A 'what bike?' thread. Transalp v. Africa twin

[pa_broon74]

Hey folks.

Having just clawed my way through the A2 test I am able to up grade bikes.

Here's the deal; currently running a Honda CLR125 which I really like. V reg, 17 odd thousand miles and just had pretty much all consumables replaced (except clutch thingies, I know; technical. ) I reckon I could maybe get £700 for it, or just under. (Opinions on that would be appreciated...)

I'm in the market for something along the same lines, just bigger. Not into sportsbikes at all, never have been, (not brave enough. )

So options: Aprilia Pegaso, seem to be cheap, looks a bit ghey though. Honda Transalp, love these, would be my first choice. Africa Twin, older ones with all the decals would be really cool, if I found a good cheap example it'd trump the transalp.

Other options are a KLE or KLR or perhaps a Tenere. The instructor I had was using an XTX660 which sounded really nice, but they're quite new so pricey.

In summary; any opinions on the above bikes? Not looking to spend a fortune, just the value of my bike plus 3 or 4 hundred quid. I prefer bikes that are reliable underneath but look well used. (There's a 'mum' joke waiting to be made there... )

Cheers.
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[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

Probably the Transalp if it was me.....
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[Charlie]

Africa twin, my Dad has the Transalp and it has been a very good bike for him, but personally I like the look of the AT better than the TA...

Try this forum it might help you decide: https://www.xrv.org.uk/forums/

[Mark_petty]

I'm not sure what bike but congratulations on the test

Also i'm glad you have enjoyed the Honda CLR, I did too. Great first bikes
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[Rides: Suzuki GSF600sx]
[CBT: Passed] [Theory: Passed] [DAS: Passed]

[jimbothe]

*cough buy mine *


Seriously though I have a Transalp and for what they are, they are brilliant bikes but lack the power of the bigger ones. Very torquey. Keeps up with Fostersmonsters XT660 and in a straight line has a little more top end but mid to three quarter end the XT has it. (We tested this out on saturday )

The bigger twins I am currently in the market for are the Super Tenere, Africa Twin and the TDM 850 (these are my personal choice)


Thats as an upgrade to the Transalp but for the circumstances you are in I would say it is a good start. It's a little lower than some of the bigger boys too so make sure you can manage the height ok if you choose one of those
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[Skudd]

It has to be the Africa Twin. I had two of them before i got my Varadero. The AT is a brilliant all round bike that has so much presence on the road. You can see for miles the brakes are one of the best in its class. You can take them off road and they can embarrass some sports riders. you do need to be over 5'8" or be able to potter, but once the bike is moving then it is very well balanced. the bike is almost bullet proof and takes all year round riding in its stride.
Do check for wheel rims as these can corrode but £60 can get you a good as new second hand rim.
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[Stu_666]

Thinking about an Africa twin myself at the moment. Either that or a 'cheap' early KTM adventure.
Out of your choices I'd probably then go for the Africa twin. Also got Honda reliability. Looked on ebay the other day and there seems more selection in France than UK. Not many for sale over here which prob hints that its a pretty decent bike.

[Charlie]

I was out on a ride with a group of people on AT and TA's and one managed to get his sump guard down on a corner on the AT.

But, on the ride to the campsite we met a guy who had just done his DAS and was on an AT... he dropped it 3 times on the way to the campsite! He also had his son on the back too, at one point got thrown in a stone wall..

They are big bikes for a new person

[Zenarchy]

I've recently bought an africa twin as a first big bike after passing my test. Have to admit I haven't rode it much yet as shortly after getting it I started taking it to bits to tidy it up and it's taking longer than I thought (got a bit carried away with the process really and went a bit further than I originally planned - thankfully almost ready to start putting it back together now though).

Found it a bit intimidating at first sight as it's a big bike and quite tall (I can touch the floor with both feet but can't flat foot with both feet at the same time - though my model is a little higher than the later ones and I think the preload might be set a little high as well), but once I got on the thing and headed off on my first ride, I found it surprisingly easy to ride, and the size doesn't seem to have been a problem (I was feeling pretty comfortable with it by the time I'd got to the end of the road infact - and coming from riding smaller bikes I found it very comfy).

I was considering all the big trail bikes, but narrowed it down to an early model transalp or africa twin as they were really the ones I'd had my heart set on since deciding to do my cbt and get a bike, and many of the other trail bikes are single cylinder (think a twin will be better for what I'd be using it for and less vibey - though if you're planning to use it more for off road a lighter single cylinder might be better).

I went for the africa twin eventually, and some of the things that swung me in that direction over the transalp were:

* Only slightly more expensive than a transalp (seen some go for around the same price as transalps infact if you keep your eyes open and aren't in a rush).

* The bash plate on an africa twin is a good heavy duty one and seems a bit better than the plastic one on the transalps (think I read they were plastic anyway - not sure if this is the case on all models though).

* Bigger tank, and I think better range which will be handy for longer distance touring.

* Little extra power for NSL and dual carriageways/motorways (though from what I've read there's not that much in it between the 650 and 750 africa twins, so I'd guess not a lot in it between a transalp and africa twin for one up riding either - may be different with lots of luggage and/or a pillion though).

* Shock absorber I think is more adjustable (and easy to adjust) than on the transalps (not 100% sure about that though so you might want to check).

* On the earlier model africa twins the forks have drain bolts. Haven't needed to do anything to the forks yet but I think this means you can change the fork oil without taking them off the bike which seems handy particularly for long distance tours. Later model africa twins don't have this I think, so perhaps transalps don't either.

* Forks also use air pressure that I think can be easily adjusted. Not sure if this is the same on the transalp.

* They're a bit bigger and seem to have a bit more road presence. Even on my first ride I noticed people giving me more space and moving out of the way which was a nice change from riding around on a 125 with L plates (perhaps the bike being white and my high vis vest helped with that though). You can also see right over the top of most cars and way into the distance which helped me to focus more on my forward planning.

* They seem to hold their value well, and as they aren't being made anymore I didn't want to hang around too long waiting to buy one as I'd guess at some point in the future the prices will start going up due to rarity and them having such a good following (particularly for the older models that I liked).

They're still making transalps though, so if you're looking for a newer bike that might be something that influences your decision, and they might be in greater supply (though for your budget I think you'd be looking at an older model bike either way).

If you're looking at Africa twins, be sure to read up about the output shaft and output shaft bearings on the xrv.org.uk site as that's definitely something to look out for on any used bikes you look at. They seem like well made and very hard sturdy bikes, but that's one thing that seems to be a more common problem, along with rectifiers going, and the fuel pumps not being so good (the latter are quick, easy and cheap to replace though so it's the output shaft you should be paying the most attention to imho). If you do get one, be sure to check you've got the chain tennsion perfect (not using the honda guidelines as they tell you to set it too tight apparently - which seems to be the reason for the shaft problems).

You should also familiarise yourself with the differences between the RD03, RD04, RD07 and RD07a models (that's the order the models were produced older to newer). Older model bikes are reputed to be better made and a bit tougher, but more spare parts available used for the newer models (and a newer model might be in better condition ofcourse even if the build quality is not said to be as good as the older ones - though I'm sure the new ones are great bikes aswell). For your budget you'd probably be looking at an RD03 (650 engine) or RD04. RDO3 will probably be a bit more expensive as they're rarer and in more demand, but personally I don't think there's a lot in it between them.

The xrv.org.uk site is a good place to read up about them, and they seem like a friendly and helpful bunch over there.

Not sure how well they'll restrict though if you need to limit them to 33bhp (I'd guess they'd be OK but not sure).

[Zenarchy]

P.S. Another thing to check is the condition of the rims. They use alloy rims, with steel spokes and if you're looking at older bikes it's a good idea to check for corrosion on the rims. You can pick up second hand wheels and rims fairly easily though it'd be best to get a bike with decent ones to start with (or at least factor that into your bargaining if you do spot a problem and need to replace them).

[Zenarchy]