I was no stranger to two-wheeled travel coming in; my first rides on both of the bikes on which I'd done the majority of my riding had been multi-state rides of over 500 miles, and my move to Nashville involved an only partially successful attempt to outrun a hurricane while leaving New Orleans on my previous motorcycle. It was clear, however, that the bike I had been riding for the previous four years wasn't going to cut it.
My red, white, and blue Honda Interceptor was easily my favorite bike I've ever owned and is, in my heavily biased opinion, one of the best road-going motorcycles ever built, but its sporty riding position, stiff suspension, and sportbike tires weren't going to cut it for months on end, especially on the unpaved roads I knew I'd be encountering at many points along the way. I would need something that was comfortable over long distances and capable of carrying enough luggage for my needs, yet could also handle rough roads and terrain while not breaking down at the first sign of trouble.
My red, white, and blue Honda Interceptor was easily my favorite bike I've ever owned and is, in my heavily biased opinion, one of the best road-going motorcycles ever built, but its sporty riding position, stiff suspension, and sportbike tires weren't going to cut it for months on end, especially on the unpaved roads I knew I'd be encountering at many points along the way. I would need something that was comfortable over long distances and capable of carrying enough luggage for my needs, yet could also handle rough roads and terrain while not breaking down at the first sign of trouble.
I actually thought I'd found the perfect bike almost immediately after deciding on the trip, in the form of a 2013 Suzuki DR650 with a mind-boggling number of add-ons and modifications to make it better over long distances and rough roads. The DR was a "thumper"; a big, single-cylinder dual-sport bike that hasn't substantially changed since about 1998, and with a reputation for reliability, easy maintenance, and great off-road ability. The fact that the previous owner had probably put as much into luggage, suspension, and power mods as I'd paid him for the bike didn't hurt either. The DR was a fantastic introduction to the world of dual-sporting, proving to be just as capable on dirt and gravel as it was on the road, reasonably comfortable, and with enough range to get almost anywhere. It seemed, at the time, to be the ideal bike to take me all the way to Chile.
What I hadn't figured into the equation, however, was that once I got to Santiago, my bike would become OUR bike, and as much as I was enjoying the DR650, it soon became clear that while it was possibly the best solo travel bike I could have possibly bought, the combination of an almost nonexistent passenger seat and soft suspension wouldn't be up to the travel plans Ngaire and I were already making in anticipation of my arrival to Chile. And so, even as I got more comfortable on the DR, I was already starting another search.
I knew what I wanted; the next logical step up from the DR650 was the class of so-called "adventure bikes"; effectively touring bikes with taller suspension, larger wheels, and some protection for light off-roading. The BMW R1200GS started the trend, but nearly every major motorcycle manufacturer has jumped on it. The one that stuck in my head was Honda's Africa Twin; a combination of great looks, a much greater focus on off-road ability than its competitors, fuel economy, and Honda's legendary reliability, I'd wanted one since it was announced, but a new one was out of range. A barely used one that popped up just a few miles from me this past November, on the other hand, looked like just the ticket. And so, along with the DR650, I sold my red, white, and blue Honda for...a red, white, and blue Honda. Whatever, everyone has a type.
I'll admit that I didn't take to the Twin immediately. Part of it was the bond of sorts I'd developed over nearly five years of riding my old Interceptor and the Twin's relative lack of sound and fury, part of it was simply getting used to a completely different riding position and character. I was racking up the miles, but something wasn't clicking, and I couldn't put my finger on what it was. In the meantime, I started to make the bike my own; a set of crash bars and engine guards ensured that any drops wouldn't hurt the vital parts of the bike, a set of racks and panniers (more on those in a later post) provided the means for travel, and a set of Shinko dual-sport tires added much-needed cornering and off-road ability. Still, something was missing.
It took a healthy dose of dirt and gravel for me to really "get" the Twin. In late March, I rode out to East Tennessee for the March Moto Madness rally, a three-day gathering of dual-sport and adventure riders held in the Smoky Mountains. It would be my first real trip on the Twin, and my first time exploring whether or not it lived up to the off-road hype. Short answer? 110%. Long answer? Through over 100 miles of gravel fire roads, dirt trails, rocky hills, and water crossings, one thing was running through my head: "How is it this good?" There was no reason why a bike weighing over 500 pounds with a relatively inexperienced rider should have been able to handle every type of terrain I could throw at it just as well as the DR650 had, and yet the Twin was delivering every time. Through the combination of compliant suspension, a torquey, easily modulated engine, and controls that fell easily to hand whether I was in the seat or standing tiptoed on the pegs with the bars cranked over, the Twin never felt like it was fighting me or trying to go its own way, as so many heavy, powerful ADV bikes had a tendency to. I left the rally having found the last pieces of the puzzle with this new bike, and excited beyond description to take it even further.
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