The Honda Africa Twin was born in competition, specifically in the Dakar Rally, which at the time started 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 in 1986 ended up winning the Paris-Dakar and continued its dominance in the following 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 four-cylinder 650 cc 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 characteristics of the XRV 650 Africa Twin was its suspension system, which was one of the best of its 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 this bike one of the most desired in the market. We can even add that this iconic Japanese model continues to compete with the latest adventure models, despite its “age”.
We take advantage of the fact that we were present at the presentation of the new Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports to talk a bit about the history of this model and its origin. As expected, Motociclismo Magazine will reveal all the details of the new Japanese model, so stay tuned to our social media and our website for more updates soon!
