A bit about the bike...

Our bike is one of the last Honda Africa Twins built and registered in 2001 (15 years old). The bike was originally a 650cc but later changed to 750cc. It has become a legend over the years and we can see why. Honda waited until this year before launching a new version. Can it really be any better?

We have now ridden about 20,000 kms and have really grown to respect this bike. It has taken a hammering on the washboard, stoney and rutted dirt roads, soaked up many potholes and taken us over terrain that I never thought we could traverse. All this with two people and luggage - it wasn't really designed for two up riding! Our suspension and seat modifications have of course helped a lot.

Our trip has eased me into riding off road. Bit by bit I have had to ride harder and harder roads, each time taking a deep breath and just doing it. Dee has been great on the back, standing when needed and enjoying the ride. We now look back at some of the roads we have ridden that I originally found difficult and laugh! Often the hardest part of each journey is not knowing what the road will be like, whether i can ride it, whether we will get to our destination and when to turn back if we can't but this is what a real adventure is all about.

We had a bit of a scary moment on the bike in Chile while trying to find a campsite down a track near a National Park. We were told the track remained good and to turn left ahead. We came to a left turn but it looked very steep. We took it anyway (i should have checked it first) but it quickly became steeper, turned to very loose gravel and large ruts. We were in a slow free fall and all i could do was trail the rear brake, dab a foot and try to pick a path. We were ready for a fall but the AT soaked up the ruts and we made it to the bottom unscathed. There was no way i could ride back up but luckily we found out we should have taken the second left so we could return that way!

The good points about the bike are:

Great suspension.
Comfortable.
Reliable.
Not too tall, especially when loaded.
Well balanced, even when fully loaded.
Larger 21 inch front wheel.
A good tank range.
Runs well on low octane fuel.
Runs well at high altitude.
No fancy electrics to go wrong.
A very easy bike to ride and control slowly, which is so important on bad roads.

Bad points?

I still think the rear brake is a bit weak, however, it has got us this far ok!

We were expecting the bike to struggle at high altitude (over 5000 metres) on steep roads and running on low octane fuel - about 83 in Bolivia. However, I think the AT has aclimatised a bit like us! We do notice a lack of power but not too much. We have heard that some people adjust the air mixture on the carburettor for high altitude but this has not been required.

We have been getting about 180 miles to reserve and think we may have up to 50 miles in reserve. This does of course depend on how fast we travel - normally 100 km max. (60 mph), however in Bolivia the speed limit is 80 km and we have already been caught speeding! We also carry an extra 2 litres just in case.

The Heidenau K60 Scout tyres are performing well. The solid tread in the middle mean they are great (smooth) on tarmac and the knobbly tread on the sides give good grip on loose roads.