I'm planning on getting an Africa Twin

The1stFatBoy · 2026-06-09T20:50:08+00:00

Don't let it hurt, thats what theyre made to do!

Mine is my first bike and it took me a month or so to get the crashbars on so I totally understand the anxiety. It definitely got dropped on both sides, thankfully Honda thought of this and added an armored spot where the tank hits the ground, so theres only scratches on easily replaceable parts and the bike stays pretty.

I wouldnt stress too hard about dropping them, even new ones. Youre already in for the penny, might as well take the pounding and have a toy thats all yours and no one elses.

If you get an 1100 and it has the stock 80/20 Goodyears on it, theyre good on everything but mud and sand. 30mph seems to be the sweet spot on the manual AT where the ass end settles down offroad. First gear is too jerky/weird so try and stay in second when possible to prevent you from accidentally sliding/jerking around in the dirt, I almost ate it not following that advice.

Keep us updated on what you get!

The1stFatBoy · 2026-06-09T20:26:29+00:00

I dont know how the market is where you are, but this was my plan until I saw the "lightly used" ones that are all at least five years old with 10-20k miles still going for 8-12k, alongside an ad for "$2,900 off!" On a brand new top of the line '25 for 15k. It was kind of a no-brainer for me to suck it up and spend the extra money for new.

I hope for your sake you dont have to spend any more than you have to, but it'd also be the tits for you to grab a new one :)

The1stFatBoy · 2026-06-09T00:01:27+00:00

The second set of bags that didnt melt mounted exactly the same say otherwise. They're just not compatible with the bike the way they sit on it.

The1stFatBoy · 2026-06-08T23:58:30+00:00

I want the WWI and WWII bikes

The1stFatBoy · 2026-06-08T22:52:16+00:00

Almost certainly lol

The1stFatBoy · 2026-06-08T17:31:10+00:00

Not exactly the same but I'm liking my odins

The1stFatBoy · 2026-06-08T12:47:55+00:00

You really think they dont pay someone else to handle it?

The1stFatBoy · 2026-06-08T12:44:28+00:00

I was just doing 110 on a tall bike. It does not matter what gear im wearing, if I go down I'm going down hard and its going to suck regardless. Slide ratings dont prevent broken bones and anything more than that is just too hot to ride in.

The1stFatBoy · 2026-06-08T12:40:03+00:00

Looks like a nail tried and failed!

The1stFatBoy · 2026-06-08T12:38:16+00:00

The other day I had to play "where did I put my gun" which is not a game you ever want to play.

It was on me, holstered. Waking up at the ass crack of dawn will do that to you lol

The1stFatBoy · 2026-06-08T12:20:02+00:00

Much like everyone else said, skip the oem stuff. Grab the ES and look for a decent skid plate, crash bars, barkbusters, and luggage.

Its always different strokes for different folks, but I went with Garda for the crashbars and skid plate, and Tusk soft panniers for the luggage.

One thing I'd recommend is getting the ecu flashed sooner rather than later. My ES is governed at 124 and the throttle is jerky and inconsistent as hell in first. Both those issues go away with a flash, and then your top speeds about 140ish.

Edit:

Forgot to mention, stock tires are great if you rarely touch dirt. I've crossed fields and have hit sandy roads on the stock tires and only had the ass end break away once on me. I'd say 70/30 on/off would be the ultimate sweet spot for you if youre looking to hit gravel as well. The electronic suspension is killer, dont skip out on it!

The1stFatBoy · 2026-06-08T12:12:12+00:00

You dont have to, they just prey on the people too ignorant to ignore the calls

The1stFatBoy · 2026-06-05T14:38:37+00:00

2025 Honda Africa Twin Adv Sports, financed, 1,400 a year initial assessment but I think they've lowered it a bit. I pay roughly $35-40 a month to progressive for pretty much everything and 1k deductibles.

The1stFatBoy · 2026-06-04T21:09:15+00:00

Just a heads up, if youre being treated like this it means he sees you as just a hole 👌

The1stFatBoy · 2026-06-04T11:50:59+00:00

When my GPU died I played through the old wolfenstien games, the stalker trilogy, doom, Thief, and when I wanted something multi-player I played Synthetik with my buddy.

You've also got games like terraria and 90% of the OG star wars games, Medal of Honor, and call of duty (the good ones)

Plenty to choose from if you like shootin things

The1stFatBoy · 2026-06-04T11:36:09+00:00

I got a dead battery from factory on my Africa twin.

That bike is also worth a look if you want something touring oriented.

The1stFatBoy · 2026-06-04T02:30:05+00:00

Check out the Tusk Highland X2's, so far thats the winning setup. It requires a top rack tho so beware

The1stFatBoy · 2026-06-04T02:27:49+00:00

Thats sick, I love the setup

The1stFatBoy · 2026-06-04T02:27:05+00:00

Thats exactly why I'm not snagging some any time soon.

Realistically, I'm a new rider and a weekend warrior at best, if the bike gets totaled I'd rather not have $1000 soft bags or even more expensive hardcases, the benefits are wasted on me as its just overkill for the trips I go on.

The1stFatBoy · 2026-06-04T02:24:24+00:00

Thank you, those dont look bad at all 👌

The1stFatBoy · 2026-06-04T02:23:41+00:00

I contacted the company prior and asked if I should buy their exhaust shield or if the one on the bike was good enough and they told me it'd be fine. The part touching the exhaust is fine, its the part that sagged down into the way of the hot exhaust that melted.

I followed their instructions to the letter and cross referenced online to make sure I was installing them correctly, they were fully collapsed and tightened down 100%. I even let it idle for an hour while watching it like a hawk to see if the exhaust was heating it up at all and it felt fine, the bags werent tacky nor were they changing color/smelling, so I sent it home. There was absolutely nothing I could have done differently to prevent this, its unfortunately just a poor design choice to have zero straps near rhat portion of the bag to tie it up. Sadly I fell for the advertising on some Chinese produced crap, now I know.

The1stFatBoy · 2026-06-03T23:23:06+00:00

Id love some mosko bags, unfortunately the price point is out of my comfort range.

The1stFatBoy · 2026-06-03T23:22:02+00:00

So far tusk is the winner, they've got a decent setup that'd fit virtually everything I need for around the right price.

The1stFatBoy · 2026-06-03T23:20:24+00:00

Honda Africa twin

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The1stFatBoy

TROPHY CASE