Too bad the price estimations for the otherwise very cool-looking 2015 Honda NM4 Vultus turned out to be inaccurate, at least when it comes to the price it will be sold at in Europe. Local US media estimated that the bike could make it into the dealerships with a price just under $11k (€8,050), which was almost decent, given the fact that we’re looking at a heavy machine, rather underpowered with its middleweight-class engine. Spanish media learned that the local Honda branch will import several Vultus, with a price tag of 11,499 Euros, which is not cool at all.
To get things straight, €11,499 makes up for $15,700 at the current exchange rate and this price is simply huge for a 745cc parallel twin with no jaw-dropping performance. Sorry Honda, but this kite doesn’t look like it’s going to fly too well. 11k Euros can get anyone on the Old Continent a terribly sweet new ride, and in most cases, even bike with a significantly bigger fun factor. And we’re not even beginning to talk about second hand machines…
The Vultus has a 245 kg (540 lb) kerb weight to which we should add the weight of the rider, possibly the passenger’s and that of the luggage. With and athletic rider (75 kg or 165 lb) and a skinny passenger (50 kg or 110 lb) in mind, it’s only decent to add some 10 kg (22 lb) of luggage for a total mass of 375 kg or 828 lb. Honestly, it’s really hard to convince anyone that the Vultus would still be nimble and provide strong acceleration with its 54 horsepower, 68Nm (50 lb-ft) torque engine. Of course, if you’re using a bike to enjoy crawl-touring, these figures are just fine, but most of the riders are also looking for the thrill of the ride. And the Vultus doesn’t seem to be THAT thrilling…
Adding in the high price the Vultus is supposed to sell for in Spain and most likely with a similar price tag across other European markets makes it a piece even harder to swallow. And if some rumors are true, the production version will not even have the panniers as standard, or have them AND a higher price, things start to look disappointing, despite the very cool, futuristic styling of the Vultus. If all of the things above turn out to be true, I guess I’m rather on the “too bad” side, even though there will be people buying the Vultus for its novelty factor.
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