Honda XRV750 Africa Twin By Derek Hayden
The Effrica Tueen
I was getting bored with the VFR, perhaps buying the same model bike twice is not a good idea. There was nothing wrong with, in fact the opposite was true, it did everything really well, but it was not hitting the spot, it wasn't putting a grin on my face. I needed a change. I was unsure of what to replace it with.
As most of you know by now by Honda Dominator, which I had bought as a winter bike, was stolen back in February.
The Dommie had been my introduction to the Big Manly Trail bike world, until then I had not understood the fascination. It's strange but when the Dommie and the VFR sat side by side in the garage, if I went out for a ride I was more likely to choose the Dommie. That fateful day last November had set me a course.
The Dommie was too small for two up touring so I started to look at the Transalp. I talked to known Transalp owners (wreckers), and I decided that this was the way I would go. Getting a Transalp would prove more difficult than you can imagine. I tried a few dealers, they were all willing to SELL me a bike, but they didn't want to take the VFR in exchange. The reason they all gave for this was Honda's reaction to the Grey Bike market, if a dealer takes in a Grey Import bike in part ex, he gets excommunicated as a Honda Dealer. This was also affecting the private sale market, as buyers were very aware of this newly created problem, and so I was finding it hard to sell via that route as well. I went back to the local dealer here in Brandon where I had bought the VFR. Now Victor is a "Good ole Norfolk Boy" but he ain't to sharp when it comes to Business. Oh yes he's happy floggin the odd Peugeot Streetfight, and a few second hand bikes, but a New One? You could see the £ signs rolling round his eyes when I proposed buying a new Transalp from him, but he was unsure about taking the VFR. Jim the mechanic is a little sharper in the business area, and saw the benefit of this deal, not purely as the sale of a bike, but the after care, like tyres, and oil etc. They came up with a good price on the Transalp and offered me a good trade in on the VFR. Then Jim said what about an Africa Twin? It's only another £500! Too big I said. Try one out before you decide he said. I knew a local dealer in Watton had a second hand one and all I wanted to do was sit on it. So faining interest in his offering, both Dawn and I tried it out. It IS big, but I was happy with the position etc, and so was Dawn. So Back to Victor, and Jim to order the Africa Twin. Actually obtaining an AT or @ as they are known on the Internet, was another matter. I wanted a Blue one, Honda didn't have any, they also didn't have Black my second choice. It looked as though I would have to settle for the white one. Then at the 11th hour a blue one surfaced. We were all set for early April delivery. The bike was actually about a week late, and due to a cock up with documentation I suspect I rode around for about 10 days where the bike wasn't registered! I had ordered a Wing Rack fitting kit well in advance of delivery, and this, after scooting around my first few hundred miles was the first mod. Dawn and I used the @ as an excuse to visit my sister in Spalding, fairly flat roads, but not too cleverly surfaced.
I got the first 600 miles over in less than a week, no worries! I was riding the bike at just about every opportunity, the route home from work is 30 miles or so, best to date 130miles, big grin. Obviously a new bike has lots of allure no matter what it is, but I just found myself wanting to just keep riding, something I hadn't felt about the VFR for a long time. Riding technique is quite different, you need to carry speed into corners, because there isn't 100hp to drive you out, so you have to use the 60hp to it's best effect. I am convinced that I corner the @ a good 5 to 10mph faster than I ever did on the VFR.
I had worried that I might miss the fizz and zip that the VFR engine gave, but apart from the odd occasion on say a long Dual Carriageway I don't miss it at all. Engine power delivery is steady and smooth with a reassuring thump-thump-thump from the V twin engine, it pulls from just about anywhere, and steady riding means leaving it in top and using all that torque. Max power comes in at about 6000RPM, so does max torque. This realates to about 80-90MPH, so as you can imagine it's really easy to keep it burbling along. Spirited riding is also aided by the power curve/delivery, with very little use of the gearbox the @ could, if not careful make your license a distant memory.
Handling is just great, acres of travel means you don't have to worry about poor road condition too much.
The Givi Wing Rack with panniers attached is WIDE, at first glance you think it will make the bike un-ridable, but as our excursion through London traffic (to get to Wimbledon) proved, that is not the case. Care is needed though. We now have, after the BMF rally, a new set of panniers, an e360 for the right and an e460 for the left. Looks cool. 2 up with panniers, and 90-100MPH on the motorway the fuel consumption for this trip dropped to 38mpg!!.
I have also fitted a Corbin Seat. This is about 1.5 inches lower than the standard item, and allows a vertically challenged chap like myself to touch the ground with comfort. It is also immensely comfortable, I have yet to get a numb bum using it, and I have done 14,000 miles to date.
Back in June I had the good furtune to assist a friend in testing the Triumph Tiger, and the Honda Varadero. I was Guys "Lead out man" and Guy, Tracy Dawn and myself spent a very pleasant Saturday afternoon thrashing around some of my favourite local road. Some of these local roads I hasten to add, that were not my favourites when I had the VFR! My average fuel consumption to date is about 48mpg, Guy reckons he gets about 42mpg. After following him? I know why.
A few weeks ago we attended the Joint Birthday bash of Messrs Burr and Smith. It was on the Friday evening in the bar when Guy and I got to talking, and he said "so do you like the @ then Derek?". The grin on my face said it all. We then set about trying to analyse what it was that made the @ and the other big trail bikes so special. One phrase we both agreed seemed to sum it all up "Less is more".
Here's what my @ looks like with Givi wing Rack and Corbin seat, and African Queens engine bars added.
