HONDA
After years of build-up, the new Africa Twin is finally here, and it was well worth the wait. It’s a completely new machine from the ground up, and uses a new 998cc parallel-twin engine, twin-spar cast aluminium chassis, spoked 21in front and 18in rear wheels, the option of Honda’s Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT), switchable ABS, and multiple mode traction control with an off-road setting. Honda say three attributes from the original XRV750 were central to the development of the new bike – off-road performance, the comfort of a touring bike and ‘everyday agility’ that makes for a bike capable of all-day riding or day-to-day commuting. At the heart of the bike is the all-new 998cc water-cooled, parallel-twin producing 93.87bhp peak power and 72.3ftlb of torque. But the real headlines are the fact that it all works sensationally well, is arriving in dealers at a very attractive £10,499, and that there’s even a DCT version boasting special off-road software that genuinely works. The adventure icon is back.