Oh the perks of being a Spidi Test Rider. Recently, the Spidi Crew got their hands on a rare special edition Africa Twin for a test ride and opportunity to try out some of the new gear from their 2018 adventure touring collection. And now they’ve prepared a sneak peek video featuring the Africa Twin Rally in action.

The Rally is designed to be a lighter, more nimble, off-road-focused version of the standard Africa Twin with loads of rally-race styling. The design was originally based on Italian Rally Racer Paolo Ceci’s Africa Twin race bike, which he used to compete in the Africa Eco Race, and was developed in a collaboration with Red Moto, an Italian Honda dealer.

Some of the performance enhancements include an upgraded suspension, heavy-duty Excel wheels, braided steel brake lines, a high front fender, full Termignoni exhaust, a programmable ECU, along with an array of different carbon-fiber, anodized and billet aluminum components.

Rally Race elements include LED headlights, clear windscreen that goes over the headlight module, navigation tower, full-wraparound skid plate and single-piece seat. All the up-spec components reduce the weight of the bike by 15.4 pounds (7 kilos) compared to the stock Africa Twin, while simultaneously adding an additional 5 horsepower.

This test was held on a multi day trip, facing challenging weather conditions, mountain passes and single tracks. So what’s it like to ride the Africa Twin Rally? According to the Spidi Test Rider, the bike felt more nimble on the ruts and sandy sections he encountered, while power delivery was more consistent, with an extra kick where needed most. The bike also retains much of the comfort of the stock Africa Twin.

Currently, the Africa Twin Rally is only available in Italy, in limited numbers, with pricing in the €21K – €22k Euro range. We can only hope that it becomes an official Honda production model, with wider availability, in the near future.

Stay tuned for more from Spidi’s Africa Twin Rally test and the new Spidi Adventure Touring line.