Africa Twin

ScaredyCat · World Chat Champion Joined: 19 May 2012 Karma :

KTM will probably end up costing you money forever (ask arry)

The big GS is nice, but hellish expensive compared to the AT.

Did you take the Mrs on the back? If it's for both of you there's no point in you getting one that isn't comfortable for her too.

Also if you're touring you'll have panniers on, probably a topbox too and on any bike that's going to turn you into a big sail in the wind.
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Honda CBF125 ➝ NC700X
Honda CBF125 ↳ Speed Triple

Kentol750 · World Chat Champion Joined: 24 May 2016 Karma :

Tested the dct version a few weeks back, not impressed. Bearing in mind rogerborg's warnings on iffy quality, I've left it until now. Not sure if I want to bother with the manual. I wasn't impressed with controls or ride (had 2 different nazi tractors, 1200gs and 800gs, to compare back to).
Then had a cb500 demo as a courtesy bike, I was very impressed with it, and for less than 1/2 Africa twin money. If I was going to buy anything new, I would get a cb500x and spend a bit on some things to make it more of an adventure bike (and have a few grand left over!)
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Some bikes.

arry · Super Spammer Joined: 03 Jan 2009 Karma :

Enduro Numpty · Could Be A Chat Bot Joined: 31 Oct 2012 Karma :

Polarbear · Super Spammer Joined: 24 Feb 2007 Karma :

I suppose the other thing about the original Africa twin was there wasn't anything else like it at the time that I can think of.

Now there are a plethora of Adventure bike of various capabilities so the new Africa twin is going to struggle alongside some cracking machinery.
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

bungleaio · L Plate Warrior Joined: 12 May 2017 Karma :

No personal experience but there's a good video on these from Harry Metcalfe formally of Evo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xu176gB9Lc&t=0s

G · The Voice of Reason Joined: 02 Feb 2002 Karma :

Skudd · Super Spammer Joined: 01 Oct 2006 Karma :

It does always amaze me when people go on about not using a bike in the manner it is portrayed. Usually it is aimed at the Off Road Adventure Tourer style of bike. I like to off road style because they are usually taller in the seat and lower in the pegs with a good siting position. They also tend to be a good all-rounder for the roads and weather that we have in this country.
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Famous last words of Humpty Dumpty. " Stop pushing me "
Petty Anarchists look at "1984".............. The Visionary looks at "Animal Farm".

arry · Super Spammer Joined: 03 Jan 2009 Karma :

Rogerborg · nimbA Joined: 26 Oct 2010 Karma :

Hmm, I'd imagined OP asked about offroad, but it sneaked in later. Just the tip at first.

As a "GS" owner, I'm very aware that they're overwhelmingly Straße and only very incidentally Gelände.

OP, are you looking at buying outright or PCPing? If the latter, have you looked at the cost-to-~~own~~-rent versus a Nazi Tractor?

Last time I crunched it, it came out cheaper than a litre V-Strom, because of dat depreciation.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

Skudd · Super Spammer Joined: 01 Oct 2006 Karma :

Rogerborg · nimbA Joined: 26 Oct 2010 Karma :

Apart from my first £720 bike-in-a-box where I reckoned I couldn't lose much (and didn't), I've never been confident that I'd like a bike enough to do that.

But then again I have kept my midi-Tractor for far longer than I'd imagined I would, so never say never. An AT seems like the sort of bike where you are likely to keep it.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

ScaredyCat · World Chat Champion Joined: 19 May 2012 Karma :

Dave.... · Trackday Trickster Joined: 13 May 2016 Karma :

Rode DCT today and wasn't too impressed with that although I can see where it would work well but not for me.
Buying it outright if I decide to buy and managed to negotiate a fairly good deal if I do decide to go for it?
I can see that going of road isn't really going to happen for me but the thought of spending several days on one if I had to in all weathers seems more appealing than what I have at present.Appreciate all the comments as it will help me decide one way or the other.

Rogerborg · nimbA Joined: 26 Oct 2010 Karma :

Copycat73 · World Chat Champion Joined: 11 Jan 2013 Karma :

Kentol750 · World Chat Champion Joined: 24 May 2016 Karma :

Would go and get a gs800 before an AT.
However, as I said earlier, would get a cb500x and 'sort' it over both.
My 701 may not carry me over huge miles, 150 easy, 180 hopeful!
But, it does the 'dual' thing!
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Some bikes.

Polarbear · Super Spammer Joined: 24 Feb 2007 Karma :

G · The Voice of Reason Joined: 02 Feb 2002 Karma :

You can get aftermarket traction control - though typically for race bikes and not cheap. I always fancied TC for that time I missed the damp patch/diesel/etc on a commute. Never did have a case where it would have 'saved' anything, but still nice to have that backup.

Mawsley · Traffic Copper Joined: 07 Apr 2016 Karma :

G · The Voice of Reason Joined: 02 Feb 2002 Karma :

When you say 'down in capacity and weight', we're still talking 10-20% more weight than the original and 33% more capacity.

I thought the original was pretty over weight for the power it produced!

Polarbear · Super Spammer Joined: 24 Feb 2007 Karma :

I agree Triumph have used old iconic names in just about all of their range. The difference as I see it is that they are just using a name. The Tiger range is nothing like the original Tiger, neither is the Trophy. The Bonneville is a road bike like the original and maybe comparable looks so to a certain extent I agree with you there.

The Honda could have been a much better Africa twin. To my eyes it is a competent adventure bike where the already have the Crosstourer and had the Varadero rather than a proper go anywhere bike.

That's my real point about using the Africa Twin name. I'm really only saying I think they have missed the point with the bike.
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

Rogerborg · nimbA Joined: 26 Oct 2010 Karma :

Here's how I imagine the conversation went at Honda-san HQ:

Engineer: And so you see, by using a titanium spaceframe chassis and a revolutionary forced induction electronic valve triple we can produce a class defying 450cc bike weighting around 160kg, all for a unit cost of just...

Marketing VP: [points at a picture of an R1200GS] Make that, drop the beak. Got to be at least a litre.

Sales VP: I saw some pig iron in a skip outside, make it from that. Oh, we need it with a red-white-and-blue colour scheme. Lunch?

Marketing VP: Splendid, I hear the dolphin cutlets are very fresh today.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike