New African Twin Maybe 1200cc

[nhbubba]

He did elsewhere:

..and we were getting about 35mpg averaging about 80mph on the highway.

That's right about where I cruise at commuting on the 'strom.

I also assume all of these #'s are from the onboard computer, not tank-tank calcs. But either way, 35mpg kinda sucks. @ 5gal tank that means you're looking for fuel well before the 200 mile mark when trying to make time. Meh.

[markbvt]

Most disappointing thing I've read so far. This is a farkin' thousand and it seems obvious they detuned it, leaving power on the table. Should at least get some killer range in exchange.

It's Honda. This is the company that has managed for 25 years to build a 650 single that consistently gets 40mpg while only pumping out 35 horsepower while BMW got nearly 55 horsepower and 60+mpg out of their 650 single, and KTM got about 65 horsepower and upwards of 50mpg out of theirs.

For what it's worth, bear in mind that the AT motor makes good torque but redlines at a little under 8000rpm, hence the 96hp figure.

He didn't really define freeway speed. It could be pretty high.

80ish (indicated -- I haven't had a GPS on this bike yet to compare the speedometer with). So not particularly high.

I also assume all of these #'s are from the onboard computer, not tank-tank calcs. But either way, 35mpg kinda sucks. @ 5gal tank that means you're looking for fuel well before the 200 mile mark when trying to make time. Meh.

The highway numbers were from the onboard computer, yes. The 53mpg I got out of the secondary-streets-only tankful on Sunday's ride was from actually dividing the 202 miles by the 3.8 gallons I put in. For what it's worth, the onboard computer was claiming 51mpg at the time.

--mark

[nhbubba]

You comparing air cooled, carb'ed bikes designed in the dark ages to >$10k modern water-cooled EFI stuff? Seems somewhat apples to oranges, no?
How's that other Honda stack up to a KLR650? DR650?
This is a clean sheet design jam packed with modernness. Their marketing types are pushing it as efficient and capable of solid range. Your experience says otherwise.

[Chippertheripper]

I missed the 80mph parts. Sorry fellas.

I will now consider myself a little old lady though.

[nhbubba]

It wasn't in his posts. He mentioned it to me by email.
You really think I haven't hounded the living shit out of him about this bike yet?!
Kind of surprised I haven't traveled up there and broke into his barn yet.

You're about as little old lady as I am an expert kick-biker.

[Chippertheripper]

Hah. That kick bike thing is hysterical.

I never see 80. I'm 70-75 on the slab all day.
I like the idea of the at. It certainly is proving to be just another horse, and not a unicorn though.

Just a quick sniff and this popped up. For half the price you can grab a fully set up bike and a plane ticket to get to it. Error | Adventure Rider
I'm not pushing cool aid here, it was literally in the top 10 ads on the page.
I can't think right now off the top of my head what the at's closest competitors are. So the 990 is my baseline for comparo.

[markbvt]

You comparing air cooled, carb'ed bikes designed in the dark ages to >$10k modern water-cooled EFI stuff? Seems somewhat apples to oranges, no?
How's that other Honda stack up to a KLR650? DR650?

You do make a good point. The KLR doesn't do much better either. The DR, I've heard, does make a few more horsepower and deliver closer to 50mpg.

Funny thing is, back in the '90s Yamaha had the XT600, which made closer to 45hp and I believe got around 50mpg.

And then of course there's the XR650R, which Honda was insane to discontinue while continuing to pump out the prehistoric XR650L unchanged.

This is a clean sheet design jam packed with modernness. Their marketing types are pushing it as efficient and capable of solid range. Your experience says otherwise.

True. But it doesn't surprise me at all. It is efficient and capable of solid range... as long as you stick to back roads.

Highways are boring anyway.....

--mark

[e30addict]

You comparing air cooled, carb'ed bikes designed in the dark ages to >$10k modern water-cooled EFI stuff? Seems somewhat apples to oranges, no?
How's that other Honda stack up to a KLR650? DR650?
This is a clean sheet design jam packed with modernness. Their marketing types are pushing it as efficient and capable of solid range. Your experience says otherwise.

DR650 with me riding will get 50mpg on VT dirt roads. Put it on pavement with me and ratchet up the cruising speeds and it plummeted 10mpg.

[feralchimp]

I want an AT DCT, a cupholder, and the month of August off every year.

[ducatirdr]

I sat on one of these today when I dropped off my R1 for service at Motosports International in Auburn. They have a red manual on the floor.

It feels much lighter than my Tiger 800XC I used to own. Probably due to the bulk of its weight being so much lower. I had the Tiger get stuck in the mud one day and then tip over as I was trying to get it out. I thought about lighting it on fire to start the rescue. I finally got it back on its feet and lost about 10,000 miles of clutch getting it out of that puddle. I can see the Honda AT making it to my garage some day.

[reks95]

I got about 55mpg on the 690 @ 75mph this weekend.
I love that thing. It's not perfect, but it might be perfect for me.

[Paul_E_D]

the 690 is amazing. Bullet proof too. I absolutely FLOGGED mine for 5 years. Never even needed a valve adjustment. 2 crashes on track and you really would never know it even tipped over.

[myzx6]

I sat on one of these today when I dropped off my R1 for service at Motosports International in Auburn. They have a red manual on the floor.

It feels much lighter than my Tiger 800XC I used to own. Probably due to the bulk of its weight being so much lower. I had the Tiger get stuck in the mud one day and then tip over as I was trying to get it out. I thought about lighting it on fire to start the rescue. I finally got it back on its feet and lost about 10,000 miles of clutch getting it out of that puddle. I can see the Honda AT making it to my garage some day.

I was there today too admiring the new at, first one I've seen up close. It's much bigger then I expected it to be, but at the same time looks very light. I'm not a fan of adv bikes one bit but i do oddly like that bike!! It's probably one of the least ugly adv bikes that I've seen. I actually wouldn't even mind being seen in public on it, which is more then I can say about anything bmw has ever made.......ever, sorry bmw guys, but that's the truth.

[markbvt]

Update on living with the Africa Twin:

I installed the Eastern Beaver three circuit wiring kit, 12v accessory power outlets, and heated grips this weekend. This necessitated removing left side plastics in order to route wires and get to the accessory socket mounting location. The plastics are a pain in the ass to remove, starting with a surprisingly large number of screws and snap rivets. Once all those are out, separating the plastic panels is a chore too, making sure not to break any of the little tabs. Putting it all back together after is worse. I'm not looking forward to valve adjustments...!

I've found false neutrals between 4 and 5 and between 5 and 6. I've even had the bike pop out of gear from both 5 and 6 into a false neutral. I now make a habit of shifting with an exaggerated, firm click into the next gear. But I find it highly irritating that I need to be so conscious of it -- my 92,000-mile-old Tiger 800 XC has always shifted confidently, smoothly, and effortlessly, and with all of Honda's experience I would have expected them to build a gearbox as good as the Tiger's.

So they're just more items to add to the lengthening list of things about the AT that annoy me and make me question whether I should keep it. I was excited about this bike and really want to like it, but it keeps making that difficult.

When I got the Tiger, I absolutely loved it from the first ride and would have been willing to forgive significant issues, only it didn't have any to forgive (other than easily-remedied ergonomic stuff like a better seat). The Tiger just has personality, a sense that it's more than the sum of its parts. The Africa Twin doesn't have any more personality than my V-Strom did, and hasn't grabbed me the way the Tiger did, and as a result I get seriously annoyed by things like the stupid illegible instrument cluster (you couldn't fit a brighter backlight, Honda, really?), the exhaust/cat cover that gets in the way of my right heel when I put my toes on the footpeg, the idiotic plastic tail rack with 22lb max payload, the bodywork that's a pain in the ass to disassemble/reassemble, and yes, the false-neutral-ridden transmission.

I don't know. The jury's still out on this one. But it's a bit telling when my main reaction after putting 350 miles of great roads on the AT today is that I want to ride the Triumph tomorrow.

--mark

[nhbubba]

Sounds like the transmission thing is getting worse. Maybe time to start a complaint with your dealer?

[markbvt]

The thought occurred to me, but once I started shifting really deliberately, it didn't happen again. And there are a bunch of reports of people on ADVrider encountering the same issue. Seems it's not uncommon on this bike. Some have suggested that it should improve as the transmission breaks in. We'll see.

--mark

[e30addict]

The thought occurred to me, but once I started shifting really deliberately, it didn't happen again. And there are a bunch of reports of people on ADVrider encountering the same issue. Seems it's not uncommon on this bike. Some have suggested that it should improve as the transmission breaks in. We'll see.

--mark

How have you not broken in that bike yet!

[markbvt]

How have you not broken in that bike yet!

Oh, I have. It's got over 1600 miles on it. But people are suggesting the transmission takes longer to settle in.

--mark

[DaveZX6r]

Oh, I have. It's got over 1600 miles on it. But people are suggesting the transmission takes longer to settle in.

--mark

Don't let it go long enough that they can claim you did something to it. I can't think of a single thing that would make a bike popping OUT of gear get better with wear...

[Garandman]

//It's probably one of the least ugly adv bikes that I've seen. I actually wouldn't even mind being seen in public on it, which is more then I can say about anything bmw has ever made.......ever, sorry bmw guys, but that's the truth.

Adventure bikes remind me of the plane jane girls in high school that turned out to have rockin' bodies.

More fun and more capable than first meets the eye.

[scottieducati]

After riding to VT on my ZRX and the low seat / peg ratio leaving me standing (rather uncomfortably so), I got to thinking about whether I should consider something more enduro-ey and tolerant to standing as I find it sooo much more comfortable on long stretches. Mark, your feedback is bothersome and will be very keen to hear how things go w/ that transmission. A smooth-shifting and reliable gearbox should be priority #1 for any motorbike IMO.

[Kawi Ken]

The thought occurred to me, but once I started shifting really deliberately, it didn't happen again. And there are a bunch of reports of people on ADVrider encountering the same issue. Seems it's not uncommon on this bike. Some have suggested that it should improve as the transmission breaks in. We'll see.

--mark

I wonder if adjusting the shift lever lower would help also.

[markbvt]

After riding to VT on my ZRX and the low seat / peg ratio leaving me standing (rather uncomfortably so), I got to thinking about whether I should consider something more enduro-ey and tolerant to standing as I find it sooo much more comfortable on long stretches. Mark, your feedback is bothersome and will be very keen to hear how things go w/ that transmission. A smooth-shifting and reliable gearbox should be priority #1 for any motorbike IMO.

Buy a Tiger 800. That gearbox is sublime.

I wonder if adjusting the shift lever lower would help also.

It's actually already pretty low. But if it continues to be a problem I might try dropping it another few millimeters.

--mark

[scottieducati]

I've ridden an 800XC, it wasn't my flavor if I'm honest. The gearbox was slick, but I'm not gonna buy a bike FOR the gearbox, I just have high expectations of gearboxes... particularly from a big manufacturer.

[Sheppo]

There was a new African Twin at Motorcycle Night last night. I must say it was pretty impressive. The owner really liked it too. He put his $$ last dec/jan and just got it. It was the first one sold from Naults Manchester. A nice Silver/Grey combo.