Think of world leaders in the motorcycle segment, and Honda certainly comes to mind. After all, it has a toe in almost every segment of two-wheelers. You’ll find sports bikes, cruisers, nakeds, and, of course, it’s no different with touring bikes. The range starts from the Rebel 1100T, then goes all the way to the wildly amusing Gold Wing Tour 50th anniversary.
Between these lies the most bang-for-buck Honda touring motorcycle, which also happens to be the newest touring bike by the Japanese giant. New doesn’t mean experimental, though, since this crossover is based on the globally renowned Africa Twin platform. Here’s the most bang-for-buck Honda tourer today.
To give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from Honda Powersports and other authoritative sources.
The NT1100 Is The Most Bang-For-Buck Honda Touring Motorcycle In 2025
Price: $11,899
We’re talking about the NT1100, priced at $11,899. At that price, it gets you a crossover-type touring bike experience. This is any day more versatile than any traditional tourer. At the same time, DCT comes standard, so ease of riding is top-tier here. Other than this, the NT hits the nail on the head in terms of features, too.
The next best thing is the $10,799 Rebel 1100T. It’s a full-sized retro-style bagger, complete with a low-slung seating position, batwing fairing for wind protection, and lockable hard saddlebags at the rear. Interestingly, both the NT and Rebel share the same parallel-twin engine. But the NT is in a different tune with more peak power. Oh, and DCT isn’t standard on the Rebel, so if you want it, you need to shell out $11,499.
Finally, we have the Gold Wing. It costs a bomb at $25,200, but for the money, you get a full-sized touring bike experience. And that MSRP is actually quite competitive if you look at its direct rivals. At the same time, it’s out of budget for most of us middle-class folks. So no matter how much “value” you get, we can’t in good conscience pick something that half of us can’t afford. With that out of the way, let’s dive into what makes the NT1100 great.
Honda Touring Bikes In 2025
- Rebel 1100T
- NT1100
- Gold Wing
- Gold Wing Tour
Honda’s Popular 1,084cc Engine Powers The NT1100
Power: 100 HP
This is arguably the USP of the NT1100. After all, it’s a really proven engine that Honda utilizes in a variety of applications. The Rebel 1100 is one, the Africa Twin is another, and there’s even a cafe-racer in Japan (the Hawk 11). In the NT, the 1,084cc parallel-twin engine is identical to the Africa Twin. It produces 100 horsepower and 82 pound-feet via a dual-clutch transmission. Honda hasn’t introduced the manual version of the NT here, even though you can get that overseas in Europe.
Bummer? Yes. But is the DCT more convenient? Also yes. If you don’t like the bike to shift for you, you can switch to the manual mode. In that, you shift manually via buttons on the left switchgear as and when you need to rev to the redline. When ridden sanely, Honda claims a mileage of just under 50 miles per gallon. That equates to a theoretical range of 250 miles. Riding sanely won’t mean a boring ride, either. That’s because the torque peaks at just 5,500 RPM and power peaks at 7,500 RPM. So there’s a lot of low-end grunt here.
2025 Honda NT1100 Power And Torque
|
Engine |
1,084cc, twin-cylinder |
|
Power |
100 HP @ 7,500 RPM |
|
Torque |
82 LB-FT @ 5,500 RPM |
|
Transmission |
Six-speed DCT |
|
Claimed efficiency |
~48 miles per gallon |
Showa Suspension And Top-Shelf Electronics Add Sportiness To The NT1100’s Package
Chassis: Steel Tubular
Like the engine, the underpinnings of the NT focus on overall rideability. So Honda has used a steel tubular chassis here, derived from the Africa Twin. This is topped with Showa USD forks and monoshock, both with adjustable. You don’t, however, get the electronic suspension offered with the Africa Twin. It’s again a bummer because the NT does get the EERA as an option in Europe. Elsewhere, you get 17-inch alloy wheels that ensure this is a sport-tourer with little to no off-road prowess.
These hoops house two 310 mm front discs and a 256 mm rotor at the rear. Nissin calipers bite the discs, and understandably, ABS is present at both ends. That’s not all, though. You also get an army of other rider aids. So much in fact that it might seem like overkill for something with 100 ponies that weighs 547 pounds wet. But hey, these safety aids can be life-savers, so we’re not complaining. These also join hands with a fair bit of creature comforts like cruise control, a 6.5-inch TFT with smartphone connectivity, adjustable windscreen, heated grips, and a USB port.
2025 Honda NT1100 Features
- Five ride modes (Urban, Rain, and Tour, with two User modes)
- Three-level traction control
- Three-level wheelie control
- Rear lift mitigation
- Cruise control
- Cornering ABS
- Smartphone connectivity
- 6.5-inch TFT screen
The Honda NT1100 Enjoys Very Little Competition
If you don’t like Honda’s most VFM touring bike, there are a couple of alternative sport-tourers in the market. The arch-rival comes from Japan in the form of the Yamaha Tracer 9. It beats the NT1100 fair and square, be it in terms of performance or features. You even get saddlebags as standard on the Tracer. But all that does cost a bit more moolah. Other than this, there’s the Triumph Tiger Sport 800 and BMW F 900 XR. Both have more power and undercut the Honda, but fail to offer the convenience of a DCT or match the impeccable features on offer here. They’re good alternatives nevertheless.
Honda NT1100 Rivals
- Yamaha Tracer 9
- Triumph Tiger Sport 800
- BMW F 900 XR