Debuting in 2016, the modern Honda Africa Twin has been in production for not far off as long as its iconic XRV750T predecessor. And you know what that means - lots of time for depreciation.
In our test of the latest, 2024 Africa Twin in Adventure Sports form, we noted that the new bike has gotten quite expensive. As the Adventure Sports now only comes with fancy electronic suspension, you’re expected to cough up £16,299. Granted, the standard AT with its bigger, 21-inch front wheel is a good chunk cheaper at £13,049, but for a lot of people, that’s still too dear.
Happily, that lengthy production run means you can find an early, used bike for as little as £6,000. For that you’ll be getting a CRF1000 with a 998cc parallel twin rather than the latter CRF1100 with its 1,084cc lump, more basic electronics and the earlier, portrait-oriented display.
However, the riding experience will still be broadly the same as a box-fresh AT. And that’s to say, you’ll be getting great on-road manners but still with a reasonable degree of off-road ability.
These really are great all-rounders, and you’re not missing out on much power - the smaller twin still makes 94bhp. Plus, it still has a 270-degree crankshaft, so you’ll get a similar engine character to the OG V-twin Africa Twins.
We found a 2018 bike for £6,191. It's seen quite a bit of use, as evidenced by the 25,649 miles on the clock and the rather rough-looking fork guards. We’d be wanting to change those ASAP, and although the included top box is a nice bonus, not everyone will be a fan of the sticker bombing. Still, it might make for a strangely therapeutic evening peeling all of those off.
You could, of course, go older still and get an XRV750T. Although they are now considered modern classics, prices are still reasonable, and many cost less than even the earliest CRF1000s, but as a much more elderly bike, they’re a very different proposition and one we’ll cover another day.
