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New Africa Twin debut?

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SilverBullet said:
Not being defensive but I think you're referring to the Tenere so I have to correct you. This will be my only post on the subject to keep a threadjack from happening. And before I state it the Tenere and AT are not competitors. Apples to Oranges, if you are trying to decide between those two bikes you don't know what riding you'll be doing or didn't research well. It would be like saying you want to buy a dual sport bike and are deciding between a KLR650 and a KTM 500XCW. Apples to Oranges.

Top heavy - Nope. Tenere has an extremely low COG. Low speed handling is great. Clearly you've never ridden one.

Overweight - Yep big time. 75 lbs bloated easily. But once rolling the weight disappears and bike feels as light as my 100 lbs. less V-Strom 650. But pushing around in garage, parking or picking it up off the ground yep it's definitely a pig. The extra weight though does make it the better touring bike it is.

Underpowered - Nope. Again you've never ridden one or never put it in Sport mode. A cheap ECU reflash turns this up a couple notches even more. 100 hp in the dirt is more than anybody needs.

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Agreed... ?
 
I think most people get lost in aspects of bikes; ever bike has a purpose. It's up to the rider to push it to its limts. If I can ride a heavy pig across three states in comfort and then push it to its limits in the mountains than that's what is about. Ride a Klr in a head wind with semis on the road the comfort will go down but once there, I can dip deeper into the woods. Or I can load up a cr 250 on a trailer and tow it there.
22lr at 200 yards or a 308 at 800 yards. Similar level of challenge just different aspects.
Ps If I lost 50 lbs, it would add 20 hp.
 
Blk1989 said:
I think most people get lost in aspects of bikes; ever bike has a purpose. It's up to the rider to push it to its limts. If I can ride a heavy pig across three states in comfort and then push it to its limits in the mountains than that's what is about. Ride a Klr in a head wind with semis on the road the comfort will go down but once there, I can dip deeper into the woods. Or I can load up a cr 250 on a trailer and tow it there.
22lr at 200 yards or a 308 at 800 yards. Similar level of challenge just different aspects.
Ps If I lost 50 lbs, it would add 20 hp.
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Good points, especially the last one! Looking for the lightest bike, I need to get lighter, ha.
 
Blk1989 said:
...Ps If I lost 50 lbs, it would add 20 hp.
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woodsguy said:
Good points, especially the last one! Looking for the lightest bike, I need to get lighter, ha.
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If an aftermarket company would sell a package of swap out components that nets a 50 lb bike weight loss just think of how many they could sell for $2,000-$3,000 each. And probably 50% of those buyers need to lose 50 lbs of their own body weight and could get it for free with a huge health benefit to boot.

I recently did this exact thing. Had plans to rent an underpowered and heavy CRF250L for a week overseas. So this was part of my motivation to drop 30 lbs prior to the trip to gain some free performance gains.

_
 
SilverBullet said:
If an aftermarket company would sell a package of swap out components that nets a 50 lb bike weight loss just think of how many they could sell for $2,000-$3,000 each. And probably 50% of those buyers need to lose 50 lbs of their own body weight and could get it for free with a huge health benefit to boot.

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I resemble that remark... ;-)
 
From what I've been reading on ADV's threads it seems that US delivery, particularly for DCT's, could be as late as August.

This got me to thinking how this is yet another example of how this bike is patterned after the KTM 950 ADV, which also didn't hit the US shores until the model year after it was released in Europe.

On the bright side, there are reports of several dealers who are expecting to see bikes in May or June. Still, either a little late for MY2016, or a tad early for MY2017.

The popularity of the DCT seems to have exceeded Honda planner's expectations and many dealers have told customers that their DCT orders have been significantly delayed as production is being ramped up.
 
I wanna learn to power-turn like that.
 
Dao said:
It's easy....lock up the rear brake and keep adding the gas as you turn. :rider:
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Yep, nothing to it! right! I'll watch before I throw a 500 lb, $15-20,000 bike down and on top of me! But sure is neat to watch! I bet Silverbullet could give it a go!
 
I saw one with a foreign license plate hauling through Houston on Monday afternoon.
 
Bob will probably get his Elio before anyone here gets a AT!:lol2:

the First african twin in Texas is currently scheduled to ship on May 20th I am hoping the person who holds the reservation on it holds off on installing the farkles he has been amassing and brings it to show and tell at the pie run.
 
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cyclenewsAfrica Twin can take you to some pretty cool places. Thank you Honda for another great day in the saddle. #trueadventure #ridered @honda_powersports_us #motorcycle
patrickmoylanDid they give you a timeframe of when it's hitting dealers? Enough marketing already, let's get the **** thing in the peoples hands.
cyclenewsEarly June.
 
The DCT transmission may be a winner in sand if the power can be modulated carefully. I hit that deep, rutted, wet, Canadian River sand over and over (sometimes head first) many times at Bill Dragoo's sand class. My shoulder and rib cage are definitely tender. I was a complete doubter of the need for the DCT transmission with it's additional weight and complexity. But with my limited abilities, not having to feather the clutch and match it's bite with the throttle would be an incredible advantage. I think I could have mastered circling the pylons by just modulating the power on the uneven terrain. I didn't with my KLR. Just my opinion after Carolyn brought the subject up. If you are an expert rider, the DCT might take the fun out of riding.
 
Hard to believe this beat the AT here. Sure wish I had known ahead of time about demo rides.:eek2:
 

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From Road Runner magazine's web page:

The highly anticipated Honda Africa Twin will make its U.S. factory demo debut at the DirtDaze Adventure Bike Rally in New York, June 7-11, 2016. RoadRUNNER magazine is running a Facebook contest, now through May 26th, to choose the lucky attendee who’ll get to ride the Twin first!
“I’m very excited that Honda chose DirtDaze to debut their Africa Twin,” said Christian Dutcher, the man behind DirtDaze, “The level of anticipation about that bike is extremely high.”
Florian Neuhauser, RoadRUNNER’s managing editor said, “The Africa Twin is the most significant model to hit the ADV market. A slim profile, advanced DCT, seat height, entry price, and expected reliability are going to bring in even more riders and surely steal away many from the competition. I’m excited for so many people to finally ride it!”
 
gasgasman said:
http://dirtbiketest.com/fresh-dirt/2016-honda-crf1000l-africa-twin-first-riding-impression/
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That is by far the most informative review that I have seen so far. Clearly Honda is offering a LOT of bike for 13K, All the moto journalists LOVE the DCT transmission.

Heck, I paid nearly 13K for my 950S back in 2006. In this particular article, the writer compares the Honda to the KTM 950S, saying that the overall feel is most like that bike. Everyone has been saying that Honda's target was the older KTM Adventure, before everything got crazy with high HP engines. I guess Honda hit the mark.

It is cool to see Honda step up with a true off-road Adventure bike. I hope more of the Japanese manufacturers follow their lead. KTM is already rumored to have a parallel twin Adventure bike coming soon too.

I think Woods Guy said it in another post, but it sure is a good time to be a motorcyclist, especially if you like dirt.
 
The Africa Twin is probably the only large displacement adv bike that resonates with me. I'm fatigued with the media hype. I think if I bought anything now it would be a Honda CB500X and equip it with the Rally Raid kit.
 
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