Honda Africa Twin and Suzuki SV650X ridden in all conditions. But how have they coped?
Ten months, 15,000 miles and the big Honda has done it all…
‘It’s been a bike for every occasion’
It may not be the most powerful bike in class and it certainly isn’t the most advanced but what the last 15,000 miles on the Africa Twin has taught me is that, as a package, it works. The Adventure Sport version of the Africa Twin is well equipped as standard so the mods I’ve made have been minimal but significant. For off-road riding I added SW Motech footrest extensions (£110) which bolt on to the standard footrests in place of the rubber inserts and increase the size dramatically. The other addition was SW Motech SYS bag 30/30 luggage which proved to be a well-designed and robust system that enabled me to carry everything I needed in terms of camping and cooking equipment when staying out in the wilds. But the most significant change I’ve made is to the screen. At 5ft 10in with a 32in inside leg I seem to just about the worst dimensions for the Honda. Because the screen is nonadjustable it means that when the seat is in the lower position where I can comfortably touch the ground, I am staring at the very top of the screen, which limits visibility. If I put the bike in its higher seat position I can see over the top of the screen, but it means I am on tip toes. To solve the issue I have fitted a screen from a standard Honda Africa Twin, which bolts straight on and is significantly lower. The only downside is the very high level of wind noise. Ridden solo on the road it’s capable of making good progress just as long as you are prepared to keep busy with the gearbox. It’s well-balanced chassis and soft, plush suspension inspires confidence, meaning you can flow through corners and pick your lines accurately, safe in the knowledge that the relative low power and linear delivery means there is little chance of things going wayward. My 650-mile off-road adventure trip was another example of the Honda delivering against the odds. Riding a bike that weighs in at 242kg before adding 30kg of luggage made me apprehensive when I hit the trails of Northern Spain, but it took it all in its stride. But it hasn’t all been plain sailing. An out-of-tolerance fuel gauge sensor that gave me incorrect range saw me limping into petrol stations on vapours on more than one occasion and I also had the quickshifter and autoblipper fail at 12,000 miles. Both were replaced under warranty, so no drama, but I have since found myself running out of fuel again with a range of 17 miles still showing on the dash and the quickshifter and autoblipper have both failed again within 500 miles. Problems aside, the Africa Twin has shown itself to be a bike for every occasion, with enough performance to put a smile on your face while retaining the qualities of a simple, well-balanced package that you’re pleased to see every time you open up your garage.