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of South African journalists naturally sorted themselves into groups who were comfortable riding together. At speed on the open road, fitted with Dunlop adventure type tyres the new Africa Twin proved to be a fabulously capable tourer. It is so comfortable, and so capable. The 270 degree crank angle makes the parallel twin engine sound and feel like a V-twin, and is very pleasant. There has been serious attention paid to the build quality of this bike. It is so smooth, rattle free and effortless. In fact there isn’t another bike on the road that comes close in these areas’. Unlike some of the competition there are no strange engine noises, no gear box clunks, and no rattling plastic. It does make a fabulous induction roar when pressed hard, and this makes it very tempting to keep the revs up as much as possible. Another nice feature is that the one piece saddle does have a fashionable dip in the front, but unlike several others allows the rider to move around freely during a long ride. The density and the texture of the saddle cover is also just right. An entire team must have been tasked to make sure a rider could comfortably ride from Cape to Cairo in one shot if they chose to. After lunch time we swopped bikes, and moving on to the fully manual version which, was not as different as one would expect. It just goes to show how well Honda have done their homework in “Unlike some of the competition there are no strange engine noises, no gear box clunks, and no rattling plastic. It does make a fabulous induction roar when pressed hard, and this makes it very tempting to keep the revs up as much as possible.” making riding the DCT bike as natural and effortless as possible. The manual Africa Twin is just as capable as its’ twin (ha ha, funny!). The ergonomics and geometry and in fact everything except the electronic wizardry is exactly the same. As the day went by we were in riding heaven. As we got more used to the bike one thing became very clear. The underlying geometry, the choice of suspension, the riding position and even the texture of the handgrips has been honed by a team of people who really know what they are doing. There are no compromises on this bike. The initial goal was to make the successor of the original Africa Twin the best Adventure bike on the road. At the end of day one we certainly thought they had pretty much succeeded as a touring or “Adventure” road bike. After a day in the saddle we got home full of enthusiasm and ready for the next day which was to be on the dirt. A very interesting thing had happened during the day. Almost to a man everyone of the Honda team, many who have been directly involved in the original conception and subsequent development of the bike eagerly approached each of the journalists. This was the first time the bike had really been ridden by anyone not directly linked to Honda in some way. All of the journalists there have had lots of experience on every other adventure bike currently on the market. The questions were always the same “What do you think?” They were so enthusiastic and so passionate - and apprehensive as well. It would have been devastating if something had been wrong, or if there was anything we didn’t like. When we got back to the game lodge we had a very pleasant dinner out in the bush after a great game drive where a teenaged bull elephant threatened us and a lioness decided someone on the game viewing vehicle might be a nice snack. Once again the Honda staff split up amongst the riders. The wonderful thing was how informal everyone was, and how willing they were to answer even the most difficult of questions. This was not what we have come to expect from the normally 54 DIRT & TRAIL MAGAZINE JANUARY 2016 1601 DT Africa Twin.indd 54 2015/12/16 9:41 AM
very reserved Japanese, especially those from the inner sanctums of the various R&D departments. Of course we all talked amongst ourselves, comparing notes and discussing every facet of both bikes. By the time we went to bed we seemed quite evenly split between our preference for the conventional and the DCT bikes. Of course the perennial subject of electronics, and ABS in particular was a hot topic. Many riders keep saying they prefer to be in control completely and would like no electronics at all. Then there are some who love the electronics and delight in being able to ride faster, safer and easier as they become better. We all left thinking that the day on the dirt will be the most interesting… At breakfast the next morning, opinions had hardened during the night, with some riders declaring outright which system they preferred. When we got to the bikes we found they had been fitted with Continental off road tyres, which gave us a clue to the day Honda had in store for us. At the briefing we found that we had a new set of lead riders, Oliver and Martin, who turned out to be masters of off road, but so friendly and helpful, just like our road guides Adrian (Adie) and Ian had been the day before. We were briefed on the off-road loop we would ride, which included a gnarly uphill track more suited to a 450 enduro bike. The loop covered fast hard pack semi desert, some thick sand, a water crossing and some fast, eroded winding and undulating sections very similar to a national off road race like the Toyota 1000. On the face of it very brave stuff for Honda to entrust their bikes to riders they didn’t really know. Anyway, off we went, once again grouped behind a control rider, who set a smart pace right away. Within a very short distance it was clear that the new Africa Twin is a really competent off road bike. The terrain was far more suited to a well sorted enduro bike, especially for the riders capable of picking up the pace and using the ample, seamless power of the new Honda engine. And what a revelation the CRT proved to be. Riding in any mode was just so much fun. The very conventional, non electronically adjustable suspension easily handled everything that came it’s way. The brakes are outstanding, even with the ABS fully on. The biggest surprise of all was how good the automatic CRT bike is. With traction control off, ABS off, sports mode three selected and the “G” button pressed this bike is like a rattle-free Dakar racer! It is awesome! Up the gnarly rocky mountain climb one of our fellow scribes who is not a picture of fitness and who loudly proclaimed that he “didn’t do dirt” and wasn’t going up any off road hill under any circumstances, was persuaded by team leader Martin to just try on the CRT bike. Martin assured him he would help all the way, and that under no circumstances would the bike stall. Minutes later our colleague crested the hill with such a huge smile that if he hadn’t had a helmet strapped on his head would have split in two. Minutes later he had ridden back down the hill, and back up again on the conventional manual model! After one more loop of the dirt circuit which we all tried to do as fast as possible, we reluctantly headed for home, the riding part of our job done. Of course back at the ranch the team were waiting, this time with beaming smiles.. ”Whaddoyouthink?” was the first thing we were asked by Mr Kudo, in charge of the final development. Honestly, this bike is awesomely good. Time will tell if the resurrected Honda Africa Twin will become as famous as its’ ancestor. I suspect it will. No bike will satisfy everyone, but this one will excite and satisfy a huge group of serious Adventure bike customers, attracted not only by what a good motorcycle this is, but also by the fact that it’s a Honda, backed up by all the qualities Honda is rightly famous for. The bikes are due to arrive here around April. We don’t know the price because the illustrious chaps in our parliament keep duffing the value of the rand. More on this bike soon… DIRT & TRAIL MAGAZINE JANUARY 2016 55 1601 DT Africa Twin.indd 55 2015/12/16 9:42 AM
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