Any Old Guys (Over 50) Riding the Africa Twin?

I'm turning 60 in 5 days ... I've had my AT DCT for little over a year. I LIKE the bike a LOT ... I used have the 13' R12GS which was a fantastic bike in itself! I'm a total newbie at off-road stuff, but any time a big, heavy bike can let me get back home in one piece, I'm happy. One thing I REALLY like about the AT is how simple & effective the electriceries are to use! Traction control have saved my 'butt' many times in the dirt already! I've yet to setup the suspension the way I like it, but working on it! Pictured is my riding buddy (daughter) who's planning to get a bike of her own soon!

I'm 57. I grew up riding dirt bikes. My first was an XR75 at the age of 13. A few years later I had a an Elsinore 125. I lived in the dirt. Then, when I was 19 I bought a CB750F and became a roadie. I lived on that bike too!

Fast forward 30+ years and I placed my order for the new ATAS DCT on April 2 and then I waited, and waited....

I picked it up last month and took the long way home. 140 miles. I was impressed with the bike overall but was wondering if I had made a mistake and should have bought the manual version. I didn't quite get the DCT. I read up on the DCT functions and rode it a couple more times around town and began to dial in some of the features. Still, I was wondering if I should have bought the manual.

Last weekend I made a plan to ride over to the east bay backcountry to spend some more time in the saddle. To get there I had to ride city streets and freeway for about an hour. There the DCT performs as it should. I entered Niles Canyon and had it set in S3 mode. A little bit of altitude and a bit heavier on the throttle and the bike starts to come alive. I was still mixed in with some autos so my speed into the corners was nothing too aggressive.

Once I entered Mines Road it all changed. The canyon runs out through the backside of Mt. Hamilton. I opened it up. It was 8am and nothing but tight twisties, me, and the DCT. OMG. The thing just came alive! The traction control, ABS, engine braking, rev-match downshifting. I had miles of smiles! I rode 60 miles and saw one motorcyclist, which I passed on a short straight, and a coyote that ran across the rode. The sun was up, the temperature was right and the bike was awesome! After a bit more than an hour I peaked Mt. Hamilton at 4,265 ft. elevation.
I rode home with the thought that I was glad to have made the DCT choice. It will still take some getting use to but I have embraced this technology.

I look forward to getting on some fire roads this fall and experiencing the DCT in the dirt, on more technical terrain. Before I do, I need to purchase engine guards and swap out the tires.

That's my intro, I hope to see you out there. Cheers!

I'm 56. Road a lot when I was younger. I honed my skills on a Honda ’75 XL250, mostly on dirt. When I turned 16 I added a low-miles beautiful 1976 Kawasaki KZ650—that bike would go! After that bike was totaled in the typical driver-didn’t-see-me scenario, I got a ’78 Honda 750 Four-K… not quite as peppy as the KZ650 but a beautiful bike, nonetheless. A few years later, that one too went by the board in a similar fashion.

Decided to hang it up for a while after that but didn’t think it would take me this long to get back into riding. Esp. considering my brother is a vintage BMW aficionado—I did ride his bikes some, but not often enough.

Over the years I looked now and again, but nothing really caught my eye. I almost took the Harley plunge once or twice, but I really wanted a bike that could take me *anywhere,* an adventure bike—I wanted the best of both worlds, street and dirt. I thought about the KTMs and the BMWs but again, nothing was calling me enough to write the check. And even after watching The Long Way Round series and the serious dose of enthusiasm that put into me, I just couldn’t pull the trigger on a BMW or KTM—I wanted a bike that could do all that, but not those bikes.

I’d seen the original Africa Twins starting in 2016, and was attracted, but I have to be honest, they didn’t quite do it for me either. Then, suddenly, it was like Honda was reading my mind, along comes the Adventure Sports Model. It was love at first sight. The color scheme(!)—I literally wouldn’t change a thing. And it was taller, bigger, with that huge tank. I’m a tall, big guy, I like a tall, big bike.

So, in late June I went down to my local Honda dealer and wrote a check for the model they just happened to get in and with a few hiccups here and there—learning to deal with mechanical engine braking and the sensitive throttle, and making some needed adjustments to the shifter and chain—it’s been nearly pure bliss.

I feel at least 10 years younger when I'm on the bike, hẹll, 30 years younger, sometimes. On the highway, the bike rides as comfortably as a cruiser (less that niggling engine braking); on winding back roads, she handles wonderfully (and the engine braking actually helps). She has more power and speed than I will ever need.

And after taking her out on the dirt for the first time last weekend (admittedly slow and easy, but serious enough terrain) I can vouch she has torque to spare. I was very impressed with the low-end torque (in GRAVEL mode)—climbing *steep* hills effortlessly, like she could pull a truck up behind her. And the bike’s overall handling on the sloppy stuff was confidence-inspiring, even with the OEM tires! Exceptionally well-balanced and easy to handle. Took all the bumps with ease. What a blast!