More damage to my pride than the Honda Africa Twin after mishap brings unceremonious end to test

“I’ve got it… I’ve got it! No I don’t…” crunch. As a seemingly permanent victim of the modern being-too-busy pandemic, I’m always in a rush. When I parked up the Honda Africa Twin on this otherwise entirely un-memorable day I cursed the need to fit my disc lock but decided I didn’t have time to attach the springy cable thingy.

Read more

• Update one: First impressions and a camping trip
• Update two: Aftermarket luggage for the ATAS
• Update three: Honda’s off-road school with the ATAS
• Update four: 12 hours and 445 miles for cauliflower
• Update five: The upgrades that made a difference

Pulling away in a equal hurry later on, ’bars at full turn, my wheel made it far enough to jam the lock into the caliper. I caught it – and I held it for a few seconds, too. But 243kg of top-heavy adventure bike against a 31in inside leg meant there was only ever going to be one outcome, however hope-inspiring the momentary delay was.

Firstly, check surroundings. Good – no witnesses. My secret is safe. Next, pick the bike up. There’s a technique, and having fallen off on the dirt many times it’s almost second-nature. Still, I’m surprised how easy the massive Africa Twin is to right.

Even more surprising is the lack of damage. A snapped handguard (including plastic mounting bracket), and a scuffed protective panel that’s bolted to the fairing (complete with smashed Honda badge) and that’s it.

Yes, I only put it down hard at a standstill but I’ve seen that do more damage to lesser bikes and that leans into the overall impression of quality finish and high standard of build you get from the big CRF. If I was impressed when it was a brand spanker, I’m perhaps even more so now. It’s a tough cookie.

The six months I’ve spent with the ATAS have propelled it from not-on-my-radar to scoring a direct hit on my dream bike wishlist. There’s no such thing as the perfect bike but since the first time I swung a leg over an adventure bike (2008 BMW F800GS if you wondered), they’ve been top of the tree.

The ‘best’ bike I ever had was an Aprilia 1200 Caponord Rally in 2015 and nothing has dissuaded me since – until now. The Honda shares many of the qualities: top fit and finish, of-the-moment toys (the Aprilia had brilliant electronic suspension, too), excellent handling and presence and with a thumping great twin at its centre that’s docile and tractable in town and huge fun on the open road.

It’s not as comfortable, but with nearly a decade of development the ATAS is a more sophisticated thing than my erstwhile watchlist-filler.

They even share irritations with gauges (the Aprilia’s fuel reading was rubbish, the Honda’s power settings display back to front: fewer bars = less intervention = more power, go figure) and cruise control my short thumbs can’t reach without winding on throttle. But none of that stops me wanting one. That PCP finance deal is looking worryingly appealing…