Photo: advrider.com
It looks like the fans of the old Africa Twin can kiss their hopes for a v-twin bike good bye. Insella says that the MCN investigators, the ones who first found out credible info on the upcoming AT are positive that the new adventure bike will be a parallel twin. However, this is not the saddest of the rumors: being engineered as a rival for the BMW R1200GS will make adventure riders think at least twice before spending their cash.
A 100hp parallel twin engine was chosen for the new Africa Twin because this architecture offers a much easier way to arrange things inside the frame, the mentioned sources add. The bike is said to be noticeably lighter than the GS, tipping the scales around the 180 kg (397 lbs) mark. Honda is also rumored to surface two Africa Twin models: one for street touring and a more adventure-focused one.
The street version would be equipped with a 19” front wheel, while the adventure model would have a standard 21” one. Given all the recent stories involving BMW’s new bikes, having the R1200GS as a benchmark for anything else than a rather short list of features which includes mileage, comfort and sales figures is a rather dismal perspective. Even though BME fans will continue spending their big bucks on Bavarian machinery and pretend they’re happy no matter what happens, it looks like Africa Twin fans looking for a new adventure machine will not be exactly thrilled with a bike trying to mimic the GS.
Transforming the new Africa Twin into a tough-as-nails bike will definitely require a lot of extra money, which could easily be spent on getting a bike which is better prepared from the box. And considering a cracked front wheel a natural things for a would-be adventure bike is definitely not a thing off-road fans would consider. Follow the link for a nasty story with a brand new R1200GS.
In case the rumors turn out to be true and the Africa Twin will surface with a €15,000-ish ($20,000+) price… you be the judges. The new Africa Twin is expected to show up at one of the two big European autumn shows, the Intermot or EICMA.
The street version would be equipped with a 19” front wheel, while the adventure model would have a standard 21” one. Given all the recent stories involving BMW’s new bikes, having the R1200GS as a benchmark for anything else than a rather short list of features which includes mileage, comfort and sales figures is a rather dismal perspective. Even though BME fans will continue spending their big bucks on Bavarian machinery and pretend they’re happy no matter what happens, it looks like Africa Twin fans looking for a new adventure machine will not be exactly thrilled with a bike trying to mimic the GS.
Transforming the new Africa Twin into a tough-as-nails bike will definitely require a lot of extra money, which could easily be spent on getting a bike which is better prepared from the box. And considering a cracked front wheel a natural things for a would-be adventure bike is definitely not a thing off-road fans would consider. Follow the link for a nasty story with a brand new R1200GS.
In case the rumors turn out to be true and the Africa Twin will surface with a €15,000-ish ($20,000+) price… you be the judges. The new Africa Twin is expected to show up at one of the two big European autumn shows, the Intermot or EICMA.
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