COMPARISON I HONDA AFRICA TWIN & YAMAHA TENERE 700
P32
T H E O U
JAPAN'S POPULAR ADV BIKES
T
here is an unofficial class system in
the ADV motorcycle world. Bikes are
grouped into entry-level, midsize, large
displacement, etc. They're not necessarily
standardized across the motorcycling industry,
but most bikes you're considering for owner-
ship should slot into a position on this categori-
cal breakdown of engine size or best use case.
Then, there are some bikes that refuse to fit
in. On paper, sure, they seem like a midsize
or large displacement weapon. But when you
throw them into a comparison or start digging
deeper into performance, inclusions and capa-
bilities, they reside outside the norm, on one
end of the spectrum, above or below the rest,
and almost incomparable in the aggregate.
So, the questions arise—are these fringe bikes
over-achievers or under-performers? We're spot-
lighting two in this story to try to find out!
BY JESSE ZIEGLER I PHOTOGRAPHY,