RUST magazine: RUST#37
2019 Beta Enduro's tested, GS Trophy 2018, Honda Africa Twin, Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro ridden, Husqvarna FE350 Long termer, Project Suzuki V-Strom 650 XT, Triumph Street Twin update, Zard Exhaust , kit reviews and loads more!
2019 Beta Enduro's tested, GS Trophy 2018, Honda Africa Twin, Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro ridden, Husqvarna FE350 Long termer, Project Suzuki V-Strom 650 XT, Triumph Street Twin update, Zard Exhaust , kit reviews and loads more!
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2018 Honda CRF1000L/L2<br />
Street riding our way to the off-road<br />
part of a our test the general comfort<br />
was good, it was comfortable enough,<br />
the suspension working well, the<br />
tyres (Metzeler Karoo 3s) felt secure,<br />
the brakes were good – when crash<br />
braking the bike flashes the hazards<br />
too – and while the tank is wide at the<br />
front, it’s suitably narrow for the rider’s<br />
knees when standing or seated. The<br />
screen – 80mm taller than on the L –<br />
sadly didn’t work for me. There was a<br />
fair dollop of turbulence coming off it<br />
and – sin of all sins – its not adjustable.<br />
So you’re left with the slightly costly<br />
option of finding a better one (whether<br />
it needs to be taller or shorter, who<br />
knows?) or an add-on. A shame<br />
because the height worked well for<br />
forward vision.<br />
The instrument set I wasn’t<br />
enamoured with either (boy, I’m picky).<br />
Having recently experienced the<br />
wonders of multi-display, multi-colored<br />
TFT screens, the black and white digital<br />
displays of the Africa Twin were like<br />
going back to black and white TV.<br />
Perfectly functional, but so outdated.<br />
As well – sorry to rub salt in the wound<br />
– the plastic screen proved very<br />
reflective and when covered in dust<br />
made reading the screen a real chore.<br />
And sorry again, but the display really<br />
needs sorting, it’s cluttered and (on first<br />
initiation at least) not very intuitive.<br />
However, when it comes to<br />
performance the Africa Twin shines.<br />
Bearing in mind this 1000cc motor is<br />
under stressed (making very similar<br />
power to the competitors’ 800cc<br />
offerings) it still feels suitably peppy.<br />
Happy to dawdle along (which is<br />
super-important in an adventure bike),<br />
but engaging when you wick it up.<br />
Not super-powerful, but on relatively<br />
skinny 21”/18” wheel combination<br />
there’s a limit to what you want to mess<br />
around with.<br />
OFF ROAD<br />
It’s really only off-road you really get<br />
into the various settings. And the<br />
problem with having so many of them<br />
is you need more time than a couple of<br />
days to scroll through them all to find<br />
what you like.<br />
And one setting I couldn’t quite<br />
assimilate to on this test (given the<br />
time allowance) was the whole DCT<br />
auto-box. Now my first-ever test on<br />
an Africa Twin back in 2016 was on a<br />
DCT model and I really enjoyed it then.<br />
But, here’s a confession, I rode that<br />
bike like something of a thug or yob (a<br />
‘thob’ if you like, ©Laura Thompson)<br />
never off the gas and firing it through<br />
the gears real fast using the fingerand-thumb<br />
quick shifter. The trails in<br />
Germany were open and fast, it suited<br />
the DCT. In Devon we were riding<br />
more technical single tracks, with mud<br />
and ruts, a terrain where we needed<br />
more deft throttle control – and<br />
clutch control. And here I was finding<br />
I couldn’t transition to a clutchless<br />
w<br />
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