What is like to own a Honda Africa Twin for 10 years? Long term review.
Автокөліктер мен көлік құралдары
Hello, This is Honda Africa Twin. In late 80’s with the boom of the Paris-Dakar rally motorcycle manufacturers decided to bet on a new category of bikes. And this is how Adventure Tourist bikes were born. The Africa Twin also known as XRV 650 and 750 is one of the most legendary adventure touring bikes. Production started in 1988 with the 650 model and ended in 2003. Some may argue that the 650 model is the better smaller version of the Africa. It all depends what you are after. The 650 was lighter and more off-road ready. The 750 is heavier and feels better on gravel and tarmac.
Recently the Africa name was reborn with the CRF1000L model and became one of the most popular adventure bikes again.
But enough about history. Let’s talk specs and then I will tell you why I decided to sell my beloved Africa.
The bike is equipped with a 750 v twin motor producing 62 horse powers and around 60 newton meters of torque. Top speed is 174 km/h or 108 miles/hour. It has a 5 speed manual transmission with wet clutch. It takes 4.7 seconds to launch these 240 kilos from 0 to 100. Or in Imperial units these are around 500 pounds from 0 to 60. Time is the same.
Motion to the rear wheel is transferred by chain. The tank is 24 litres or 6.1 gallons. There are no luxuries on board. You get all the 90’s bike standard stuff. No adjustable seat, no auto cancelling turn signals, no gear indicator, fog lights or whatever modern adventure bikes have.
But why I bought this bike in a first place? I needed something reliable, that will survive Bulgaria’s country roads. My first bike was the Kawasaki Ninja 250. It was a great bike for beginers but it broke too much. I never knew if it was gonna start or if it’s gonna take me to my destination.
So my search ended with the Africa. It’s one of the most reliable bikes out there. It was a descendant of the Dakar rally bikes so it had to be tough. And it is. In my 10 years of riding this bike only once it left me stranded. And it was because of electrical problem. My alternator failed and didn’t want to charge the battery.
And the problem with this is that I was on a level road. I couldn’t push start it even with the help of some passers by. Finally we jumpstarted and I safely got home. This failure is seen very often because of the loose connectors in the wiring. They tend to break the regulator-rectifier and sometimes even the alternator. Since then I replaced all connectors on the bike and I had no troubles.
On the road it can be pushed hard 160 km/h is not a problem for cruising speed. If you have the guts to stand in the wind and hold it straight. I don’t know if it’s my bike or all Africa’s are like that but the v2 engine has a lot of vibrations in certain RPM.
A lot of people ride these bikes on long trips. But if you want to do that with your Africa and your butt is not made of iron then you should get a different seat. The stock seat is awful. It’s hard it’s not ergonomic at all. Maybe it was softer when the bike was new. I don’t know. The good part is that you can stand up and ride tall. I do that very often and If I have my wife in the back seat, I tell her to massage my bootie to allow some blood flow.
When you are up on the highway with this bike you don’t want to stop. And you don’t need to. If you ride responsibly you can get up to 350 kilometers from one tank. The engine is very responsive and has a lot of torque so for quick overtakes you rarely need to shift down and rev up.
The front wheel is 21 inches with narrow tire and that’s great for driving in rain. It just breaks the puddles and holds the bike very stable.
The riding position is very comfortable and upright. But this bike is not meant for heavy off-roading. It’s just too heavy and the high center of gravity makes it very hard to control in low speed. It takes real skill to ride this bike in the woods or on some rough terrain. I’ve done that several times and each of them I was terrified. After all if you fall and the bike lays on your leg you are pretty much in trouble. I don’t know many people that chan lift 240 kilos from the ground especially if you are laying and one of your limbs is below the bike.
Another big problem for me is the height of the seat. I’m 175 centimetres or around 5.6 feet and I’m not short but I’m not tall either. When I’m sitting on the bike and I drop my legs down only my toes touch the ground. There were several times that I just dropped the bike on the ground because it’s very top heavy.
However when you start riding on the road you forget all this. Yep I like this bike. It’s reliable it has character it’s not comfortable or convenient. It’s not economical either. It can drink as much as 6 liters per 100 kilometers especially if you have a passenger and ride faster than 120. But when you pull that throttle there’s this angry grunt from the engine like just awoken the lion and he saw an antelope.
Пікірлер: 52
Wow that was a really good review. So honest and detailed.
@NikolaTubeNikolov
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks 🙏 if you like it please share it.
Best sound of an Africa Twin yet! Also good, honest, detailed review and really nice footage of the AT on the move. Bravo.
@NikolaTubeNikolov
2 жыл бұрын
Thank you 🙏 If you liked please share my video with your friends!
Great narration.
@NikolaTubeNikolov
6 ай бұрын
Thanks!
Nice! So, I own RD07a for 12 years.... and the mileage at the moment is over 170.000 km. Very robust motorcycle, but, unfortunately, spare parts are too expensive and if something breaks so be ready to have an extra money. Africa is definitely a legend...
@NikolaTubeNikolov
Жыл бұрын
Expensive they are but it rarely happens to need them so I think this is better than having cheap parts and constantly repairing.
Nice video awesome bike❤️❤️❤️
@NikolaTubeNikolov
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks!
Това беше ревюто от което имах нужда! Изчерпателно, точно и технично. Вече знам, това ще е следващата ми машина. Поздрави за ревюто. 🤘
@NikolaTubeNikolov
3 ай бұрын
Блгодаря много. Машината си я бива ако намериш запазен екземпляр. Няма да е лошо да споделиш видеото с приятели 😅🤘🏼
Good review. I am considering buying one
@NikolaTubeNikolov
2 ай бұрын
I miss mine. Please consider sharing this video with friends! 🙏🏼
as long as you take care of this bike (oil, engine, brackets, etc), this bike will most likely outlive its owner.
@NikolaTubeNikolov
Жыл бұрын
Probably yes but still it has some issues with the fuel pump and electrical system. The engine should be good for several hundred thousands of kilometres.
Това с масажирането беше доста важна информация. :)
@NikolaTubeNikolov
3 жыл бұрын
Разбира се. 😀
my height is 172cm, my rd07 is the first bike where i could touch the ground with 2 feet at once, i used to ride honda xrs. rd07 is a great all-round bike. if you want some serious enduro (assumed you are capable of) buy a rd03 or a T7
@NikolaTubeNikolov
Жыл бұрын
I’m about the same height.
Front vibes that come and go thro rev range could be wheel and axle alignment, balancing.
@NikolaTubeNikolov
7 ай бұрын
Yeah I checked that but it didn’t fix the problem.
I had the rd07 '93 and I was so stupid to sell it! I miss it....
@NikolaTubeNikolov
Жыл бұрын
I almost sold mine last year. The guy came and gave me reservation money then I couldn’t sleep for one night and told him that I will return the money.
this is what I need, I want to buy this same bike, one is selling in Croatia with 150 000km (apparently...I don't know if that's too much or not, it looks clean but I will need someone experienced to check it out with me).....anyways, I LOVE the looks, white base with red and blue/gray emblems.....it's just cool.....recently I watched TEENRE review and now I'm dilema, I feel like I'm cheating on Africa while looking at Tenere
@NikolaTubeNikolov
2 жыл бұрын
Teneres are good but I am a Honda person 😅 Also the Africa is a legend!
@NikolaTubeNikolov
2 жыл бұрын
About the mileage. I don't know mine says 62 000 km. Some say that these bikes do 100 000 easily and then need some valve adjustments. If maintained really well they can go up to 200 000 and I know a guy that has an Africa which is 300 000 km but that's the 650 model. So it depends.
@lpoljak
2 жыл бұрын
@@NikolaTubeNikolov I'm not sure why my reply isn't shown, but I put a link to the one selling, not sure if you catched it before it was deleted https: // www.index.hr / oglasi/honda-africa-twin-xrv-750/oid/3457312
@NikolaTubeNikolov
2 жыл бұрын
Probably because it contains a link. I saw it. It looks decent. But the exhaust is not the original so it may sound different. Also I see that the bike is fitted with heavy off-road tires so it may be ridden off-road a lot. Also you can check this link for colour schemes for different years: https: // stormforce8 . smugmug. com /Motorcycles/Africa-Twin-Colour-Codes/ It seems that this colour was for 1994 and it's the RD06 model.
the tyres you have in this video are they 100% road or somehow hybrid road-offroad?
@NikolaTubeNikolov
2 жыл бұрын
These are mostly road tires. They are Michelin Anakee 3. I rarely drive off road but these are good for country roads. Michelin says that these are 10% off road and 90% road. Whatever that means 😅
@Santi_Mancini
2 жыл бұрын
@@NikolaTubeNikolov thanks mate! How do they work on non-tarmac roads (dirt tracks, unpaved roads, etc)
@NikolaTubeNikolov
2 жыл бұрын
@@Santi_Mancini I think that they do a decent job on dirt and gravel. Mud, snow and sand should be avoided at all costs :) Although the first year I had the Africa I was with fully off-road tires with big knobs and I tried to ride on snow and sand with them. Due to my lack of skill and the heaviness of the bike it was a disaster. Still last November I accidentally wandered to unknown road that ended in the middle of the forrest and there was some ice and mud. I came out clean but it was a frightening experience.
I would never dream of pushing my AT to 160 😮. Over 130 she drinks oil like a big single
@NikolaTubeNikolov
10 ай бұрын
Mine never drank oil. But the clutch cassette broke recently.
@steveindar1
10 ай бұрын
@@NikolaTubeNikolov never heard of that happening, must have had some serious abuse
@NikolaTubeNikolov
10 ай бұрын
@@steveindar1 I think it’s a common issue actually. Maybe just after the regulator rectifier and the fuel pump.
@steveindar1
10 ай бұрын
@@NikolaTubeNikolov I would be interested to see some pics of that some time. Forums I am on haven't mentioned this and I have about 160k on mine. What is an issue is the speedo drive failing. A nuisance and irritating
Hi,do u still have the agrica twin 750? Do u sale it?
@NikolaTubeNikolov
4 ай бұрын
I sold it because the clutch cassette broke and to fix it would have been pricey. Also my mechanic thought it was a crankshaft because the noise was really loud and banging.
I am 1,78 m heigh. Now I have a suzuki freewind, and I would like to change it for an africa twin. Do you think I can handle safety an africa twin with my heigh?
@NikolaTubeNikolov
2 жыл бұрын
Yep, I am 173cm. It is tall but manageable 😉
@arpadczipfl6177
2 жыл бұрын
@@NikolaTubeNikolov Thanks! :)
You want to know what it's like to drive a battleship? Try a Varadero 1000! A tank on two wheels...
@NikolaTubeNikolov
2 жыл бұрын
Actually they are similar weight but the Varadero's centre of weight is lower so Africa wins :) I know that the Varadero has a bigger engine but it's seat and the ground clearance are no match for the Africa.
@zepedrofd
2 жыл бұрын
@@NikolaTubeNikolov I've owned both! 😉 My comment was more on the toughness and weight of the bike! The Africa Twin is very tough, but the Varadero is a tank. It is heavier, thicker and even if the center of gravity is lower, it feels more top heavy. I largely prefer the Africa Twin!
@NikolaTubeNikolov
2 жыл бұрын
@@zepedrofd On paper they are relatively close weight wise.
@zepedrofd
2 жыл бұрын
@@NikolaTubeNikolov there is a 40 kilos difference! That is not close at all! Even more for top heavy bikes! ;)
I own a beautiful RD07 too....she's my baby.....I never want to resale her.....
@NikolaTubeNikolov
Жыл бұрын
That’s the spirit. Just take care of her and she’ll take care of you! :)
I own a XRV 650 for last 10 years also. gets a bit boring never breaking down 😂
@NikolaTubeNikolov
3 ай бұрын
Mine broke. It was the clutch cassette but my mechanic told me that it may be the crank shaft and it is not worth the effort to fix it. So I sold it to a guy that still fixes the bike.