Honda Africa Twin
Bertie Simmonds faints at the price of the kit he’s got on the Africa Twin, but realises it’s all par for the course for an adventure bike
Bertie is bubbling merrily on the Africa Twin, but he had a little fright when he discovered some accessory prices.
‘Hurrah for my bubble,’ I think to myself as I ride Aragog the Africa Twin to my destination for the first time in quite some while. Finally, riding a bike again seems to have a purpose and a destination.
Not that you always need a destination, but this particular time I am heading over to meet the lady that I’m seeing in Grimsby. Yes, I’ve chosen my bubble to be Grimsby. Fate, eh?
DO YOU SMELL FISH?
Of course, the Africa Twin has been to Grimmo pre-lockdown, but with the green light I could regularly ride my trusty steed to this jewel in north-east Lincolnshire. It also got me thinking about the useful luggage capacity of the Twinkie.
Firstly, the quality of the luggage on my Africa Twin ‘Plus’ Edition is really top notch. Mine are the aluminium ones, so that’s a 42-litre top-box as opposed to the 58-litre plastic top-box. To be fair, the look means I don’t mind losing out on the girth. But then you look at the price…
WHAT PRICE METAL?
Yes, as beautiful as they are, you’re paying a premium if you go for the ally luggage. The top-box is £715 (ally) compared to the plastic top-box (and back rest) at £540. Both left and right plastic panniers come in at £895 the pair, while the ally panniers are £900. Both need the rear carrier plate (£430), but you also seem to need the aluminium pannier stays (£405.) I’ve also got the inner bags (a total of £200 for all three; I rarely use them). And you don’t want to know how much the dealer would charge you for this Plus pack stuff (12-volt power supply and heated grips are part of the pack too, as well as some plastic bits and bobs), but suffice to say the kit on my bike is £4310 all-in, according to the Honda price list. I’m sure any owner could buy cheaper from aftermarket, but it depends if you want to keep it ‘Honda’. They are very waterproof: I’ve tried torrential rain AND a jet-wash.
FLEXIBLE VS FINANCIAL VS FEMALE
The key to the Africa Twin’s flexibility for me is that luggage. I can get a weekend’s worth of ‘working’ kit in there, so that means a lap-top in one side, my spare biking kit in the other (two locks, spare gloves/kit and Oxford Products bike cover) with my old, trusty Givi in the top-box for my clothing needs, and I’ve still got some room to spare.
All that is soon to change, however, as a proper test of the space available comes when me and my ‘bubble’ head off for a night away – lockdown easing allowing. Yes, for the first time in many a decade my lady is going to ride on the back of a bike. She’s got the kit and she’s well up for it.
The panic starts to set in: will the luggage space be enough? Will the DCT make things easier or harder for a fledgling pillion? This will be the true test of an adventure bike – going off and having an adventure. Stay tuned… will my love for the bike last? Will my love for the other half survive? Will I get dumped half-way up the A1?