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Is the Africa Twin with 17's the Perfect Bike?

kuksul08

kuksul08

Suh Dude
Joined
Mar 17, 2014
Location
Hoonville
Moto(s)
Whee!
The perfect bike:
-Reliable
-Between 6 and 10 inches of fully adjustable suspension
-40+ MPG with 4-5 gallons tank
-17" wheels for supersport tires
-Dirt bars

"Just get a KTM 1290" they said, nope, do not want KTM. I've heard enough horror stories.

"How about a GS" they inquired. I will take a pass on the most unreliable brand that blows up final drives and ABS modules left and right. (Although when working, this is a tough contender)

"A Multistrada! It's so sexy!". It is sexy, but it's also Italian, and I went there and did that. Never. Again.

The real answer here is the Honda Africa Twin Supermoto aka HATS. Just shy of 100hp of the smoothest most tractable power imaginable. Honda reliability. 47-48MPG and a 5 gallon tank. Great styling. Dirt bars, check. Super low center of gravity due to an insanely compact parallel twin engine. Long travel fully adjustable suspension. Excellent wind protection. Great price. This bike needs to be built.

What do you think it'll take to make this happen?

Gi6DnnY.jpg
 
Africa Twin w/ 17's makes as much sense as R1 w/ 19's.

I've had Suzuki/Kawasaki/Yamaha but yet to own a Honda, since Honda seems the most boring among Japanese brands.
 
Yea, basically a Japanese 990SMT.
I feel you, I'm sure it would be a blast to ride!
But something tells me I'd want more power than 80rwhp with sticky 17's on it from that heavy of a bike.
I guess it all depends on how aggressive you going to ride it
I've seen good riders go surprisingly quick on stock 950/990ADV in the twisties so the 17's might just be overkill for that engine/chassis
 
Corb said:
Yea, basically a Japanese 990SMT.
I feel you, I'm sure it would be a blast to ride!
But something tells me I'd want more power than 80rwhp with sticky 17's on it from that heavy of a bike.
I guess it all depends on how aggressive you going to ride it
I've seen good riders go surprisingly quick on stock 950/990ADV in the twisties so the 17's might just be overkill for that engine/chassis
Click to expand...

More power would be nice. My bike has 110HP and I feel like 120-130 is perfect. But 110 gets me around. I feel like I could use ALL of the 94hp the HATS has to offer. It would just be missing that little bit for 100mph power wheelies is all.
 
Why would you want 17s on the Africa twin anyway? I think if you ride any of these bikes with the intended wheel size and with sport touring tires or even 90/10 tires you'll find you have zero need for supersport tires.

Get an F700GS which has 17 rear, 19 front.
 
kuksul08 said:
More power would be nice. My bike has 110HP and I feel like 120-130 is perfect. But 110 gets me around. I feel like I could use ALL of the 94hp the HATS has to offer. It would just be missing that little bit for 100mph power wheelies is all.
Click to expand...

Supermoto's are about torque, cause motard, which the Africa twin makes in gobs. Something north of 50ft/lb off idle.
 
revnort said:
Why would you want 17s on the Africa twin anyway? I think if you ride any of these bikes with the intended wheel size and with sport touring tires or even 90/10 tires you'll find you have zero need for supersport tires.

Get an F700GS which has 17 rear, 19 front.
Click to expand...

You get way better tire options in 17". And I like how nimble 17's are. My VStrom has 17/19 and it's good, but I like 17's more.

The Africa twin comes with 18/21, which is no good for aggressive road use.
 
kuksul08 said:
The Africa twin comes with 18/21, which is no good for aggressive road use.
Click to expand...

Eh, sorta with you there. I for one, just like you, much more preffer 17's for aggressive riding.
However I've chased ex AMA roadracer on his 18/21 KTM950 up mount Hamilton and if I hadn't experienced it I would have never belived that bike can keep that pace on that road.
It requires a different style of riding, but in the right hands is better than good for aggressive road use.
 
yes, the Africa twin WOULD be the perfect bike, if it weighed 100lbs less :x
 
Corb said:
Eh, sorta with you there. I for one, just like you, much more preffer 17's for aggressive riding.
However I've chased ex AMA roadracer on his 18/21 KTM950 up mount Hamilton and if I hadn't experienced it I would have never belived that bike can keep that pace on that road.
It requires a different style of riding, but in the right hands is better than good for aggressive road use.
Click to expand...

You can seriously haul on 18/21's no doubt about it. And you're right, you need to totally alter your riding style. Much more supermoto esque and less about hanging off and droppin' knee. I just know from my VStrom that with the skinnier larger front wheel, it just doesn't give the same confidence or agility as a fat 17" wheel. The drawback is the tendency to fall into turns and it can be a little twitchy.

planegray said:
yes, the Africa twin WOULD be the perfect bike, if it weighed 100lbs less :x
Click to expand...

True... however, I've thought a lot about this. What's way more important than the raw weight, is where the weight is. Look at the Africa twin. The engine is super low, just like the NC700X. I'm willing to bet it feels lighter than a bike with a big tall V-twin that weighs 450lbs or so.

honda-africa-twin-1000-frame-chassis-suspension-crf1000l-dct-adventure-motorcycle-bike-dual-sport.jpg
 
kuksul08 said:
The Africa twin comes with 18/21, which is no good for aggressive road use.
Click to expand...

Gary856 said:
Africa Twin w/ 17's makes as much sense as R1 w/ 19's.
Click to expand...

With a qualified pilot at the helm you would be pleasantly surprised what 21/18 size tires can do on twisty roads.

Plenty of 21/18 choices in dual sport and road oriented tires.

Plus with our shitty metro pothole infested roads the 21 front is a pleasure to ride.
 

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kuksul08 said:
Just shy of 100hp of the smoothest most tractable power imaginable
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But that's the good and the bad of it. While a tractable motor off road is good, the testers' almost universally complain that there's no snap, and a wheelie is something you really have to coax the African Twin into doing.

A sumo has got to be able to wheelie, it must have snap.
 
mototireguy said:
With a qualified pilot at the helm you would be pleasantly surprised what 21/18 size tires can do on twisty roads...
Click to expand...

It's not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog. Just about any modern size tire can go way faster than you should be going on the street. That is the reality of the situation, the street environment is the limiter not the tire.
 
russ69 said:
It's not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog. Just about any modern size tire can go way faster than you should be going on the street. That is the reality of the situation, the street environment is the limiter not the tire.
Click to expand...

QFT. With the condition of the roads around here, a 21" with DOT knobbies is about the only tolerable setup.
 
jwb said:
QFT. With the condition of the roads around here, a 21" with DOT knobbies is about the only tolerable setup.
Click to expand...

West bound 580 over Altamont Pass.
 
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