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AT Dislikes?

79K views 133 replies 84 participants last post by  Bill J 
#1 ·
Place for all negatives about the AT.

I think the negatives are almost more important then the positives. You know what you like and what you want, but more important is knowing what you don't like and if you can live with those dislikes in the long run...

Couple quickies from here


  • Long 1st gear. When idling the AT trundles at 14km/h - this is too fast for technical terrain. Can hopefully be fixed by a smaller front sprocket.
  • The readout display uses negative LCD (black background, light lettering) which is sometimes hard to read during daylight.
  • The throttle is a little too sensitive on the manual model – not a problem on the DCT.
  • The stepped seat is distracting when you ride technical terrain. Honda isn't planning to sell a straight bench unless customers demand it. Companies like Touratech will probably provide one at a premium price.
 
#11 ·
Two problems I noted quickly. First, the CR1000L does not come with the centerstand as a standard option. The centerstand comes in handy making repairs and parking in tight spots where you can't use the side stand. It's hard for me to imagine why a company would release the all new adventure touring bike without a centerstand?? Also, there is no cruise control. I understand that the new AT is more offroad oriented but you have to get there first and that means you might have to cover thousands of miles of super slab. Honda, please fix these!!!
 
#17 ·
I guess the bikes and included accessories vary from country to country. We have 3 models in Australia. Base model (CRF1000) with no ABS/Traction control, bulb indicators and no bash plate (so I'm told). Second model (CRF1000A) has ABS, Torque control, LED indicators, bash plate and centre stand. Third model (CRF1000D) has the same accessories as the ABS with the DCT transmission.
 
#13 ·
Re: the long first gear... that's one of the many reasons I'm going DCT. I do ride off-road, sometimes technical slow stuff. When I saw the video of a test ride (somewhere in England, on a test track) with them basically idling along at about 2 to 3 mph between cones without any issue, I fell in love. An "automatic" that actually worked like an automatic. Self feathering, if you will. They said you can't stall it if even if you tried. That's all I need.
 
#15 ·
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and comfort personal.
I swapped from BMW 1200 GS with all the electronics because I don't want to worry about , or pay for repairs of said electronics.
A simple, modern, quality bike that does what it says on the 'tin'.
When a BMW switch, made in China, costs £220 to replace I decided to swap.
I never liked the cruise control much, adjusting suspension is simple once you work out the settings and there will never be expensive motors to repair, ride modes I only ever used road and dynamic and didn't notice that much difference.
I loved the GS but am not prepared to own one out of warranty.
I have 600 miles on AT, first service this afternoon, and I'm more than happy.
I hope to have this in my garage forever and don't expect to be disappointed, I might add a BMW R80 GS (1984) to keep it company if I can find a nice one at the right price.
 
#16 ·
I've been trialling the BMW GS/GSA as well as the AT. I thought I wanted cruise and electronic suspension etc. But once I rode the two close together I realised that, whilst shorter on power, the Honda is smoother (engine-wise and ride-wise), less turbulent and just as much fun. My only drift to the dark side of electronics is the DCT gearbox as I think it is really nice and adds an element of fun - and I imagine it will be fantastic at the end of a long day when trying to find the camp-site or hotel and/or being stuck in traffic. And as it's a Honda you'd hope it won't give up 10 minutes after the warranty expires.

So, essentially, my only dislike is the tubes and as that has been done to death and I've chosen to ignore it I guess it doesn't matter.

(My dealer is also refitting their showroom and will have a coffee machine - so there is even less reason to visit a BMW dealer).
 
#21 ·
So, essentially, my only dislike is the tubes and as that has been done to death and I've chosen to ignore it I guess it doesn't matter.
I forgot about those **** tube tires! A simple puncture on the road which can be remedied in minutes now turns into at least a 20 minute ordeal if you have plenty of experience. For those that don't, you're looking at an hour or more. It took me 20 minutes just to break the bead one time when I was caught out in the boondocks with no bead breaker! And then you pinch the tube putting it back in and you gotta do it all over again! Arrgh! The joys of motorcycling.
 
#19 ·
Things that I dislike are:
I wish the inlet valves were rocker adjusted( like the exhaust), to make home servicing easier and cheaper.
I wish the silencer can wasn't so big and high (but most bikes in this class are nowadays) -panniers just don't look good or fit well with these high silencer.
I would have preferred a 19" spoked front wheel to lessen the overall height of the bike (I only ride on road).
I would have like it to be about 215kg wet.
I still think up side down forks are a fashion - thing and think traditional forks are more reliable, easier to work on and more compliant.
However, I still think it is the best looking bike on the market!
 
#24 ·
Could someone comment on the 'G' mode?
Like or dislike?
Have you tried it both on and off road?

PS still waiting on my AT. Can't wait to try the
.
Tried it both on/off road with it on and off.
Throttle is even more snappier, off the dirt with more responsive drive, with it off, the bike felt more controllable to me on the slow roxky stuff. On road I didn't really like it. So in reality, I personally don't really need it. But that's me.
 
#23 ·
Ive alway delt with Bmw and I can say they are very good on the bike side and cars, Ive never delt with Honda till I ordered the twin, I like the bike very much but Honda as a dealer are not very reliable, I waited five weeks for the bike even though it was in the showroom as they were waiting for the touring pack to come in, given a date to pick the bike up when I turned up the centre stand was missing and the 12v plug, they told me when you come back for your 500 mile service we will have them, 4 weeks later took bike back for service no parts, it's 10 weeks I'm still waiting,
So it's not what I dislike about my twin it's what I dislike about the dealership,
I will have to consider on weather I take another Honda when the time comes,
 
#28 ·
The Africa Twin is fitted with Tubed tyres. The issue for me with Tubed Tyres is safety. With TUBELESS a very gentle loss of pressure is normal. Dead easy for me to repair as well. With a TUBED tyre, as you know, loss of pressure is instantaneous. Instant deflation. OK in the Mud but NOT good at high speed! Hence the safety aspect. Honda have aimed the Africa Twin at the BMW 1200GS buyer and I expect the majority of UK Africa Twins will be used for general purposes, say 85% road and 15% off-road, much like the GS. I have written to Honda suggesting that they offer Spoked, Tubeless, wheels, as per Triumph/BMW/Yamaha, at least as an option. Any hope of a solution?
 
#29 ·
As mentioned by other owners...
It does suck to have tubed tyres
Footpegs that are too short
No sense in horn placement IMO

But Overall I think the bike is fantastic.

I had one issue where I lost 2 bolts holding the front fender because it was not tighten properly by the dealer but when I called the dealer, they apologized and sent me the bolts and collars lost.

FYI check all bolts when u get your delivery, especially the front fender and windshield as these are the few parts assembled by the dealer and all the rest is assembled by the Honda factory in Japan.
 
#30 ·
  1. it is really enough with "cheap casio wristwatch like" LCD displays
  2. torque control button - why?? really why do someone thinks that it is better change highbeam button with torque control button?
  3. honda's original center stand - hard to reach it because of rear footpeg ( i always hurt my tibia)
  4. 2-cyclinder engine - my previous bike was triumphtiger800 with 3cyclinder block so sometimes i think 3 is better than 2cyclinder
after all - this is really a great bike for me for now :)
 
#91 · (Edited)
Not to even mention that Casio's may be cheap in their simple models but as you could see in any Boyner shop like http://promocodius.com/tr/magazalar/boyner-indirim-kuponu, the high end models like G-Watches are far from cheap. I had to mention this as a Casio fanboy since early childhood. Additionally, I could not have agreed more with the remarks about torque control button; just like in guitars, people are asking for trivial features like killswitches only to use it once or twice during a whole gig. Here is my question to my fellow countryman though: what would you prefer to buy from Triumph's current production line and why would you prefer that one over any other? I am contemplating adding a roadster to my garage and I do not want a Harley - Davidson like everyone else :wink2:
 
#32 ·
1.Laggard throttle response

My last bike was a 2015 NC700X (DCT).
I would like to add to the discussion by comparing the two
on the merits of each DCT generation.

One assumes that the latest gen would always be the best and greates, but
IMO, the AT fails in some areas like on pavement. Maybe the Honda engineers
concentrated too much on the off-road capability of the AT or they may have
had to make trade offs in order to promote the off road side more; who knows?

The NC DCT (2015 and prior,2nd gen) has had ample use and user feedback to
have evolved into a finely tuned robo-shifter.

However, with the AT implementation, there are a few
characteristics that just don't live up to what it could be.

1. Throttle response is laggard.
I was used to downshift in corners by pinning the throttle at/near the apex and accelerate out of the curve in a lower gear.
I've tried different modes on the AT and only S3 mode came close to shifting down fast enough to match the NCX. Pinning the throttle in the other modes, only produces lugging without the DCT shifting down.

Yes. I know I can use the toggle shifters, but just pointing out that I used to be able to just pin the throttle to downshift one or two gears which is
a much better experience that your brain having to remember to toggle shift.
With the DCT, I am addicted to the 'twist and go' capability,
so much that anything that works against that is a firm "dislike".
YMMV.
 
#33 ·
My last bike was a 2015 NC700X (DCT).
I would like to add to the discussion by comparing the two
on the merits of each DCT generation.

One assumes that the latest gen would always be the best and greates, but
IMO, the AT fails in some areas like on pavement. Maybe the Honda engineers
concentrated too much on the off-road capability of the AT or they may have
had to make trade offs in order to promote the off road side more; who knows?

The NC DCT (2015 and prior,2nd gen) has had ample use and user feedback to
have evolved into a finely tuned robo-shifter.

However, with the AT implementation, there are a few
characteristics that just don't live up to what it could be.

1. Throttle response is laggard.
I was used to downshift in corners by pinning the throttle at/near the apex and accelerate out of the curve in a lower gear.
I've tried different modes on the AT and only S3 mode came close to shifting down fast enough to match the NCX. Pinning the throttle in the other modes, only produces lugging without the DCT shifting down.

Yes. I know I can use the toggle shifters, but just pointing out that I used to be able to just pin the throttle to downshift one or two gears which is
a much better experience that your brain having to remember to toggle shift.
With the DCT, I am addicted to the 'twist and go' capability,
so much that anything that works against that is a firm "dislike".
YMMV.
Interesting - I am on my 3rd NC DCT and it has the very latest incarnation of the software. However, I am getting a bit irritated with it at the moment because the throttle seems too on/off or instantaneous. At first it seemed an improvement as it seemed to give the bike more punch but combined with the firmed up suspension it's making it tricky to ride over uneven roads at low speeds. At first D-mode seemed to have been left with the throttle lag, but now even that feels harsh. I am going to try a reset of the DCT software because I think I am also getting slight creep as I come to a halt (ie gear staying engaged)
Mike
 
#34 ·
I did the clutch initialize procedure after the first oil change.
Was surprised that it worked the same as the NC steps.
But when I tried it again after adjusting my oil level(overfill),
it would not turn on the MIL inidcator and the procedure did not work.
On the AT, probably have to reset some codes in the PCM to do this??

Come on, Honda, what are you trying to tell us?
 
#36 ·
My bad



So the procedure on the AT is done
with the kill S/W only, whereas on the NC, the ignition s/w was
sufficient.

Warm engine, kill s/w to stop engine leave igition on.
Mode Shift s/w pressed in, turn kill s/w ON
Wait until MIL indicator goes off and then it's the same.

Got my DCT working to my likes again.

..:smile2:
 
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