Honda Africa Twin RD03 & Marathon review. The classic bikes that won Dakar. Part 4 of 6 

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Not going to try to convert you. But I'll share something I really didn't expect before I started riding: just how much I enjoy the "enforced solitude" of putting the helmet on and going for a really long ride (multiple thousand km). No music, no video, no phone, nobody to talk to... just the world washing by, as fast or slow as I want it to.

Horse Polo Practice - First Stick and Ball of the Season | Equestrian ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wVw330ONUpY.html :)

Specialist tools like super sports bikes and off road bikes are all beautiful because they're honed carefully to meeet a specific demand.

It is all down to your riding style, where you live ie road conditions and if you use it for pleasure or touring. The old saying 'horses for courses'.

What you on.....

Thanks for watching and the great comment, much appreciated. The Marathon is terrific to ride, when I bought it, I wasn't away of the engine tweaks but it's nice it has them as it adds to the character of the bike. I'd love to chat to you about the bike and find out how you went about building it and sourcing all the rare parts. Any chance you could drop me a message via Instagram, so we could keep in contact?

@@harrysgarage will do

Yes horsepower when on the dyno came back 52 hp i think as opposed to the standard 45hp

Brilliant idea 👍

That would be a dream collaboration right there

Are they?! I might go back to watch some 44 teeth. Baz Von Jaz was always entertaining but 44t seemed all sports bike and track orientated. Thanks!

Wow, well found! Could you share what sort of value an original Marathon is today? I expect it to be circa £30k, depending on condition but could be wildly out as I've never seen values discussed anywhere before..

@@harrysgarage values are hard to know as so few change hands. However, there are basically 3 types of bikes: - totally untouched and in the condition they finished the Dakar.... usually owned by the guy who raced it, appear at shows occasionally - bikes that were returned to road spec after the race and sold by Honda as a standard Rd03 road bike, these turn up occasionally and I found one on Leboncoin in France last year for 5,000 euro. I tried to buy it but the guy didn’t want it doing to the UK and wouldn’t sell to me. It had the race number etched onto key parts but had none of the Dakar kit (large fuel tanks etc). I regret not being able to buy that bike and restore it to Dakar spec, although the Dakar kit is very hard to find - bikes as above but later found and returned to Dakar spec with old stock Dakar or replica parts. These are most common and the night-wings website has photos of all the restored bikes Mine is an unrestored bike bought at a Honda auction after the Dakar race in 1991 but never restored. It’s spent it’s time in a basement and once I get my hands on it I’ll sympathetically restore it. It didn’t pay anywhere near £30k, but then mine hasn’t run for 30 years. I’ll happily share more info if you wish. BTW we met at the London concours last year.... I have the Lamborghini Silhouette.

Agreed. My dad said I will kill myself if i get a bike. So stayed on 4 wheels except these days when i ride ebikes. 98km today. Proper bikes rather than thoses very noisy huge Harley's for people who need a lot of noise to compensate for their small apendiges...

I’ve got the baby baby one in Yamaha colours. XT350 from 1993. Had it since new. Taking it to Loch Ness tomorrow for a second spin of 2021.

Sold my RD07 last year, those who have owned them understand exactly where Harry is coming from.

I've had a couple (04,07a, and a 2018 AS.) seeing people walk past your bike and look *up* at the dashboard will never get old :)

I fully agree - and all the best for both of you, always a good and enjoyable ride! May i say? By chance i bought my RD04 about a year or two before COVID, and because of the new Africa Twin 1000 out that time, nobody was after the older ones. I payed as well just 1500 Euros for mine, and i didn't regret it a single second. ... As you said, not for extrem offroad use but good for all sorts of onroad and offroad bike hiking. My son owns a Transalp and i we did the Assieta Kammstraße together in July then for instance - of course a day to remember!