I know it's a strange time of year for a Motorcycle thread but....

[NFATrustGuy]

I'll throw in my 2 cents here because I haven't seen anyone talk about the NC700.

I bought my new 2014 NC700 in 2015. Straight outta the box, it needed at least a new seat and a windshield. Since then, I've also added bags and handlebar risers. The NC is my 13th motorcycle and I believe it's a lucky 13. It's kinda like the Honda Accord of motorcycles. A Swiss Army knife. A Black Lab dog. None of these is the "best" at anything, but they do everything well.

This being said, I wouldn't pick an NC for a steady diet of off-pavement riding. Don't get me wrong, people do it, but it sure seems like they're trying to force a square peg into a round hole. My preference for an off-pavement bike would be something like Honda's XR series. I'd be looking for one that provides just enough power to haul my weight and keep it as light as possible.

I've tried out bikes in the 250cc range and they feel a bit underpowered. I've owned a KLR650 and felt like it was too tall for me to be comfortable off road. As others have said, the KLR is a darned good bike and popular for many reasons.

More than anything, I think you need to be brutally honest with yourself when defining your mission. For me, I like to go on paved rides through the mountains. I like the scenery, so I'm not looking to have my head down blasting through canyons sportbike style. I did a bunch of trail riding as a kid, but I've come to terms with my mortality and my waning ability to recover quickly from scuffing my body up and have decided that I'm no longer willing to flail around on trails.

Sorry for the rambling thoughts... the TL/DR version: Define your mission and then buy appropriately.