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ADV BikesMarquez and Barreda Test the New Africa Twin Off-Road

Marquez and Barreda Test the New Africa Twin Off-Road

See how the CRF1000L performs when top Spanish racers take it to the track.

Published on 09.14.2015

Honda has let loose two of their top Spanish motorcycle racers — Marc Marquez and Joan Barreda — to test the new Africa Twin and share their opinions. Rally Racer Joan Barreda is considered one of the fastest riders in the Dakar Rally and Marc Marquez is the current MotoGP world champion. While Marc Marquez is known for his phenomenal skills on asphalt, he trains on dirt in the off season and is an accomplished dirt track racer as well.

The video shows the two Spaniards putting the new Africa Twin through its paces on an outdoor track. Marc and Joan demonstrate choreographed slides and jumps on the big enduro with ease. Surprisingly, it seems Honda allowed their prized racers to perform these potentially dangerous maneuvers without much upper body protection.

New Africa Twin being tested at the track
Marc Marquez and Joan Barreda get some air on the new Africa Twin wearing only light protection.

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At one point in the video it shows the small statured Marc Marquez (5’6″ 130 pounds) touching the ground on one leg. No doubt they were using the Africa Twin’s low seat height setting (32.3 inch). He seems to have no problem whipping around on the big dual sport.

Marc Marquez and Joan Barreda sitting on new africa twin
Marc Marquez 5’6″ (left) and Joan Barreda 5’11” (right) shown here sitting on the new Africa Twin.

After the off-road demonstration, continue watching the playlist to see Joan and Marc provide their opinions on what it is like to ride the new Africa Twin.

Author: Rob Dabney

Rob Dabney started a lifelong obsession with motorcycles at the age of 15 when he purchased his first bike – a 1982 Honda MB5. Through his 20’s and 30’s he competed in off-road desert races, including the Baja 250, 500 and 1000. Eventually, his proclivity for exploration led him to dual sport and adventure riding. Rob’s never-ending quest to discover what’s around the next bend has taken him on Adventures in Latin America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and throughout the American West. As a moto journalist, he enjoys inspiring others to seek adventure across horizons both near and far.

Author: Rob Dabney
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John Poe
John Poe
September 14, 2015 3:14 pm

Cool music, but I sure would like to hear what the BIKE sounds like!

ray macnamee
ray macnamee
September 14, 2015 3:30 pm

flat road and one easy jump. I think this is a marketing fluff video. I say they release this bike to an off road magazine with neutral riders to do a side by side test and lets see where it stacks up.

freongee
freongee
September 16, 2015 8:56 am
Reply to  ray macnamee

Exactly! And the position for 5′ riders might be top notch off-road, but what about a proper sized human exceeding 6′?

Kit
Kit
September 18, 2015 8:31 am

Funny how they don’t show the landing on the bigger jumps

michaelmassucco
michaelmassucco
September 21, 2015 4:44 pm
Reply to  Kit

I was thinking exactly the same thing. Watching slow motion video is a great way to evaluate suspension performance. I am pretty exited about the return of the Africa twin. It is going to be a sweet bike. (even if it bottoms out on the big hits).

Broken-1200-fuelstrip
Broken-1200-fuelstrip
September 22, 2015 2:17 pm

Ohhh the egos of the previous posts!!! Feeling threatened by an inferior bike?! Oh wait……happens everytime you pass a KLR?!

Good for Honda, at least they’re making something intended for dirt instead of another big poser bike that costs way too much and people don’t take it off-road.

Here’s something to think about……you can buy a brand new Africa Twin, do anything you can do with any of the established adventure bike brands……and still have money to buy just about ANY new dirt bike and do all the crazy single track/mountain climbs……for the price of ONE loaded 1200GSA!!!! Ahhhh-hshaha……now isn’t that something!

singletraccer
singletraccer
November 10, 2015 9:27 am

Heavier than a KTM 1190R and only 93HP versus KTM’s 150HP. People will watch video of this machine to cure insomnia!

Brad Hicks
Brad Hicks
September 23, 2015 10:02 am

Make no mistake I still want one, but come on, factory riders? They will never say anything negative. Show me somebody sweating one of these tanks through a sand wash!

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