HONDA has released a video (or perhaps leaked, since it’s yet to appear on an official Honda YouTube channel) showing the finished 2016 Africa Twin.
The video gives the first full, clear view of the production version of the 'True Adventure Prototype' which was unveiled at the Eicma Milan show last year. It also shows a version with panniers, similar to one recently seen disguised in a spy shot.
Unlike most promo vids, there’s no thumping music or weird editing, just a selection of clips of the bike in action interspersed with a discussion between Honda Motorcycle Europe’s head of product planning, Dave Hancock, and a selection of engineers and test riders involved with the project. Of course, the comments are all glowing – it’s a promo video after all – but it’s a refreshingly straightforward way of presenting the bike.
Despite all this, we’re still missing detailed specs on the 1000cc parallel twin, other than the fact it will be offered with an optional DCT transmission, and while there’s a lot of talk about how light the bike is, there are no specific figures mentioned. We do know that the Africa Twin will get a full package of electronic rider aids, including an advanced traction control system. That’s something of a step forward for Honda, which has trailed behind its rivals in this respect largely thanks to the firm’s insistence on developing all its own systems instead of buying the off-the-shelf Bosch kit that almost every other manufacturer turns to.
Of course, others are now turning towards semi-active suspension, stability control and cornering ABS, so it’s yet to be seen whether the Africa Twin’s step forward is enough to truly catch up.
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