THE MCN250 TEST ROUTE
It’s Britain’s best road test route. A tough 250-mile mix of A and B- roads, a stretch of motorway, plus plenty of towns, villages, blind corners, ballistic straights, and a huge range of grippy to slippy tarmac. There are two cafés, an off-road section for adventure and trail bikes, track time at Silverstone for sportsbikes, and Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground and the dyno for hard and fast data when needed. You want answers? We’ve got ’em.
7 Going Fishing
I’d been looking forward to pulling away on the GSA up the twists of Fish Hill but today our fun is scuppered by roadworks. Instead I flick back to softer Road mode and entertain myself by exploring this fully-loaded version’s huge array of information available via its scrolling wheel and 6.5in colour TFT display. In this spec it’s as slick as a fully kitted 1250 and makes the Africa Twin seem comparatively basic.
8 Tanks a lot
We’re well over 130 miles in and these bigtanked adventure versions are still a long way off needing to be refuelled, both indicating they’re still almost half full. The Honda’s tank is 5.4 litres larger than the stock Africa Twin, while the GSA’s is eight litres bigger than the stock option, giving both a theoretical range of well over 250 miles. Maybe we won’t be stopping today at all?
6 Country living
After turning off at Stratford we enter the Cotswolds and the more sinuous switchbacks again give the more nimble and aggressive BM another chance to shine. With the ESA in Sport mode and me dancing on the quickshifter, this is an adventure bike that can scratch and squirt better than most, although you don’t get either in base, £10,600 trim.
9 Power stations
BMW’s revisions to create the F850GS last year were considerable: bored and stroked from 798 to 853cc, plus a revised firing order boosted power by 10bhp. The Honda is slightly bigger, slightly softer but sounds great. As for the BM’s optional Akrapovic, I can barely hear it at all.
5 Motorway measures
The more aggressive BM was a delight on fast backroads, but on the long drag of the M40 it’s more exposed and uncomfortable, although still tolerable. The low, Rallye-spec screen is borderline useless and its adjustment adds nothing and though there’s cruise control (the Honda hasn’t), overall, it’s less comfortable and less relaxing than the comparatively cosseting Honda.
4 Time to sharpen up
After a pause and a brew at the Super Sausage we swap bikes and the BM, despite its on-paper similarities, is instantly revealed as a very different beast. The bars are lower and the cut-down screen, though adjustable, does little. What’s more, its delivery is sharper, aided by its quickshifter, the chassis more taut and nimble and the whole plot is crisper and more aggressive.
10 Refuelling humans
We stop for a McDonalds lunch near Buckingham and, though there’s no desperate need to, take the opportunity to refuel as well. The slightly smaller BM’s returning 4mpg more than the Honda, although some of that is surely due to the DCT. But ridden more leisurely I can see both returning close to 300 miles a tank.
3 Carry on cruising
The first 30 miles are fast, busy A-roads followed by dual carriageway and the big Twin gobbles it all up. The motor is Honda-friendly and flexible and the DCT, now in livelier Sport mode, is a surprising pleasure.
11 Advantage Honda
After swapping bikes again I’m quickly reminded of the Twin’s advantages. It’s typical Honda: great ergonomics, brilliantly refined manners and a slight softness that’s comforting. It’s greater height and stature also make peering over Milton Keynes and Bedford traffic easier, although I have to be slightly wary of its added width when traffic splitting.
2 Going automatic
I re-familiarise with the Honda first. The clever, semi-automatic DCT, is a doddle and relinquishes the need for a clutch or gear lever. It effectively operates like a sophisticated twist ‘n’ go with Auto and Sport modes and Up and Down override switches on the left bar, but it adds £1000 to the price.
1 First impressions
Initial impressions reveal similarities: 95bhp parallel twins, 21in off-road front wheels, big adventure tanks, even the paint. And in this spec their prices are similar. But immediate differences are evident, too. In its Rallye spec with short screen, the BM seems significantly smaller and less substantial while the towering, tall-screened Africa Twin, which also has an even bigger tank, is statuesque and almost intimidatingly tall.
12 Final thoughts
For the final leg, we’ve the thrashy blast of the B660. The BM wins (just) for sporty sharpness, but the bigger more cosseting Honda, on a par performance-wise, isn’t far behind yet offers more style, weather protection and longlegged ability. That seals it for me, but it’s close. I’ve even been converted to the brilliant DCT.