Long-term test bikes
Africa Twin just about copes with its first quietly destructive bleak midwinter
WINTER ISN’T KIND to bikes. It’s cold and slippery – and that can cause crashes, so councils spread salty molasses, which corrodes every part of a motorbike. So though Honda won’t thank me for this, I will ride ‘my’ bike through all this to see what happens, so you don’t have to. Oh - and I don’t have a car…
The Africa Twin has taken some stick from owners complaining the stainless steel wheel spokes are tarnishing. Some have even described it as ‘Not fit for purpose’. The whingeing on social media would make you think the pistons were made of custard. Mine have tarnished (the spokes, not the pistons), but my local dealer, CJ Ball in Norwich, said Honda had no issue with replacing them at a time to suit me. While I was there I also spoke to them about the stuck mode buttons on the left-hand switchgear, and about a dickie main beam switch. Again, no problem: bits on the shelf; swapped; done.
Both services have been done late – totally my fault. The first was fine, but when I let it get to 18,000 miles the bike started up on one cylinder sometimes and was hesitant at first. Almost certainly just a spark plug and definitely my fault.
The Africa Twin is easy to clean. There are no sharp edges and even the rear shock can be easily reached. I spray it with Ammo Pro bike cleaner and let it soak in, then blast it with a low-power pressure washer and go over everything with some brushes. Finally, I rinse it off with cold water and use a microfibre cloth on the screen and bodywork.
I always leave time for those little longer than intended petrol stops, for all those ‘excuse me, what’s it like?’ conversations with total strangers. And I smile when GS, Super Adventure and Multistrada owners tell me it ‘doesn’t have enough power’.