Honda Africa Twin Specs Leaked

[Ramseybella]

Nice looking ride, but all I seen was flat out dirt road riding lots of power slides and rock throwing. :-[
What about some technical trail footage, slow maneuvers in tight stuff and such? ::017::

 

[shrekonwheels]

Nice looking ride, but all I seen was flat out dirt road riding lots of power slides and rock throwing. :-[
What about some technical trail footage, slow maneuvers in tight stuff and such? ::017::

It is not a trail bike, I dono why people keep insisting that big bikes are.

 

[Squibb]

Seems Honda are pitching the new AT at KTM & Triumph, rather than the GS/S10 brigade, which seems strange. The engine configuration makes sense - it has such huge packaging benefits, but I sense thay are just cashing in on a name from the past. They are very late coming back to the Adv bike party too. I discount the Cross Tourer, which seems totally road oriented, like a VFR12 in drag. here in the UK, Honda talk of just over £12k sterling for the basic bike.

Personally, having ridden a couple of KTM 990 Adv for a few years, I wasn't sorry to move on. Punctures were the bane of my life - the tubes got shredded every time. The fuelling was dreadful too &, getting a loaded bike on it's main stand to lube the chain without putting your back out was a challenge. Liked the WP suspension though - very fluent & reassuring when the going gets rough.

A centre stand is virtually an essential with chain drive - why no shaft though; so convenient, despite the weight. So, in conclusion, I'm not convinced with the AT. Most of us like the S10 for it's rugged dependability but there is no denying that the GS is the market leader, by a long stretch. The writing has been on the wall for the other manufacturers, for well over 10 years, yet Honda seem to be going their own way - it will be interesting to see whether new customers will follow, however unreliable they find their Bavarian Wunderkind.

.................... KEN

 

[Ramseybella]

It is not a trail bike, I dono why people keep insisting that big bikes are.

Did I not see a video not long ago a Tenere moving it's way around some tight woods?
Ok it's based for the Dakar type riding like older brother Africa XRV650, wide open desert and planes at 90+mph.

 

[autoteach]

What if the bike isn't aimed at the shaft drive tubeless touring crowd? Every time I read a review of a bike by the Journo's I get a little frustrated. The liter bike review in the On Two Wheels praised the Aprilia and the Yamaha for the poise on streets, R1 was too tall of gearing, almost no gripes for the Ape, and then the BMW...they said it was noticeably buzzy, and that it was already starting to feel dated. But it won the on street portion because it has heated grips and cruise control. Who...gives....a....steaming....S*%& !!!!! Who goes to purchase a super duper tire shredding ultra mega supersport and says, hmmm, I would sacrifice the best for some heated grips... and cruise control. Cool down laps are just a pain without cruise control. And a nice AM/FM radio would be great...


What if... the bike wasn't made for touring? what if it was made as an ultimate adventure machine? What happens when you are back in the middle of nowhere and your final drive or drive shaft bearing takes a crap? What happens if your chain goes the crap? I think I can carry an extra chain and sprockets. If you are on the other side of the planet and that final drive bearing goes, what tree do you shake to get one? Can you find a 530 chain? I would bet on chain any day, not to last longer, but to be universally replaceable. So, what if...they used a different set of criteria than you or I? Maybe I shouldn't be made that a nitwit wants heated grips on the superbike he just bought.

 

[Dirt_Dad]

Personally I see this as aimed at the KTM buyer. A Honda reliable, dirt oriented adventure bike. There's a number of things I like about this one, and a number of things that tell me it could never replace the Tenere for me. Is it light enough and nimble enough to replace my DR? Maybe, maybe not. Chances are the price will make that call an easy one.

Regardless of if I buy it or not... ::012:: way to go Honda. Thanks for giving us another bike to consider in the Adventure market. Hope you sell a lot of them.

 

[shrekonwheels]

Thanks for giving us another bike to consider in the Adventure market. Hope you sell a lot of them.

This ::008::

 

[Big Blu]

Not following you on the wheel size which is 17 for both on the honda, while the Tenere has the 19/17 which is far better. They have the same travel suspension. The Tenere has nice plush suspension right out of the factory which is of course better for some dirt riding as well. I admittedly do not know about the Honda in this instance.

Less weight is good for those who dream of a trail bike, which I usually do not consider anything about a 500 a trail bike anyhow. So the extra weight of the Tenere I see as an advantage as a smoother ride and soaks up those bumps much better. Now mind you wrestling around a bike all day on dirt then without a doubt, the 500 handily wins.
The Later I never really thought about until a friend following me with his GS 650 commented about how much smoother my ride was over his, and here I thought he must have been happier on the lighter bike
Personal thing in this area of course, as is most in all reality.

I agree with you on the FZ 7 however.

Yami has enough street machines, end it Yami, more real dirt!

Wheels on the AT are 21F/18R on the ST 19F/17R, as I recall. That and the lower weight(70lbs.?) of the AT seem to make it more capable deeper into the wild. Hell no it's not "trail bike", I didn't mean to imply it was, just more capable then the ST when the going get tough.

I'm not interesting in a big chain drive bike but I will take a test ride on one equipped with the DCT when the opportunity arises. There's a 30+lb. penalty for the DCT but I like the concept. A few years back I rode an Apriia Mana with CTV for 3 day on the great roads in N. Ga...... It made me a better rider then I ever thought I was, no need to rev match, or clutch or shift, just brake on entry then twist it on, and the motor was always in the heart in the trq. range. Big time fun!

Paul

 

[shrekonwheels]

Wheels on the AT are 21F/18R on the ST 19F/17R, as I recall. That and the lower weight(70lbs.?) of the AT seem to make it more capable deeper into the wild. Hell no it's not "trail bike", I didn't mean to imply it was, just more capable then the ST when the going get tough.

Paul

I thought you were still talking about the 500.

 

[True Grip]

Wheels on the AT are 21F/18R on the ST 19F/17R, as I recall. That and the lower weight(70lbs.?) of the AT seem to make it more capable deeper into the wild. Hell no it's not "trail bike", I didn't mean to imply it was, just more capable then the ST when the going get tough.

I'm not interesting in a big chain drive bike but I will take a test ride on one equipped with the DCT when the opportunity arises. There's a 30+lb. penalty for the DCT but I like the concept. A few years back I rode an Apriia Mana with CTV for 3 day on the great roads in N. Ga...... It made me a better rider then I ever thought I was, no need to rev match, or clutch or shift, just brake on entry then twist it on, and the motor was always in the heart in the trq. range. Big time fun!

Paul

To me the weight on big Adventure bikes is a wash. When you weigh 170 anything over a couple hundred pounds requires more finess when playing off the beaten path. I didn't realize the DCT was 30lbs was thinking maybe half that. At least that weight is low. The DCT will separate this bike from all others not its weight. The AT doesn't entice me yet but as I get older and my Ten gets older a second or third generation might. After all my TEN is proven not by magazine writers but by me! I'm glad Honda is bringing the DCT to our genre.

 

[Dogdaze]

All those pooh poohing the DCT, I would have thought the DCT WOULD help on the really slow stuff, never having to slip the clutch just a fraction amount of throttle to keep the wheels turning, much like the Rekluse clutches used on trail bikes.

 

[Big Blu]

I thought you were still talking about the 500.

I sometimes confuse myself.... sorry about that, and oh, I mumble to! ::025::

Paul

 

[True Grip]

All those pooh poohing the DCT, I would have thought the DCT WOULD help on the really slow stuff, never having to slip the clutch just a fraction amount of throttle to keep the wheels turning, much like the Rekluse clutches used on trail bikes.

Yep no missed shifts at the worst time just seamless shifts.

 

[autoteach]

could always do what all the big offroad guys do, and install a recluse...or, make your recluse computer controlled and infinitely adjustable...and allow it to do the shifting...and..., sounds like Honda might have more of this covered than we think. I want to ride it offroad because I think that is where the proof will really be found.

 

[Hungry Tiger]

Except for the DCT, this sounds like 7/8ths of s Super Tenere.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[trainman]

Not following you on the wheel size which is 17 for both on the honda, while the Tenere has the 19/17 which is far better. They have the same travel suspension. The Tenere has nice plush suspension right out of the factory which is of course better for some dirt riding as well. I admittedly do not know about the Honda in this instance.

Less weight is good for those who dream of a trail bike, which I usually do not consider anything about a 500 a trail bike anyhow. So the extra weight of the Tenere I see as an advantage as a smoother ride and soaks up those bumps much better. Now mind you wrestling around a bike all day on dirt then without a doubt, the 500 handily wins.
The Later I never really thought about until a friend following me with his GS 650 commented about how much smoother my ride was over his, and here I thought he must have been happier on the lighter bike
Personal thing in this area of course, as is most in all reality.

I agree with you on the FZ 7 however.

Yami has enough street machines, end it Yami, more real dirt!

the data sheets suggest 21 and 18 inch rims on the AT?, which are more suited to a bit of off roading, I think its more green lane biased and they have the cross runner/tourer bikes to compete with Adventure looking bikes?

having said that I think the S10 scores with the side radiator (needs guards though), the AT's appears to be front mounted?

 

[shrekonwheels]

the data sheets suggest 21 and 18 inch rims on the AT?, which are more suited to a bit of off roading, I think its more green lane biased and they have the cross runner/tourer bikes to compete with Adventure looking bikes?

having said that I think the S10 scores with the side radiator (needs guards though), the AT's appears to be front mounted?

We were talking about the 500 vs the Tenere, at least I was. Apparently Paul is old, and has a few to many cobwebs in the cog to stay on track ::26::

 

[markjenn]

having said that I think the S10 scores with the side radiator (needs guards though), the AT's appears to be front mounted?

I haven't looked at the design closely, but the shrouds would indicate two small front-mounted radiators on either side. This is pretty much a requirement with a 21" front end to get the engine acceptably far-enough forward and not run into wheel-radiator interference issues with a single radiator.

- Mark

 

[RED CAT]

I think the big deal will be the DCT. Thats a feature I'd like to try. That will put this bike in a class alone. As for weight. Add Shaft drive and center stand and it won't be far off an S10. Price will be high as most quality Hondas are. The S10 will still be the bargoon of the century. Still lovin my 2014 S10 ES though.

 

[trainman]

Except for the DCT, this sounds like 7/8ths of s Super Tenere.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

even the power is the same roughly, reviews don't seem to make much of that like they do with the S10?