B I G B O R E A D V C O M P A R I S O N T E S T
P76
SHOOTOUT
HONDA CRF1000L
AFRICA TWIN
1
ST
PLACE
T
here's something to be
said for the "less is more"
phrase. The Honda is the
least technically advanced
machine here, it's got traction
control and semi-switchable
ABS (you can turn it off at the
rear but not the front), and
that's it as far as electronics
go. There are no heated grips,
no cruise control, no variable
(Top) All the information you need
and none you don't. Also none
you might like, such as outside air
temp. (Bottom) Muffler finish is
nice but gets scratched easily on
passing shrubs.
engine maps.
So why
the hell have we voted it
number one? Simple, really.
Because in the business of
actual adventure riding, both
off- and on-road, the Honda
was the best bike here.
The Honda is the least
intimidating, easiest bike to
ride in the shootout. It's got
nowhere near the power of
the KTM or Ducati, and has a
size-eight bum compared to
the size 12 of the BMW. The
lack of girth allows more riders
of varying skill levels to ride to
further away places without
thinking they'll get stuck—
which is the whole point of
adventure riding.
Like many of the company's
bikes, the Africa Twin does ev-
erything really well and noth-
ing outstanding. The parallel-
twin motor has enough go in
it for 99.9 percent of all ADV
scenarios, and the suspen-
sion strikes the perfect mix
of off-road compliance and
on-road comfort. It doesn't
have the pizzazz of the KTM or
