Enjoy your new bike, I still have mine and its only the 2nd time I keep a bike for more than 2 years (out of 20+ bikes), it says a lot about the Africa!
As an older, tall, rider, wearing progressive glasses, wind buffeting becomes a safety hazard. Having the road ahead becoming blurry, clear, blurry in seconds is unacceptable. I'm researching new bikes and this review is just what I needed to hear. Honesty. Thanks for the great review.
@Otto Matic Glad you enjoyed. Windscreens are definitely one of those things that are anything but one size fits all. I've installed a Batzen screen adjuster and its helped a lot (I tried bigger windscreens and surprisingly so far the best is OEM windscreen with Batzen). I've had over 20 bikes and this is the 3rd bike I have kept for over 2 years, that says a lot about the Africa.
Have owned my 2016 AT for only a month now came with heated grips crash bars,bash plate and rear, and side racks also huge foot pegs.only thing it needs now is bigger screen and fork buffering plate.had a few bike over the years but this is the ultimate touring bike yet being 6,2 .
Watched your review twice & got myself a 2019 AT in between - thanx! Def an amazing motorcycle & jack of all for sure. The seat is pretty uncomfortable for long rides, I noticed in your comments you changed it to seat concepts but they're not active anymore - suggest any others? Corbin look super comfy but also super pricey.
Doh! The XE is gone! I’m at 10,000 miles in 8 months this week! I can’t stop riding it! I hope you find what you’re looking for in the ATwin! That is actually #2 on my list...specifically the Adventure Sport. My Love and history of ownership with Triumph, plus the badassery that is the XE, made my decision...but the AfricaTwin was just a block down the road from picking it up instead. I wish you many awesome miles fellow rider! Ride on!
@Mondo Oso Thanks man! The best way to know if a bike is for you is you can't stop riding it, so clearly, the XE is for you! :) I've had that feeling on my 2015 Scrambler, and now on the Africa Twin! Cheers and ride safe!
I have the 2020. Straight up, no BS. It is just too heavy to be a real off road bike. Unless you have knobbies on, gravel roads are just a broken leg waiting to happen. You will lose the front or even the back with no warning. As soon as I find a 300L Rally, the AT is going up for sale. It is a great tourer and occasional dirt road bike, but don't let the videos of pro riders fool you, it just isn't the bike you want for off road riding.
Physics will always apply, its 500lbs, twice the weight of a dirt bike. Its always compromises. One will be super light and agile but horrible on the highway and provide very little comfort. I think the Africa does everything pretty well, even jumped on it, but if my main goal was 90% hardcore offroad, theres probably 50 better options (personally Id look at the husky 701 enduro).
@@Speedytrip I just did 1500 miles in 4 days on it, mostly highway. Did some gravel/dirt. Great on the interstates. It isn't a cruiser, but it is good enough. After a couple of broken ribs, I will never trust it again on gravel. Just too unpredictable unless you go full on knobbies.
@@someguy5035 Tires are your only contact with the ground. The stock tires are really not meant to be ridden agressive offroad, a lot of owners just take the stock tires off before they are even done. I love the 805/804, 160km/h on gravel roads, no stress. On stock tires it feels like riding on wet grass the minute your off paved roads. If you can try an Africa Twin with proper 50/50 tires, you'll feel a lot more confident. Some never take it offroad (in which case stock tires are "ok"), some do a lot of offroading (in which case there's many great tire options). But again, its 500lbs, so sand and slippery mud is probably not the kind of playground you want with this bike. But dirt and gravel? All day long. You can even check out my video (review of the Shinko 705, those I think are 80/20 tires, so nothing super aggressive offroad, but as you'll see in the video you can still have a spirited pace in confidence): ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iucwTa4gzv8.html
@@Speedytrip I went with Anakee Adventures after the death trap BattleAx tires were done. The Anakees were fine for the first 1000 miles, then unpredictable and sketchy on gravel. They are decent on dirt though. Of course, the best answer is to have street and knobby tires, but Honda ensures that is basically not possible because the wheels are absurdly expensive for some reason.
@@someguy5035 Yeah its not just honda, try buying OEM wheels for any road bike, its often worth going for better in the aftermarket options. I upgraded to tubeless Alpina rims. I don't mind using 50/50 tires on paved roads, they do fine, they just don't last long, but again, its all about compromises. Some tires last for ever but won't do well in most conditions.
I have a 2018 AT. I have to agree with everything Speedytrip said about the bike, both good and bad. He hit it dead on. As far as the horn button goes...well, it doesn't bother me at all, this bike is a tank, if someone pulls out in front of you, you don't need the horn...…..just go through them. LOL
I would like to ad on cons the difficulty to access the battery compared to other bikes in the same category, installing a SAE connector becomes a necessity and not a plus, nice review 👍
Were you able to fix the wind buffeting problem? That’s a dealbreaker for me. I’ve had two bikes that I sold because I wasn’t able to solve it. Like everything else. Thanks for your video. Great job.
As with any bike, speed, altitude, tires, passenger, luggage, windscreen, wind, etc will affect range. 400km is the point where Id be running out of gas and not when the light comes on. When the bikes’ range goes from indicating x km to “- -“ you know you have about another 20-25 km left in the tank if you go easy on the throttle (which you usually are when you’re worried about running out of gas :) I dont always get 400km, but never very far from that. I also noticed when I have my gf on the back I tend to be so conservative on the throttle that it often takes less gas then when solo riding agressively. Its pretty easy to avg under 5L/100km if range is your goal. On country roads I can even get in the 3.xL/100km.
Taking a look at a used AT.. you briefly touched on the seat.. I'm also 6'1 and seat comfort for long rides is a very important feature I'm looking for.. how did the seat concepts seat work for you? Tia
@Chris Sahlstrom I'd say it's not 100% perfect (slightly firm even after 15000km) but 1000% better than the stock one, you get plenty of legroom and the slope is gone. With the stock one I couldnt last more than an hour. Just today I rode about 500km, I stand on the pegs once in a while, stop for gas, and I'm feeling great.
I find it interesting when someone buys a bike that’s clearly biased for off road use and expect it to be setup for on road use. Tubeless rims, heated grips, USB ports, touring seat and cruise control are all things you’ll expect on a touring bike. Obviously Honda heard this with the new adventure AT that’s clearly setup for on road riders. I’ve done the MABDR AND NEBDR, on my 2017 AT. It’s also my daily commuter and long distance touring bike. I’ve got 30k miles and still haven’t touched the valves.
I say it in the title its an honest review. Not a "here's why the bike is perfect, review." :) I let the viewer decide if the negative points are even a negative for them as we all have different expectations when shopping for bikes. The reality is these are great touring bikes and why a majority of riders buy them (on top of more relaxed ergos and its practical side), just like the GS1250. Yes they are plenty capable offroad, but there's tons of bikes that will be MUCH better and lighter for hardcore offroad use. I actually did a survey on FB and over 75% of AT owners spent most of their time on paved roads. Even the Scrambler 1200XE had heated grips and cruise control standard. In some parts of the world, heated grips aren't really important, but where I live, sometimes even on summer evenings they are welcome. When you ride in -5C weather they become a necessity. If you do a lot of touring, a USB plug is also quite useful to charge GPS and phone. I wouldn't have made the same comments had I bought a DR650 :) Glad you enjoy your AT, I certainly enjoy mine and looking for a normal covid-free season where I will be able to ride 25-30000km a year again...
@@Speedytrip it’s not a perfect bike by any means. The right side foot peg is prone to breaking upon impact with rocks. The spokes and nipples are prone to corrosion and rusting. It can be a real “clunk” shifting from 1st up to 2nd. These are things you wouldn’t know before purchasing. Lack of USB and heated grips are both things you knew about before buying. Seems wrong to complain about something you would have known about. Height is another thing. I’m 5’10” and can only get one foot on the ground at a time. I’ve never complained when I had to pick my bike up off the ground. Saying a bike should have higher bars or taller seat seems like something you would have known before buying. Also, the seat has several heights it can be set at. That’s more than a lot of bikes. I rode this bike (all backroads) from eastern PA to western Kentucky and back with no issues with the seat. Tubeless rims? Well for a few dollars you can make them you less but again, the bike was designed for off road, hence the really big front wheel. Also, heated grips, quick shifter, USB are all options for the person who wants to outfit it for the street. Should I be mad that they decided to offer useless plastic panniers instead of boxes that could handle the lightest tip over? Nope, got Mosko Moto bags and moved on. I get doing videos where you say what’s good and bad about a bike. I don’t get complaining about things you clearly knew before buying it.
@@zyonsdream I've had a 2017 and now 2019 and haven't had the rust issue thankfully. As for the footpeg, it was redesigned I think in 2018 or 2019 so that its not as fragile as it was. I'm sure you can find reviews where they only point out the positives :) Again, I love the bike, and I would not avoid a bike simply because it does not have heated grips, you can install them. But at this price, I can still say it should come stuck considering how these bikes are used (often as long distance touring machines). When I watch a review and the guys says in the negatives that the seat is unecessarily high for his 5'6", I could say don't buy the bike if its too tall for you! Or I can just instead, see that height as a positive for me being tall and needing legroom. Same for heated grips, some don't care about it, in which case, all the negatives in my review are not an issue for them and they know what to expect. You can watch 20 reviews and disagree on certain points, because we all have different expectations. They are still useful to determine if the bike is right for YOU. If someone reviews a Ferrari and says they wished it had more range, than I can consider the car, knowing the range is not great. Its the whole purpose of reviews ;) If you don't expect USB or heated grips on a bike this price, then the rest of the review is all positive, win-win! :)
@@Speedytrip well at least we can agree it’s a great bike. BTW, be happy Honda didn’t install heated grips on the AT. I installed the factory heated grips and they suck. Get Oxford heated grips. Work much better and are easier to install. I couldn’t believe how bad the OM ones are given how good the grips are on the Goldwing.
4:21 Do you mean that new bikes needs to be somehow specially inspected by the dealer for rust and welding? Thanks in advance for more details about that.
I haven't heard as many rust issues on the 2020 models, but on the 16-19, I've read quite a few and I know I checked mine before signing (and dealer also had a look)...it doesn't seem to be affecting tons of bikes, but those that have the issue will be very vocal about it understandably. And if you get one with bad welds and rust, good luck cause Honda don't seem to care much for those that have had rust issues, they always blame it on the owner, even if they have 5 bikes and the AT is the only one rusting. Don't get me wrong these are awesome bikes, some have put nearly 200000km without issues, but some had seen them rust in under 1000km. A quick inspection helps mitigate the risk of having issues down the road. It really seems to be more a quality control problem, than a quality problem. I now have 16500km on my 2019, its been ridden in all conditions and it still looks like new.
@@Speedytrip Thanks, I was not aware #Honda had this type of issue. It's good to report, so then the company makes an effort to improve (there is hope;) Cool your dealer was helpful, because I do not trust dealers so much (bad experiences in the past). If 2020 models have less or non issues with rust and welding, then they have improved on quality silently ;) cause in that industry nothing happens/resolves by its own ;) xD
1990 Thanks and yeah I just ordered a set of Alpina rims after getting a flat tire...even the 2020 standard gets tubes, the adventure sport gets tubeless...
@ManYeti Try reading what I said. I didn't say ''never buy'' one. I said I wouldn't. And I stand by what I said, at least for the road. You were lucky your tyre didn't deflate more quickly.
I've seen quite a few riders taking these bikes through hell and back and no issues. What I do not like is you almost have to dissassemble the entire bike to get to the air filters. On my 93 Nighthawk, changing the air filter takes all of 3 minutes.
Actually 6.4 gallons is 24… liters And it’s actually 6.5 gallons or 25 liters Honda suggest best quality gas no regular Guys always double check comments and videos
@Greedy Pirate Your numbers seem to be for the adventure sport model. My Africa is the standard version. :) www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/Honda/honda_crf1000l_africa_twin_19.html
@@greedypirate8954 you can read the africa twin forums most run regular (of course in some countries the regular might not be good enough). Some owners having engine stalling issues running premium solved it by switching to regular and Ive seen this reported quite a few times in the forums. My manual clearly claims regular gas. These bikes are made to go places where premium gas is not even an option. I have 30000km on mine, runs like brand new and I get 400km to the tank. The only time I use premium is to winterize it to make sure theres no ethanol in the fuel. If owner manual says premium I put premium, if it says regular, I put regular. But its your bike you do want you want :)
@@Speedytrip I do agree, most people don't understand the difference between reg, prem, premium has a higher flash point than reg, needed in high compression engines, but the fuel burns much hotter, the premium is not better fuel, that's misconception.
Its a Seat Concepts rally seat. And for the passenger seat I just ordered the cover (I tried their rally passenger foam and my gf really prefered the stock one). So if you go that route: Rally foam and cover for the front, and just cover for the rear. I'm 6'1" but long legs and it does help quite a bit, that along with bar risers has really improved the ergos.
@@Yutter89 My gf is just about 15-20lbs more and trust me you do not want to spend on the rally passenger foam, it adds pressure points that aren't there on the stock one :)
@@Yutter89 fortnine.ca/en/rox-speed-fx-1-5-barback-pullback-risers-for-1-1-8-handlebars I think those are the ones I went with. That's about as much as you'll be able to pull off with the stock cables.
Ryan Hill You won’t regret. The bike at least hehe You can also view my top 3 motorcycles video, youll see how close to the top the Africa Twin lands on my list.
I love my African twin but Jesus God man I've been a Honda fan since I was a kid & Honda screwed the pooch with this bike & even with my little Honda Grom on my Zuma scooter when you drain the oil the screen which is actually the oil filter is right there with the drain bolt on the Honda Grom you have to take the side of the motor off to get to the screen/filter! That's just the beginning on the Africa twin I guess to change the air filters you have to take the fairing off or some shit & then to do a valve adjustment every 16,000 mi is a big ass job I guess both fairings have to come off The ⛽ tank the whole top of the motor all kinds of shit cost is between $8-1,200! For a gosh darn valve adjustment. Fuck this bike! I wish my 6-year warranty covered these stupid adjustments
Yep, I've had bikes of most brands, and the valve adjustment schedule is sooner than on a Multistrada 950. When Ducati requires about the same maintenance, that says a lot. My 1992 honda nighthawk has hydraulic lifter, no adjustment required. These should be used on all bikes except very high performance track bikes.
@@Speedytrip yeah I've heard the Ducati bikes have very long intervals because it's like damn near a car engine or something V4 I guess I don't know I'm not too familiar with the Ducati 🏍️💨 or at least make it 25-35K mi or some shit! I think it's the Yamaha VMAX it's intervals are like 48,000 mi or some crazy shit. Yamaha can do it why doesn't Honda? 🤔 I bet you the valves will NOT even need adjusted at 16,000 mi probably just checked & i spent $1,000 for fucking nothing 🤦 but I guess that's what I got to do to keep my warranty valid. WHATEVER
@@honda116969 Yeah I see many stretching the valve adjustments on their AT. Some needed adjusting, others didn’t. I stretched mine to 30000km and will have them checked this winter (not at the dealer). I think the only way not checking the valves would void the warranty is if a failure occured because of it. Mine is a 2019, already out of warranty and I must say its been flawless.
I mean if a motorcycle engine is anything like a car engine you can hear it when it needs a valve adjustment. If this Africa twin is built anything like an old school Honda 🚗💨 motor those valves can be all fucked up 'n the motor will still run for 100k with 2 quarts of 🛢️! B16 & B18C1 Lol yeah 1 of my good friends works at the Honda dealership by my 🏡 & he takes care of my 2020 Accord 2.0t I think I'm going to have him do my valve adjustment cuz he likes jobs that are more difficult cuz he hates doing the same shit all the time & I'm sure he'll do it for less than half the cost but I'll pay him at least half because it's a fucked up job or just see what he says when he's done cuz stuff that everybody else thinks is hard he gets it done very easily. Thanks 4 the info 👍👍
New sub from a fellow Africa Twin owner. I made a 50,000 mile, 3 year review of my 2016 AT, if you fancy a look (please sub - 😂) We get a lot of salt on our UK roads, so mine has suffered badly with corrosion.
Ciao a tutti la mia scelta per usare il mio cellulare sulla mia moto africa twin 2019 come navigatore é ricaduta nei tre pezzi della ram mount ram-b-408-37-62u supporto telaietto parabrezza, ram-b-201u-a prolunga da 6cm e a seconda della grandezza dei cellulari e di dove sono posizionati i pulsanti volume ed accensione in queste due soluzioni ram-hol-un7bu oppure ram-hol--un10bu. La ritengo la soluzione più valida per l'africa Twin 2018, 2019 vista la palpebra e in più non rischiate con prodotti tutti chiusi ed impermeabili che il cellulare vada in crash per il surriscaldamento.
