The Honda Africa Twin was born in competition, more specifically in the Dakar Rally, which at the time began in Paris and ended near Lake Rosa, in the capital of Senegal. In 1984, Honda decided to develop a specific model for this competition, the NXR 750, which ended up winning the Paris-Dakar in 1986 and continued to dominate for the next four years.
In 1988, Honda decided to launch a road version based on the Dakar bike to celebrate its successes in the competition. The 1988 Africa Twin XRV 650 RD03 was presented with a 650 cc four-cylinder engine, producing 57 hp (42.5 kW) at 8,000 rpm and 52 Nm of torque at 6,000 rpm, and with graphics inspired by the competition version.
One of the main features of the XRV 650 Africa Twin was its suspension system, which was one of the best at the time, with a long-travel telescopic front fork and a Pro-Link swingarm at the rear that provided excellent shock absorption on uneven terrain.
Its versatility, off-road capability and comfort made it one of the most sought-after bikes on the market. We might even add that this iconic Japanese model continues to compete with the latest adventure models, despite its “age”.
We took advantage of the fact that we were present at the presentation of the new Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports to talk a little about the history of this model and its origins. As you might expect, Motociclismo magazine will be revealing all the details of the new Japanese model, so stay tuned to our social networks and website for more news soon!