1998 Honda NT650V Deauville

Dismiss the Deauville at your peril. After all, couriers, paramedics and the Police can’t be wrong, right?

- Bertie Simmonds

If I’m 100% honest, I have a certain soft spot for the Honda NT650V Deauville. Firstly, I rode its progenitor the Honda Revere for a while in the early 1990s and also owned an Africa Twin, which used the basis of the Revere/Transalp motor at its heart.

It’s fair to say that the original Deauville was christened with a nasty nickname. Yes, it was called the ‘Dullsville’, but we should all remember that it’s still a motorcycle and therefore inherently brilliant as it has only two wheels and this one clearly does what it says on the tin.

Development stemmed from the late 1980s Revere, which mated the un-burstable six-valve V-twin motor also found in the Transalp into a sensible workhorse of a chassis. The bike became a favourite with the courier fraternity in London and other urban centres in the UK where they sprouted a selection of ugly fairings. This is possibly why Honda decided to do the job themselves with 1998 Deauville, which came with similar running gear to the previous Revere, but with a three-quarter fairing, increased lower and mid-range torque, a bigger fuel tank and panniers (19 and 24 litres) as standard.

The Deauville used proven Honda technology and reliability to provide people with an affordable commuter/tourer. Weight was around the 220-230 kilo mark, but the wide bars and upright seating position gave the rider good control at all speeds.