Africa Twin test ride

and relax...

I have just ridden one for 40 miles. It's a nice bike but not a great one. Tracer is unlikely to become unloved.

2 things on the Africa Twin that are better out of the box are the seat and front suspension. Seat has plenty of room and like most big trailies you can slide forward to a narrower but at the front but unlike some bikes, you can slide back onto a wider part but not feel like you are detached from the bike.

Screen: not adjustable, aftermarket suppliers will be busy. It was especially bad riding into a headwind.

Engine: it spins up nicely and provides plenty of power. Noise is a bit wanky. Apparently there are valves to make it sound like a V twin. I felt I was riding a sousaphone.

Front suspension: I wish my Tracer handled bumpy roads as well. Gets a bit floaty over 90mph.

Rear suspension: summed to chatter a bit, may need adjustment. It was on a fairly soft setting, presumably so the bike squats for shortarses hopping on in the showroom. I didn't mess with the knobs.

Top speed: didn't find it. Got to an indicated ton at times and it was not a pleasant place to be, even tucked behind the tiny screen.

Finish: looks okay. Switchgear is okay but easy to hit the horn rather than cancel the indicator.

Dash: I didn't like the layout. It wasn't easy to see when heading into bright sunshine - on the Tracer, you look down but the more vertical display on the AT means you are looking into the sun and your eyes can't adjust for the contrast.

Handling: okay. Holds a line on fast sweepers with the OE Bridgestones. Needed less countersteering than I was expecting. Turns in okay. Pretty neutral.

Brakes: pretty good. Little fork dive. Engine braking is like hitting a brick wall which is how I like it with a big bike like that.

The looks certainly do nothing for me and the colours disappointing too.

Nice report thanks.

If I was going to change from a GSA it wouldn't be to this. I wonder if the new owners will be underwhelmed too.

I like a test ride before buying but I guess we're all different. I would like to ride the dct version just because I've never ridden one but I'll wait till the hype has died down and the temperature has gone up

It looks like a nice bike to me...but the 'I'm out' factor would be the tubed tyres....surely having tubed tyres will leave more people stranded than tubeless...20 mins with a stop and go kit and the GS was up and running...wheel out, tyre off etc seems a bit 1970's

Nice review. I prefer reading real reviews rather than bike journo chimps with their cooing and false praise for the latest new bike.

Next Monday for my demo ride on a DCT model. I hope it's middle of the road......fed up with exciting but dealer intensive motorcycles.

Bryn said:

It looks like a nice bike to me...but the 'I'm out' factor would be the tubed tyres....surely having tubed tyres will leave more people stranded than tubeless...20 mins with a stop and go kit and the GS was up and running...wheel out, tyre off etc seems a bit 1970's

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So how many punctures have you had on the road then ? In 35 years of riding I've had ZERO,but guess I've been lucky.
Think my dealer may have a demo in but can't be arsed to try it-should get my bike soon anyway and the best purchases are those made with the heart rather than dithering for weeks and kicking tyres......

Each to their own...Good review Wessie,but I wouldn't expect a Tracer owner to 'get' a bike like the AT.I'm a bit concerned that it's no good over a ton though as most my riding is done at 130 mph.Oh hang on,shit. I suddenly morphed into a chrome dome XR owner from Camberley for a minute then....

Arsey said:

So how many punctures have you had on the road then ? In 35 years of riding I've had ZERO,but guess I've been lucky.
Think my dealer may have a demo in but can't be arsed to try it-should get my bike soon anyway and the best purchases are those made with the heart rather than dithering for weeks and kicking tyres......

Each to their own...Good review Wessie,but I wouldn't expect a Tracer owner to 'get' a bike like the AT.I'm a bit concerned that it's no good over a ton though as most my riding is done at 130 mph.Oh hang on,shit. I suddenly morphed into a chrome dome XR owner from Camberley for a minute then....

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I had a couple of punctures on my 990 adventure, pain in the arse with tubed tyres. Fucked up the return journey of a wales trip in March as i had to get AA to take me home. Very glad the GSA has tubeless and i carry an emergency repair kit so i don't get stuck again.

A.N.Others write up I've read today....the author rides an original AT




First Impressions from an RD07 rider
Quick write up with initial impressions:

After a couple of hours with a manual tricolour CRF1000 today, here are my first thoughts. I already ordered a DCT in November and this was my first ride, and first sit on one since the bike shows. The test ride was in the UK in wet and cold conditions. The machine had not turned a wheel, just built, zero miles and hence brand new tyres so I couldn't really explore the handling that much and only did 38 miles in total. It was fitted with tall screen, centre stand and Honda luggage options

I'll start by saying that in the flesh in daylight the bike, particularly in tricolour scheme is stunning. The more you look at it the more you admire the details. Far better out in the open that under the lights of a bike show



I did not like the Honda luggage, felt flimsy and had already been marked. The 'aluminium' is very thin, and seems to be just stuck onto plastic boxes. The top box in particular is quite ugly, total afterthought, and does nothing for the rear aesthetic of the machine. I didn't bother opening the panniers up, but don't imagine you'd get much in the right side one. Personally I will wait and see what the 3rd parties come up with. In the meantime I'll use roll bags and Rokstraps. The mounting system for panniers is smart, as in no frame / scaffolding is needed

The rider's footpegs are seriously tiny. Very short, stubby and narrow. I was riding in SIDI Crossfire 2's (size 12) and I almost daren't stand up on the machine. Hardly anything there. I will try to remove the rubbers and see if it's better. Confused as to why the pillion gets better pegs than the rider? For me the pegs will be the first change (yes I know I have big feet!)

Speed is highly deceptive! The machine runs incredibly smoothly, there is never any vibration through any part of the CRF including the mirrors, and rolling resistance felt non-existent. I found myself well into triple figure territory often without trying or realising, the tall screen adding to the deception of speed. I ride in a Schuberth C3Pro and suffered zero buffeting at any speed



Torque curve. Despite the dyno graphs, the torque delivery did not feel particularly linear to me. There was a noticeable sweet spot within quite a narrow rev range, and to make progress I was short shifting up the box to enjoy this zone. It made quicker progress that way, as opposed to holding onto the gears for longer. This characteristic that I experienced fills me with confidence that the DCT will be a good choice. I was dancing all over the gearbox on roads I knew far more than on my other machines, but this may have just been me enjoying the buzz of a motor that was new to me. Saying that, the gearbox on the manual is the sweetest I've known Honda to produce - very very positive, clutch action so light and sweet

Rear brake lever needs adjustment for me, kept catching my right boot on it inadvertently, seemed a bit big - probably bigger than the daft pegs - but that's an easy fix

Seat height: I had concerns that I was going to need to splash £300 on the optional high seat and be left with a redundant standard seat however at 6'5" with the standard seat in the upper position it felt very good. I didn't adjust the rear pre-load, just got on and rode. Am sure there was more suspension sag in the ones at the show as they felt really low



Instruments. Forget what you may have read about them being illegible in strong light. They are great, informative, not a distraction and getting at the data you want on the fly is very very easy. Everything is clear and concise

Riding aids. ABS is switchable on the rear as you know, and takes a good long press of the button at a standstill to dis-engage. Traction control (HSTC Honda Selectable Torque Control) is easy to manipulate on the move. Even on it's most intrusive setting, I didn't feel it once - even on filthy roads on brand new rubber, so can't really comment anymore other than to say that it resets itself to TC level 3 each time you stop and hit the kill switch. Probably a safety thing

I like the 'passing / flashing' switch being integrated into the 'high/low' beam rocker - very convenient. I also liked the starter being integrated into the kill switch

Brakes felt great, but on new rubber and poor conditions I can't really say much more than they felt fantastic - as any new machine's should

Sound. The bike sounds great everywhere in the rev range. Something weird I spotted is that when you first fire it up you get a beautiful deep tone for a couple of seconds, and then it disappears on it's own - without any inputs or changes in rpm. Don't know what or why this happens. On the move it's audibly tuned beautifully, particularly when lugging a high gear. Very much sounds like my XRV750 with Laser Produro. Probably the first bike where I could (potentially) live with the soundtrack of the standard silencer

Performance. The new AT gets up and boogies. A world apart from the XRV as you'd expect. It is a deceptively quick machine, by that I mean it pulls hard without drama or fuss and at relatively low revs. It won't make your hairs stand up on your neck, but it seems highly capable and oozes that feeling of dependability - and that's what I want from this machine. I disagree that 6th is an overdrive as a couple of magazines stated. At motorway speeds I didn't feel the need to drop a cog to blast past anything

Fuelling was just beautiful. Soft and smooth in slow traffic from tickover, no snatching, hunting - very very impressed

Ride quality / suspension: Due to the conditions and new rubber I didn't do any hard cornering, but the machine felt sprung with quality components and the ride was plush and predictable. I didn't fiddle with anything - I weigh 105kg and it felt great

Overall I was seriously impressed by the CRF1000L. I can only imagine it's better when ridden a little harder than I dared on the new rubber today. This machine felt worthy of the name she inherits and I think deserves to wear the moniker with pride

The very clever thing, is that despite it being a brand new bike, despite it sharing little with the XRV750, within 50 metres of being aboard..........I KNEW I was riding an Africa Twin

Very well done Honda!

Two punctures for me...boths sorted quickly and it didn't ruin the day..not sure the day would be rescued quite so easily with tubed tyres

I recall Ming of this parish had his day ruined with is KTM 950 tubed tyre up on a Skye weekend

Depends how lucky you feel I suppose

Bryn said:

..20 mins with a stop and go kit and the GS was up and running...

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Should be less than that with a tube if you know what your doing.

Buckle a wheel, rip a tyre and your fecked with tubeless ........... unless you have a tube.

That seat looks fucking hideous...................like something you'd see in the bloody circus

Timolgra said:

Should be less than that with a tube if you know what your doing.

Buckle a wheel, rip a tyre and your fecked with tubeless ........... unless you have a tube.

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I wouldn't know what I was doing.

Thanks for the review Wessie, good to get an objective opinion, albeit from a Tracer owner. It will be interesting to see how this thread progresses as folk get their hands on the demonstrators and some of the more outspoken folk on here air their views.

Steve

Ps Great photos btw

I'd like to see one, in the flesh

JohnnyBoxer said:

I'd like to see one, in the flesh

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I'd suggest going to a Honda dealer then

I like the indicator/running lights...

JohnnyBoxer said:

That seat looks fucking hideous...................like something you'd see in the bloody circus

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I wouldn't go that far. But they could have done a better job of lining up the colours so the tank colours flow into the seat more.

The Nutty GSER said:

I wouldn't go that far. But they could have done a better job of lining up the colours so the tank colours flow into the seat more.

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Move along, nothing for you to see...................96bhp won't even raise your eyebrow

I'm still not warming to it either, BMW GS will still outsell it in 2016

If you add the F800GS sales in as well, Honda CT and AT sales will be paltry in comparison

BMW must be pissing themselves

Just a bit of context - I'm quite familiar with the original Africa Twin and was really disappointed with the Varadero when it emerged in 1998.

Since that time I've owned a R1150GS for a decade and a Super Tenere XT1200Z for 3 years.

So, whilst I may own an unmanly Tracer at this time, I have the gravitas of an Adventure bike rider before we even knew what Adventure bikes were.

So

JohnnyBoxer said:

Move along, nothing for you to see...................96bhp won't even raise your eyebrow

I'm still not warming to it either, BMW GS will still outsell it in 2016

If you add the F800GS sales in as well, Honda CT and AT sales will be paltry in comparison

BMW must be pissing themselves

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I think you are missing the point of this bike JB. Honda will be selling to people who don't want a big lardy bike that everyone else rides and who don't want to join the BMW bandwagon.

I would also think it's priced a lot lower than even the 800 so will attract riders who can't afford or don't want a beemer. I think Honda will sell plenty as it's a good real world bike.

Sgt Bilco said:

I think you are missing the point of this bike JB. Honda will be selling to people who don't want a big lardy bike that everyone else rides and who don't want to join the BMW bandwagon.

I would also think it's priced a lot lower than even the 800 so will attract riders who can't afford or don't want a beemer. I think Honda will sell plenty as it's a good real world bike.

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Totally agree with you there Chris, it'll be more nimble and just as quick A to B.

Looks awesome in the tri colour but shite in the other two option imo