HONDA CRF1000L AFRICA TWIN
FIRST RIDE
P80
tackling the more challenging 100-mile mostly dirt
ride they had planned for us the following day.
For the road ride, the AT was fitted with OE
Dunlop Trailmax D610 street tires; for the dirt,
they were swapped out for more aggressive
knobby-type Continental Twinduro TKC80 dual
sport tires.
Honda also stiffened up the suspension a bit
before our butts even touched the seat. (See
sidebar.)
I spent an equal amount of time on both bikes,
the manual transmission model and the DTC
model, and discovered that both bikes are equally
fun to ride, just a little different. Overall, the Africa
Twin is remarkably comfortable in the
seat, which is wide, low and just cushy
enough. I found the AT's 34.3-inch seat
heat to be about right for my 6'1" frame;
I was able to plant both my feet firmly on
the ground, so I never even felt the need to try
the lower 33.5-inch setting.
Initially, I was probably most impressed with the
AT's suspension. Even though both ends were
cranked up a bit from stock, the bike still offered a
cushy ride without feeling overly soft or mushy. And,
as the fork and shock started using up their travel,
the ride never got harsh or jagged, just comfort-
ably firm. Small potholes seemed to just magically
disappear. At one point of our street ride, we rode a
section of twisty pavement that probably hadn't seen
new asphalt since 1945. Potholes were everywhere
and I was doing my best to avoid them until I real-
ized that I didn't have to; you could just ride right
through them, straight up or leaned over, and
you wouldn't feel them! You could slam right
through those suckers without a care in the
world, and whatever the suspension couldn't
completely handle was soaked up nicely by
We also got to
ride a fully Honda
accessorized
Africa Twin.
