The Africa Twin is an old bike now but it sure has stamped its mark on the adventure loving amongst us. It was made to commemorate the NXR 750 which won the Paris-Dakar 4 times. It features a detuned 750 twin producing 45Kw’s of power, perfect for touring with the occasional off road blast.
The riding position is upright as you’d expect with a tourer and the seat is rather comfortable allowing for enough support but not a hindrance when you have to shift your weight around through the bundu. Power delivery is obviously more torque based and there is plenty of grunt low down the rev range. This allows you to accelerate with ease in a smooth relaxed fashion.
Ground clearance is adequate which is good to avoid bottoming the bike out on rough terrain however on-road cornering is not Moto Gp as it has a high centre of gravity. That being said the Africa twin does have good on road manners and it is easy enough to maneuver through the traffic albeit on the cumbersome side.
Many say that this bike is in fact the most durable and hardiest bike ever made by Honda. It accelerates up to highway speed rapidly but as you reach 160Km/h it runs out of grunt. This is understandable as it was designed with desert bashing in mind not autobahn cruising so torque is preferred over power. Its top speed is around 180Km/h and it has a 23 litre fuel tank which ensures good mileage stop to stop. Although this bike is capable of off roading, it does weigh 207Kg’s which is hefty to pick up if you drop it whilst off roading which is inevitable. Also the tires are more suited to on road and do not provide much grip at al in the sand or mud.
Obviously there are much improved versions of tourers and off road bashers today but the charismatic and impressionable Africa twin has burnt memories in the minds of hundreds of fans all over the globe, and its deep exhaust rumble will haunt the vast mountainous regions of the Paris-Dakar rally route forever.
Pros:
Durable
Comfortable
Heritage
Durable
Comfortable
Heritage
Cons:
Heavy
Heavy
Specs:
| Engine: | Liquid cooled four stroke, Longitudinal 52°V-twin. SOHC, 3 Valve per cylinder |
| Capacity: | 742 |
| Bore x Stroke: | 81 x 72 mm |
| Compression Ratio: | 9.0:1 |
| Induction: | 2x 38mm Flat side CV |
| Ignition / Starting: | CDI / electric |
| Max Power: | 62 hp 45.3 KW @ 7500 rpm |
| Max Torque: | 62.7 Nm 6.4 Kg-m @ 6000 rpm |
| Transmission / Drive: | 5 Speed / chain |
| Front Suspension: | 43mm air-assisted telescopic fork, 220mm wheel travel |
| Rear Suspension: | Pro-Link 214mm wheel travel with preload and compression damping adjustment |
| Front Brakes: | 2 X 276mm discs 2 piston calipers |
| Rear Brakes: | Single 256mm disc 1 piston caliper |
| Front Tyre: | 90/90 D21 |
| Rear Tyre: | 140/80 R17 |
| Seat Height: | 860 mm |
| Dry-Weight / Wet-Weight: | 207 Kg / 218 kg |
| Fuel Capacity: | 23 Litres |
| Consumption average: | 16.4 km/l |
| Braking 60 – 0 / 100 – 0: | 13.3 m / 40.7m |
| Standing ¼ Mile : | 13.1 sec / 56.6 km/h |
| Top Speed: | 181.8 km/h |
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