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Honda has let loose two of HRC's most valuable assets on the new CRF1000L Africa Twin.
Joan Barreda is Honda's Dakar ace and is considered one of the fastest rally racers currently. You might have heard of the second guy, a young kid named Marc Marquez, double MotoGP world champion and an experienced dirt rider in his own right.
The two Spaniards were enlisted to not only showcase the capabilities of the Africa Twin in competent hands -complete with choreographed slides- but to also share their thoughts on the big enduro.
The 5'6, 130 pound Marc Marquez seems to have no issue man handling the new Africa Twin, possibly making use of the lower 32.3 inch optional seat.
Barreda says the most important thing for him is that the AT can go anywhere. Even better, 'Bang Bang' says that the technology is similar to what HRC packed into his Dakar bike.
Marquez loves that the big 999cc twin pulls hard and the chassis allows him to keep high speeds for long distances (surprise, surprise from your GP champ). As a smaller man Marquez didn't find the CRF overbearing, finding the bike stable after jumps and compliant through tighter, twisty stuff. Notably MM93 praised the ergonomics both seated and standing.
It's a great bit of promotional work from Honda Europe, while the feedback was fantastic to hear from two legends in their own right, we're a little antsy to hear a thing or two about the CRF1000L from someone not on Big Red's payroll.
Stay tuned!