2015 Honda Africa Twin... Thought?

Gearspoke

Adventurer
So I have been shopping around to find a dual sport bike to take off roading, and trail riding around Golden Ear's near Maple Ridge in Canada. This article was recently released about the 2015 Honda Africa, and I thought I would ask your opinions of what you think. Would this be a sufficient bike for 140 pound 5'8 female?

It is one sweet looking Adventure bike! With the engine, that would make some really nice horsepower ( not the most) but it would be very reliable, hence its a Honda.

Also, it looks similar to the KTM adventure bikes, but less bulky, which is good. Since this will be adventure , think about riding it on the dessert floor, then on highways, then dirt roads and minor trails!

I would not likely get a KTM adventure but a Honda adventure bike, totally!!! It looks way better :)

What are your thoughts?
 
As far as I know that is still a concept bike. No set release or production model as of yet. I am hoping for something official soon!

I also don't think it would be the best bike for your size. That is a lot of bike if you plan to go off road. I notice you mention the looks several times. I would get over that. You can't really tell how a bike looks when you are riding it. Trust me, a Husaberg 570 looks dead sexy but after 8 hrs on the road I was ready to kamikaze a tree!

I think a vstrom 650 or smaller Beemer would be a good choice.
 
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Christophe Noel

Expedition Leader
Not much about his bike was known until today. Even now, we only have an idea what it might look like if it sees production, which looks likely given the advance prototype shown today in Italy.

Lots of speculation abounds. Many say it will be an 85-95 hp engine with an 800-1000cc displacement. Who knows about weight, but it looks lean. It definitely leans more to the rally inspired bike of the original Africa Twin which I owned in the late 90s.

One thing is for sure...it's a ways away, and it's anybodies guess if we get it here in the US. Sounds likely, but ya never know.
 

Gearspoke

Adventurer
As far as I know that is still a concept bike. No set release or production model as of yet. I am hoping for something official soon!

I also don't think it would be the best bike for your size. That is a lot of bike if you plan to go off road. I notice you mention the looks several times. I would get over that. You can't really tell how a bike looks when you are riding it. Trust me, a Husaberg 570 looks dead sexy but after 8 hrs on the road I was ready to kamikaze a tree!

I think a vstrom 650 or smaller Beemer would be a good choice.

It seems like the overall concensus is for something in the 650cc range. Any other recommendations for this type of bike?
 

Christophe Noel

Expedition Leader
I ride a 650 BMW GS Dakar. It's awesome. I picked it up for a song, under $5500, with less than 5,000 miles on the odometer. It's pretty awesome for what it is. You can read about that very bike here:

http://expeditionportal.com/expo-s-dakar-project-bike-is-complete/

I also recently spent a week in Ecuador on a 650cc KLR. That too is a killer deal and I'd not hesitate to ride that bike around the world tomorrow. You can see pics of that bike here:

http://expeditionportal.com/field-tested-altrider-hemisphere-saddlebag-system/

Either bike in my opinion is tough to beat as they're probably the two most proven platforms by sheer volume and use for round-the-world epics.

Just today I posted a feature from Lisa Morris who is riding a 650 GS across South America.

http://expeditionportal.com/two-wheeled-nomad-a-jewel-in-atacamas-crown/
 
It seems like the overall concensus is for something in the 650cc range. Any other recommendations for this type of bike?

The 650 size is a good compromise. Small enough to take off road but big enough to not die on the highway.

The Vstrom 650 is a great bike for long miles and plenty of gear that can go off road.

The Kawasaki KLR 650 is more split 50/50 street to dirt. Can go more places off road but kinda painful on the highway for long miles.

The Honda XRL 650 is a great 30/70 street to dirt bike. Wouldn't wanna ride it in the road all day though.

All of the above bikes are fairly cheap to purchase, cheap to maintain, and very reliable.

I know the BMW's are nice but the higher purchase price and maintenance costs scared me away. Folks ride them all over the world and seem to love them though.

Unfortunately there is not a perfect bike out there. You have to figure out what you wanna do with it and which one fits you. (Some of the bikes have very high seat heights).

ADVrider might be a better place to do some research. Tons of info there.

Good luck!
 

Clutch

<---Pass
For a current in production bike in the 650 category. I would look at the KTM 690...while the other bikes mentioned are fine...but rather boring...can't push them too hard
without them being overwhelmed. They are rather under powered and under suspended.

Tons of aftermarket are for the 690 available as well, can build them from mild to wild. Jump on ADV Rider, a bunch of threads on the 690 abound.

921344184_Cq2HJ-L.jpg
KTM690EnduroR2014AdventureMotorcycleRallyRaid1.jpg





Another bike that possibly might be good for your size is the CCM 450, it just started production, when (if?) they will hit the US shores is uncertain.

Uses the BMW (Kymco) 450 engine, I have ridden BMW's and Husqvarnas with that powerplant...very smooth engines, can spend all day cruising without much fuss.

http://www.ccm-motorcycles.com/index.asp

IMG_0401.jpg
 
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Joanne

Adventurer
If you are new to off road riding I would suggest starting with a smaller, lighter bike to develop your skills on. Then pick up the bike of your dreams.

I'm an experienced street rider but had problems riding off road on my KLR-650. It is a bit top heavy and stopping where I couldn't flat foot it was a big problem. By the time my foot hit the ground the bike was leaned over and heading for the ground. Even with a lowering kit I struggled. I finally sold it to a friend. It's not the bike's fault, but mine for picking the wrong bike for my experience level.

Just my thoughts.

Joanne
 

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