy was stored outside for extended periods of time?
First, the seat will be cracked, the paint will be faded, chipped, or expressing weather damage of some kind, and you’ll notice rust on the steel beneath peeling chrome. You’ll also notice oxidation on any aluminum. Also, heat, cold, or moisture damage is a good sign that the bike was left outside of climate-controlled environments for extended periods of time.
Another question to ask yourself when determining the lifespan of a used Honda Deauville is who the previous owner was?
A Deauville that’s been owned and operated by the person who bought it new was likely kept with pride and appreciation compared to one that’s been passed around from rider to rider over the seasons.
We don’t mean to imply that multiple owners are universal bad news; it just means you should do a little more research.
Also, consider how seasoned the previous Deauville owner was.
An experienced rider will ride more efficiently and gracefully than a novice with lessons to learn and something to prove.
A new rider is still learning how to handle clutch and foot shift and has probably stumped through the gearbox and jammed on the throttle more recklessly during the learning process.
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How Many Years Does a Honda Deauville Typically Last?
A Honda Deauville can last for more than 20 years. A bike like the Honda Deauville is ridden an average of 5,000 miles a year, and there Deauville’s on the road with well over 100,000 miles.
Is the Honda Deauville Reliable?
The Honda Deauville is one of the most reliable medium-touring motorcycles of the past 40 years.
The Deauville was intended to be an entry-level light tourer. As such, Honda engineered the Deauville series with simplicity in mind.
Myriad moto-enthusiasts like me praise the Honda Deauville for being a straightforward little touring machine. Its core ethics are functionality, a recipe for longevity and reliability.
The Deauville was introduced and sold as the one-stop shop for motorcyclists with an adventurous spirit who, between bouts of touring, aim to commute around town efficiently.
The light-touring class is a breed of bikes meant to embrace the scenery of the journey rather than provide an exhilarating and technical ride.
How’s this affect reliability?
A Deauville’s power curve doesn’t shoot up to the high RPMs. Rather, it climbs nice and easy, putting little to no stress on its liquid-cooled V-twin.
Honda took the light or “medium-tour-bike” philosophy to the logical place with the Deauville, giving it a 680cc 52-degree V-twin that hits an integrated shaft drive with 60 hp through a shaft drive.
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Does a Honda Deauville Last Longer Than Other Motorcycles?
A liquid-cooled motor and shaft drive transmission make the Deauville last longer than other motorcycles of the same size. While the motor came straight off of Honda’s CTX700, the CTX700 equips a chain drive, and the Deauville uses reliable integrated shaft drive technology.
And the transmission isn’t the only thing that sets the Honda Deauville apart from other bikes…
The Honda Deauville’s 52-degree, 680cc motor has an 81mm bore and 66mm stroke with a 10:1 compression ratio—rock solid.
Another contribution to Deauville’s longevity is the four valves per cylinder, controlled by a simple, single-overhead-cam design.
We’ve brought up Deauville’s stellar and reliable shaft-driven transmission with enthusiasm more than a few times in this article, but did we mention it’s a five-speed? That highway gear makes a big difference in how long the Deauville lasts compared to other four-speed motorcycles of the same displacement, as the engine doesn’t have to overwork while roasting highway miles for hours on end.
Rideability makes a difference, too.
The Deauville has a 4.5-inch trail and a 26.5-degree rake, making it nimble and agile. It’s 58.1 wheelbase couples with the Deauville’s low center of gravity at the hands of a seat that’s 31.7 inches from the street. This setup lets you glide through the corners without the need to skyrocket your RPMs to pull you upright through the apex of the curve.
A bike that glides effortlessly through technical rides like that will outlast other motorcycles that need to be downshifted and ripped aggressively to make it through a turn since the pistons aren’t taking the same level of abuse.
As a tourer, its large capacity makes traveling with tools and spare spark plugs and fuses easy like a breeze against your knees, ensuring you won’t be stranded on the side of the road like you might be stuck on other motorcycles. And an adjustable windscreen keeps damage from road debris impact to a minimum compared to the damage incurred by bikes with no fairings.
The Honda Deauville was designed with aerodynamics and functionality in mind, making it more durable than other motorcycles.
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What Typically Breaks First on a Honda Deauville?
Leaking seals on older Honda Deauville’s made the bike’s water pump the first thing to break. Though not widespread, some older Deauville’s leaked coolant from the point where the radiator meets the tube fittings.
Early Deauville riders were quick to come up with a solution, though.
Uninstall your Deauville’s radiator and take it to a radiator shop. They’ll torch those joints sealed in no time.
Once they have, they’ll drop your Deauville’s radiator in a pressure test tank, spray the whole thing black, and it looks like new.
And apparently, this whole fix only takes a few hours.
9 Great Tips to Make Sure Your Honda Deauville Will Last Long
Here are nine great tips to improve the longevity of your Honda Deauville:
- Change the shaft oil every 25,000 miles.
- Change your Deauville’s oil and filter every 8,000 miles.
- Replace your air filter every 12,000 miles.
- Replace your spark plugs every 8,000 miles.
- Replace your brake fluid every 12,000 miles or every two years, whichever comes first.
- Replace your radiator coolant every 24,000 miles or every 2 years, whichever comes first.
- Thoroughly clean, inspect, and lubricate your Honda Deauville’s engine and transmission components as specified in the bike’s service manual every 8,000 miles.
- Store your Honda Deauville properly.
- Ride your Honda Deauville regularly and responsibly!