[video transcript]

This story – of the Africa Twin – begins in another time. The first Transalp in ’87 – a marvel of industry. And gasoline. Then from laboratories and testing grounds, a new birth – the original Africa Twin. Four Dakar victories for Honda. But success brought competition . Civil warfare from manufacturers in Japan. And foreign invasion from BMW. KTM.

Honda’s adventure lineup was left in ruin. A wasted land, with echoes of greatness. Nothing more.

After all this time … it’s back.

The Africa Twin’s grandfather was a 650cc V-Twin. It’s father, a 750 V. But this new warrior is a new breed – a parallel twin, which lets Honda pack more components down low, where the other cylinder would have been.

Put simply, it carries its weight like a big dirt bike.

The Africa Twin is an oasis in the desert – peaceful and effortless in the middle of this wasteland. With a heavy 998ccs slung between my feet, it slinks over rough terrain at 100km/h. And it touches down gracefully, easing into a long 8 inches on the forks and 8.7 on the monoshock. Even rock crawling is effortless, with a 21-inch bigwheel and a towering 9.8-inch belly pan, matched only by the KTM 1190R.

As was foretold, the Africa Twin comes with a manual transmission or this DCT. That’s “dual-clutch transmission” to Honda, known to us normal buggers as “automatic.”

The automatic bike will not stall , and that takes the challenge out of some classic off-road challenges. Like going from locking to spinning the rear wheel in a skid turn – normally one of the trickier ADV maneuvers, it’s a cinch with the DCT.

The transmission also simplifies hill climbs and descents. It knows when I’m going up or down hill by comparing throttle input to rear wheel speed, so the bike holds onto a gear when I need engine braking, and drops a gear when I need extra grunt.

It’s very clever, but the computer still can’t look ahead like a human eye, so to an avid off-roader, the transmission will always feel one step behind.

I can solve that problem by throwing the DCT into manual mode, which lets me shift with these finger paddles. It feels about as natural as wearing underpants on my head… but once I get used to it, there are some perks, like being able to downshift mid-turn with my anchor foot extended.

Of course I have the opposite problem at slow speed. Where I’d normally be feathering the clutch with my feet down, I now have to keep my foot on the brake to prevent the transmission from running away on me. Either that or I just screw it, take advantage of the hugest steering lock I’ve ever seen, and spin the rear tire to make a tight turn.

SitRep: The Africa Twin is a wasteland warrior – easily the most competent off-roader above 650ccs that I’ve ever ridden. But it’s also starving for some decent kit. I need taller handlebars to stand up comfortably, I need a skid plate that actually covers the exhaust, I need a radiator guard that isn’t made from dinky plastic. And seriously Honda – engine bars are basic survival kit. Same with bark busters that won’t brake the first time I hit a tree. Don’t be fooled by my TKC80s either, because the stock rubbers are shitty Dunlop TrailMaxes.

So after spending 14k on this bike, I’ll have to fork over another grand to get it rally-ready. And that’s annoying. Although not as annoying as these buttons would be.

Every time I ride the DCT version I have to do this fighter jet call sequence. Put the bike in “Gravel” mode for harsher gear changes, turn off ABS, turn off traction control, engage the manual paddle shifters … Just let me ride already!

I could fire shots at the Africa Twin all day, and there are a few weak points to hit. But when the dust settles I can’t deny that it handles better than every other ADV bike on the dirt. In fact, with the exception of the F800GS, it’s not even on the same planet.

Two years ago, Honda’s ADV lineup was a wasteland. Not anymore.

But the adventure game has changed since the last time Honda played ball. Modern ADV riders also want their bikes to perform here. And here. And here.

Ah the city … our Africa Twin is a natural here.

The ride is cushy and the clutch is a featherweight. Of course with the DCT version, you won’t have to bother with a clutch at all. The automatic bike also has D-mode, which happily lugs around in 6th gear, bringing the fuel economy up to 50mpg.

Parallel twins have notoriously boring power deliveries, and this one is only mildly peppier. But the Honda does keep me awake with a very un-Honda sound. It’s a loud, filthy growl … which is great for letting everyone at ADV-HQ know how adventurous I am.

And even though I can’t get the original white-blue-red racing livery in Canada, the Africa Twin still looks pretty Dakar . And that’s important if I want my barista to think I just got back from the desert.

This is a highway, and it’s where the Africa Twin falls behind.

94hp was plenty on the dirt, but it feels a smidge tired on the tarmac. Remember that we’ve been spoiled in this class, where the big Beemer makes 125hp and the crazed KTM throws 150.

The seat is adjustable at 33.5 or 34.3 inches and it is comfy in a dirtbike sort-of way. Of course with an industry- losing 18.8 litre tank, you won’t have to sit for long stretches anyway.

There aren’t many creature comforts either. It’s a cable throttle, which means no cruise control. And the screen isn’t adjustable so I get to enjoy the God of Wind slapping my head from side to side. Also the dash is nowhere near bright enough and there’s no power socket. Although I could spec one for more money, same with heated grips and a centre stand.

The luxuries are out there, they’re just not stock. But then again, they never are.

Oh shit … these twisties are the arch-nemesis of our Africa Twin.

The front end feel is pure guesswork – I never know where my tire is going or how much grip it has to get there. Plus, the bike is sluggish to turn in.

I know TKC80s well enough to say that they aren’t the problem. So I blame a combination of the 21-inch front wheel and the soft suspension.

The brakes are squishy too, and that makes me suspicious. See with two 310mm discs and four pistons up front there’s no reason why the Africa Twin shouldn’t stop on a dime. But I think Honda gave the Africa Twin a weak initial bite on purpose , probably to compensate for the fact that the front end is made of pudding.

Even with the weak brakes and the compression dialled up for street use, the forks dive like a submarine.

Now I did have the chance to ride the automatic version on pavement, and other than being a bit too lazy to downshift, it was flawless . But on paper it adds 10 kilos and 1000 dollars, and on dirt the DCT is a crutch that I don’t really need. So this manual version is the bike I’d choose.

At this point I normally make some comparison to the competition but … there isn’t any.

The Africa Twin is one of the worst ADV bikes I’ve ridden on the pavement. And it’s also the best, most otherworldly brilliant ADV bike that I’ve ridden on the dirt. I guess we’re back to Honda’s wasteland, then. If you want a pavement-pounding adventure bike, there are a million choices and none of them are here. But if you want a purebred 1000cc off-roader, there is only one choice. Right here. With the Africa Twin.