Honda NM4 Vultus: Real World Road Test

Away from the glamour of the press launches and the competition of group tests, our man Scottie takes a spin on a new bike each week to see how it performs in the real world. This week he's out for a date with Honda’s rare and quirky NM4 Vultus. 

We’ve all had that relationship. You know, the one where everyone around you gives you their advice on your other half, even when their input isn’t asked for or required. It’s mostly negative and does nothing to alter how you feel, yet that’s exactly how I had to approach my date with the Honda Vultus.

I had first clapped eyes on her when taking another bike back to Honda. There she was tucked away among the trendy bikes of the Honda range. I didn’t even know Honda made the Vultus, yet I was smitten, a classic case of lust at first sight. I made enquiries about testing the quirky twin, with its 750cc automatic motor from the NC750, and, to my delight, my wish was granted. I was allowed to take her home.

I get to ride a variety of bikes for Bike Social but this was the first time for a while that I’d counted down the sleeps to my first date with the Honda NM4 Vultus. The NM refers to ‘New Motorcycle’ and Vultus is Latin for appearance or face. It’s the face of the Vultus that gets debate going. Not since the Brexit vote had I witnessed something with the power to divide people. Some people like it, others loathe it.

Had I jumped in feet first? Those with whom I’d shared my thumbnail pictures with still mocked my choice in test bike. The politest way to refer to some remarks is playful banter. I had a range of remarks from the obvious "is that Batman’s bike?" through to "did someone crash land a Stealth Bomber on to a scooter?" The stealth reference reminded me of some blurb that I’d read up on before collecting the Vultus. Honda had suggested it was jet fighter styling merged with Manga design. These were two descriptions I'd never heard from the countless people who felt the urge to comment on my voluptuous Vultus, and voluptuous she is. Weighing in at a hefty 245 kilos she doesn’t care for hiding her curves, instead she flaunts them in your face. The styling dominates this bike, it’s what drew me in in the first place. It looks like a concept bike, the sort that never get further than the drawing board. Whatever your preconceptions are, I think we should give Honda a slap on the back for being bold enough to make this bike a reality.

I knew this bike would divide opinion and it didn’t take long for me to find this out. Within the first day of riding it I had sussed out a majority of motorcyclists hated it. Balancing this up though was the remarks from car drivers, teenagers and anyone else who wandered over to see what the heck I was riding. Car drivers all had very warm words, and genuinely loved the Akira styling.

This is all well and good but who’d actually buy a Vultus? I have never seen one on the road or in a Honda dealership. Then I discovered the asking price for this bike is £9,995, and I’m second guessing that depreciation will be sharper than the angles on its fairing.

Or will it? Honda have trodden this path before. Their DN-01 wasn’t the hottest cake in their display, but a few years on there’s a cult following for the bike and prices are steady. Even my local Honda dealer said used DN-01s never hang about when they come to market.