Honda NM4 750 VULTUS 2014 — Specifications

What on earth were Honda's engineers thinking the day they signed off on the NM4 750 Vultus design? Unveiled in 2014, this machine looks like it rolled straight out of a Japanese animated film, somewhere between a sci-fi spacecraft and Bruce Wayne's garage. You're not quite sure which category to file it under, and that's precisely what makes it interesting. Neither a roadster, nor a cruiser, nor a scooter in the strict sense, the Honda NM4 750 Vultus occupies a territory no one else is contesting. Which is both its strength and its problem.

The visual approach is radical. Massive side panels, angular lines carved with a katana, a lowered silhouette that hugs the road. The seat, set at just 650 mm off the ground, places the rider in a very forward riding position, feet locked onto footboards positioned well ahead of the torso. You ride stretched out, nearly reclined. The dashboard, meanwhile, takes the manga madness all the way: the lighting changes color depending on the selected transmission mode. White in neutral, blue in Drive, pink in Sport, red in manual. The rider can even choose from 25 color combinations to suit their mood. It's gimmicky, yes. But it's unapologetic, and it's part of the experience.

The problem is that beneath this concept-bike bodywork, the mechanicals tell a far tamer story. The 745 cc parallel twin is lifted straight from the NC family, a platform Honda has been spinning off in every direction for years. The result: 58 horsepower at 8,500 rpm and 67.7 Nm of torque at 7,000 rpm. For a machine that weighs 245 kg wet with a meager 11.6-liter tank, the power-to-weight ratio is nothing to brag about. It's a far cry from the firepower such a look promises. The steel diamond-type frame, the 43 mm telescopic fork, the rear mono-shock with its 100 mm of travel, and the single 320 mm front disc brake confirm the machine's easygoing calling. No pretensions of sportiness here. The Honda NM4 Vultus is built for cruising, not for charging.

One point does deserve a closer look, though: the DCT dual-clutch gearbox, fitted as standard. This six-speed automated transmission lets you ride in fully automatic or semi-automatic mode, with several shift mapping options. For urban commuting or leisurely rides, it's a genuine comfort. Honda has this technology down pat, and it works well on the NC platform. It's arguably the only technical element that lives up to the project's aesthetic ambition. The rest gets the job done, nothing more. The 120/70-18 front and 200/50-17 rear tires contribute to the beefy look but don't transform the road handling.

Then there's the question of price: €11,599. For that money, you can find far more versatile and better-powered machines. A Yamaha MT-07 costs significantly less for superior performance, even if the stylistic comparison makes no sense. The Vultus isn't aimed at rational motorcyclists. It targets an urban clientele, design-conscious riders who want to roll on a one-of-a-kind object and are willing to pay the price of being different. A spiritual heir to the DN-01, it carries on Honda's tradition of unclassifiable machines that divide opinion as much as they fascinate. You can call it bold. You can call it futile. But you can't walk past one without turning your head.