Off-road touring on the Honda Africa Twin DCT

By Anèl Tjoppie Fourie

When I was invited to the second myFiets Biertoer weekend tour, and I was told that I would riding a Honda Africa Twin, it didn’t take me long to answer.

It would be the first time I would be doing a bike tour on something other than my own bike – a BMW F800 GS Adventure. I flew to Johannesburg from my home, the Western Cape. Réhann picked me up at the airport and shortly after we reached his house, Diete Engelbrecht of ADA delivered “my” steed for the weekend: a CRF1000L DCT in “tri-colour” livery, my favourite white, gold, red and blue.

I had ridden the DCT before, but not for a relatively relaxing weekend that this was going to be. For those who don’t know, the DCT designation stands for dual-clutch transmission. Yes, this Africa Twin is an auto! And I couldn’t wait to ride on the dirt roads of the Eastern Free State.

That Friday morning we got the departure point early. We were at World of Yamaha, head office of Yamaha South Africa. It was the departure point for the 2018 myFiets Biertoer. Of course, the irony was not lost on me: a BMW rider on a Honda having coffee and muffins at Yamaha’s head office…

I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I got comfortable with the DCT. The hardest is getting used to not having a clutch or gear lever. But it did make peak-hour riding easier, especially since I am not used to it at all.

Fifteen more bikes – two KTMs, two Yamahas and a bunch of BMWs – joined us for coffee.

After our ride briefing by Réhann and Jason, who had scouted the route the previous weekend, we started kitting up. We were heading in the general direction of Fouriesburg, where we would be sleeping the weekend.

I can now see why Gauteng’s bikers seem a little highly-strung. We had to ride for more than an hour to start the dirt route. That would wind me up too, poor souls…

But the Africa Twin handled the boring highway with aplomb and it is hard to believe this bike weighs as much as 242kg. I am not short, so I didn’t have to drop the seat height. Although the windscreen seems small, it works very well. There wasn’t much wind noise around it.

We rode to Deneysville via the N3, Heilbron and the Vaal Dam, with its sluices open. It was quite a sight, because we don’t really see much water where I come from. Finally we reached the Heilbron dirt road, where we stopped for a sip of water, some photos, and to let some air out of the bike tyres.

The excitement was tangible, this is what we came for: dirtroads! Seventeen bikes, quite a few with pillions, were ready to start the weekend in earnest.

The Free State is a beautiful green and for this Capie, it made it even more special. I am being hammered with water jokes and everyone makes a point of telling me I would be able to shower for as long as I want tonight.

The DCT is an easy bike to ride well on dirt. You switch off the ABS to the rear wheel, press the “G” button on the instrument binnacle (G for gravel), and reduce the traction control to its lowest level, put it in Drive, activate “Sport” mode and you’re ready to rumble. Sadly, if you stop for a break and switch the bike off, you have to go through all of these steps again before you set off. But I couldn’t hold it against the bike; the riding was just too much of a pleasure.

I some sections the road is still wet from the ample rain that fell during the week. But riding through the water puddles just adds to the stories you can tell tonight when you look at the dried mud on your riding kit.

The gearbox and two clutches react smoothly and quickly when needed, giving me enough time to pick the right line without having to worry about the correct gear.

We stop for petrol in Heilbron and we cause a peak-hour traffic jam at the filling station. After refuelling, we head to the Vegkop memorial for a short history lesson and lunch provided by the Vegkop Farmers Association. After a lovely steak burger we’re back on the dirt, heading for Lindley, then tar again to Bethlehem.

After Bethlehem we start seeing the sandstone formations of the mountains in the Eastern Free State. This is some of the most beautiful parts of the Free State. And the DCT behaves very well.

We hit a number of sand and gravel patches and I was great to be able to just open up and ride through it. No need to wonder about the correct gear for the speed and road surface. But I have to admit, there were two or three times that the Honda shook its head a little, catching me unawares and having me speak in tongues in my helmet.

The last piece of tar before Fouriesburg sees the first flat tyre of the weekend, but fortunately our guide is kitted out for such an eventuality and the tyre is quickly fixed. We take the last 8km piece of dirt to our overnight spot, heading into the valleys between the mountains. Everything is green, but the road has challenging spots and forces you to stay alert.

We check in and the first beer of the weekend tastes like heaven. But my joy is short-lived, because when I get back to my Africa Twin to ride to my chalet, I see that the front wheel had been punctured on the way in. And after asking around, it is clear that our team is ready for any puncture-related eventuality, but not for a bike that has inner tubes. And thus ends my weekend tour on the Africa Twin…

On the Saturday, the day’s ride heads to Golden Gate (on tar) and then dirt through the back of Golden Gate, circling back towards Clarens, where we join the Clarens Craft Beer Festival for lunch and some liquid refreshments. I was fortunate enough to ride pillion for that section, but I really wish I could have done it on the Africa Twin. I have no doubt that it would’ve been an absolute joy.

I want to give special thanks to Barend Fouché and Letitia Herold of Honda SA for letting me ride the Africa Twin on some of our country’s most beautiful roads. It really was a privilege.

 

Technically speaking: Honda CRF1000L DCT

Engine	: 998cc, inline 2-cylinder, single-overhead cam, four valves per cylinder
Power	: 70kW @ 7 500rpm / 98Nm @ 6 000rpm
Gears	: 6 speed dual-clutch transmission, chain
Fuel tank	: 19 litres
Seat height	: 871mm
Tyres	: 90/90/21 front, 150/70/18 rear
Brakes	: 4-piston, 310mm double disks (front); 2-piston 256mm single disk (rear)
Wet weight	: 242kg
Price	: R208 500