Africa Twin is coming

[Wreford Miles]

It doesn't take much thinking about, let alone overthinking - it is bleeding obvious even Honda say they have designed the AT to be more biassed towards off road use.

The AT like the GS is a road bike, that can be used off road.... anybody riding one on the road will not think they are riding a off road biased bike but if they went offroad they'd think this road bike is not bad off road.

 

[Nutty]

See above,shit for brains.

You still haven't replied to the op. You're the biggest troll on this forum.

 

[Nutty]

I am amazed how many threads are on here about the AT , why not go of to the Honda forum rather than clog up here with stuff telling us on a beemer site how shit the GS is

Exactly.

 

[Davy F]

Ummmm, I though this section is for Hondas....

 

[Robbo1200ADV]

Ummmm, I though this section is for Hondas....

Oh yeah , I'll get my coat

 

[Engineer]

The AT like the GS is a road bike, that can be used off road.... anybody riding one on the road will not think they are riding a off road biased bike but if they went offroad they'd think this road bike is not bad off road.

That's an interesting view and I guess that most AT owners will rarely venture off-road, just like GS owners - but Honda have given it more of an off-road bias than BMW gave the 1200 GS otherwise Honda would have stuck a smaller front wheel on it, made the tyres tubeless, possible wider too and given the pillion a higher priority. All of this can be gleaned from the specification and the ride reports. All the journos have a very similar take on the bike.

 

[Rushy]

That's an interesting view and I guess that most AT owners will rarely venture off-road, just like GS owners - but Honda have given it more of an off-road bias than BMW gave the 1200 GS otherwise Honda would have stuck a smaller front wheel on it, made the tyres tubeless, possible wider too and given the pillion a higher priority. All of this can be gleaned from the specification and the ride reports. All the journos have a very similar take on the bike.

Thanks to Wreford for being far more succinct than I but did you really need that explaining to you ?

I think in summary you seem to be suggesting that Honda have made a big mistake by making their new Adventure bike too Adventurous ......

 

[Engineer]

Thanks to Wreford for being far more succinct than I but did you really need that explaining to you ?

I think in summary you seem to be suggesting that Honda have made a big mistake by making their new Adventure bike too Adventurous ......

Honda have made their own bike, but because of their chosen compromises I don't think that it will be a 'GS killer' - it will appeal to a smaller audience, that's all

 

[mikeyboy]

Not ridden one yet,
Went to the bike show not wanting to like it,came away thinking what's not to like.
Loose the huge exhaust 10 kilos gone.minimum
Remap 10 bhp gained
Suddenly it's a 100bhp bike that tips the scales at@200kg,ish
That's the same kinda weight as the original gs less than a ktm,maybe?
Either way, it's more than enough poke on the dirty stuff,
Nice power for the road.
Give it a few years this bike will probably be the overlanders choice if it proves to be reliable,
I'm looking forward to ridding one

 

[Rob Farmer]

Give it a few years this bike will probably be the overlanders choice if it proves to be reliable,

That's exactly where I see it fitting in. As a real world bike I think they've hit the nail squarely on the head. I've been looking for a modern replacement for my airhead gs for a long time, The AT ticks all the boxes. Unfortunately after 20 odd years and having over 30 BMWs I think BMW have lost the plot (they've certainly lost the build quality).

my runaround, a dct Honda 750, is a very competent bike. Works surprisingly well off road for a road bike and is the same weight as the at. The at has everything needed to make itself a proper all rounder.

The nc only puts out 55bhp but will sit effortlessly at 85-90 so what's the 90bhp at going to be like? On top of that the 270degree parallel twin engine is a gem. Honda have got the fuelling spot on and the bikes are very frugal. It all adds up to a lot of bike.

 

[Wreford Miles]

That's an interesting view and I guess that most AT owners will rarely venture off-road, just like GS owners - but Honda have given it more of an off-road bias than BMW gave the 1200 GS otherwise Honda would have stuck a smaller front wheel on it, made the tyres tubeless, possible wider too and given the pillion a higher priority. All of this can be gleaned from the specification and the ride reports. All the journos have a very similar take on the bike.

having ridden one after arriving on my GSA and leaving on my GSA IMO the only offroad bias an owner would detect are visual as it's got the same 21/18 wheels as my 500 EXC which happens also to be the same as the 1190R which some say handles better on the road because of that. The other offroad bias they may or hopefully may not experience is when they have a puncture, that said is that an offroad bias or Honda cost cutting!

Some road bike owners who do not mend punctures preferring to use breakdown will not even notice the last offroad bias...

As I said I arrived and left on A GSA and Yes it's smaller and more nimble but you don't feel you've down sized in the way you would if you went to an 800GS.

BTW should we start a how fast have you been on an AT - I saw 126 and it got there as easily as my GSA would have, acctually maybe even a bit easier

 

[Davy F]

Honda have made their own bike, but because of their chosen compromises I don't think that it will be a 'GS killer' - And that more than anything is important to me because I'm a badge snob and don't like anything that could possibly threaten my perceived superiority

Fixed......

 

[Giles]

having ridden one after arriving on my GSA and leaving on my GSA IMO the only offroad bias an owner would detect are visual as it's got the same 21/18 wheels as my 500 EXC which happens also to be the same as the 1190R which some say handles better on the road because of that. The other offroad bias they may or hopefully may not experience is when they have a puncture, that said is that an offroad bias or Honda cost cutting!

I think a 21" front wheel can be a massive benefit to the right sort of road riding. I definitely notice the bigger circumference smoothens stuff out and makes the bike just slightly lazier to turn. On those back B roads (where I spend most of my time) that is just brilliant. Lines become long and smooth, I find the bike follows my eyes with a sort of weighty momentum like the tail of a stunt kite, does that make sense ?!! Obviously theres more to it than just wheel sizes - long travel suspension and front end geometry will massively play their part, but in terms of an off road bias playing its part on road - very very useful. The only compromise is that skinniness at the front that sometimes plays gremlins in my mind (probably completely unnecessarily) wen it comes to lean angle.

BTW should we start a how fast have you been on an AT - I saw 126 and it got there as easily as my GSA would have, acctually maybe even a bit easier

Yes I saw something like that too .... but that was it! It wasn't having much more!

 

[Rob Farmer]

How fast do you want to go on a public road! I bet you've thrown the book at a few people for doing a lot less than that Giles?

That's a good 10mph faster than an 1150gs. It was never an issue on one of those.

 

[Giles]

How fast do you want to go on a public road! I bet you've thrown the book at a few people for doing a lot less than that Giles?

That's a good 10mph faster than an 1150gs. It was never an issue on one of those.

Let me answer your question this way ....

We (mildly) complain that our marked *RT's have a pathetic top end (130 max). The transport managers and those that are in charge of the fleet say exactly what you say - how fast do you need to go? And the reply is always the same; A bike that does 150, isn't working hard at 120. Life at 120 on those big four cylinder 1300's (K's FJ's etc) is a breeze, it isn't even working up a sweat. The RT at 120 (top speed of 130 remember) is working its bollocks off.

Now bring that all down to the more realistic naughty speeds that you and I might do in the right place and the right time, a 150 mph bike will just eat up 80 - 110, BANG and it's there! In my book, thats good and yep naughty, but realistic. I don't necessarily want 150, but I do want a bike that doesn't sweat when it gets a good caning ...



*
new fleet of WC RT's arriving imminently, still on the twin cams at the mo ....

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

.......................

Now bring that all down to the more realistic naughty speeds that you and I might do in the right place and the right time, a 150 mph bike will just eat up 80 - 110, BANG and it's there! In my book, thats good and yep naughty, but realistic. I don't necessarily want 150, but I do want a bike that doesn't sweat when it gets a good caning ...

..............and that, right there, is what having a powerful bike is all about.

Don't get me wrong, I'm more than happy on sub 100bhp bikes but, when peeps carp on about why do you need 150bhp blah blah blah, well Giles has it in one.

Andres

 

[Giles]

..... to be clear though .... I'm not moaning that the AT isn't quick enough. It might not float my particular boat for road work, but for what it's trying to be (a proper go anywhere, globe trotting bike), I think they've got it spot on. so 'only 125' is not a criticism .....

 

[twizzle]

That's exactly where I see it fitting in. As a real world bike I think they've hit the nail squarely on the head. I've been looking for a modern replacement for my airhead gs for a long time, The AT ticks all the boxes. Unfortunately after 20 odd years and having over 30 BMWs I think BMW have lost the plot (they've certainly lost the build quality).

my runaround, a dct Honda 750, is a very competent bike. Works surprisingly well off road for a road bike and is the same weight as the at. The at has everything needed to make itself a proper all rounder.

The nc only puts out 55bhp but will sit effortlessly at 85-90 so what's the 90bhp at going to be like? On top of that the 270degree parallel twin engine is a gem. Honda have got the fuelling spot on and the bikes are very frugal. It all adds up to a lot of bike.

After only 4 GS' I felt like a change, and was looking for a "spiritual" successor to my GS.. I looked long and hard at the AT and was within a Nats Fanny of ordering a Tri Colour DCT.... but then I looked at the KTM 1050 Adventure and was swung by the £8,500 OTR price over the £11.7k.... plus the PCP % was only 3% as they have a campaign to shift 1050'...

KTM BHP is 95 the AT is 95 BHP... KTM Torque is 107nm AT is 98nm KTM Weight is 212kg AT is 212KG....... plus with KTM 1190R stuff (Wheels etc) bolting straight in.... so in the end the £3k saving that the KTM offered swung it for me....

I've bought the KTM as a real world, I can use all the power bike... Now if BMW made a sub 10k boxer twin GS with no thrills i'd have had one like a shot... but at £13-17k i'm out....

 

[cookie]

the overtaking possibilities do open up somewhat with 150BHP.


big wheels on my 1190R have rather surprised me. like giles, i spend a lot of time on bumpy B roads and i'm convinced that they ride rough roads better than 17/19" wheels. there is a slight but noticeable gyroscopic resistance to turning, but that same effect keeps the bike exactly at the lean angle i place it, and the whole ride is more relaxed.

can't for the life of me see why honda have opted for tubed tyres though

 

[Reggie P]

After only 4 GS' I felt like a change, and was looking for a "spiritual" successor to my GS.. I looked long and hard at the AT and was within a Nats Fanny of ordering a Tri Colour DCT.... but then I looked at the KTM 1050 Adventure and was swung by the £8,500 OTR price over the £11.7k.... plus the PCP % was only 3% as they have a campaign to shift 1050'...

KTM BHP is 95 the AT is 95 BHP... KTM Torque is 107nm AT is 98nm KTM Weight is 212kg AT is 212KG....... plus with KTM 1190R stuff (Wheels etc) bolting straight in.... so in the end the £3k saving that the KTM offered swung it for me....

I've bought the KTM as a real world I can use all the power bike... now if BMW made a sub 10k boxer twin GS with no thrills i'd have had one like a shot... but at £13-17k i'm out....

This all makes so much sense. The key USP of the AT is the much admired gearbox. I cant see why anyone would buy a manual one, you might be better off with the KTM.

For me , I'd rather play with my children after returning home ....rather than lubricating chains! So I'm happy with the GS.