These days many of the top adventure models come with a star pro enduro pilot who lofts, roosts and twirls the big bikes in miraculous ways, inspiring us to learn more skills, but also showing just what these machines  are capable of. For example, Yamaha has Pol Tarres on the T7, while Chris Birch often champions KTM’s 1290 Super Adventure R. 

In Honda’s corner is Spanish enduro rider Kirian Mirabet who regularly takes an Africa Twin, a new build each year, to new heights of hooliganism, sharing the fun on his YouTube channel. 

The bikes are occasionally stock, but more often they’re built out at the discretion of the rider, usually in stages. Looking at Kirian’s latest Africa Twin CRF1100L build there’s no doubt the inspo came from Honda’s big comeback at Dakar 2024 where the new-gen KTM-crushing CRF450 Rally carried Ricky Brabec to the top position on the podium and his teammate Adrian Van Beveren to third step.

ADV Pulse caught up with Kirian as he returned from an adventure bike tour with Big Trail Argentina and he was more than happy to tell us about stage one of his 2024 AT build. “We couldn’t miss the opportunity to pay tribute” to Brabec, HRC and the Dakar victory, he says, so much of what makes this bike special is the way its aesthetic echoes the race machine.

Overall, it’s much more sedate, especially without the neon green Monster claw marks running down the tank of the race bike. It’s also more seductive looking with a curvier top line than the board-straight race bike’s line, an effect enhanced by removal of foam in the passenger section of the stock seat before it was re-covered in blue by Tapizar Asiento Moto in Barcelona.

Kirian says he worked closely with Alex Guillem of UniRacing on the bike’s styling, disassembling the stock unit and powder coating many parts, including the engine covers, in black, while other items like the triple clamps were done in red. What wasn’t repainted or replaced in the desired color was vinyl wrapped by Barcelona’s Apex wraps. A sticker kit designed by UniRacing provided the finishing touch. 

But this bike’s cool factor is far from skin deep. Outback Motortek outfitted the Africa Twin with a kit that includes lower crash bars, upper crash bars, engine guards and a rugged skid plate, while S3 Parts supplied the anodized red footpegs. 

A high-performance Sprint air filter and full Mivv exhaust system were added to boost performance, while the exhaust saw the AT shed 5.3 pounds versus the stock unit. The braking system was upgraded with J.Juan’s stainless steel braided lines and Galfer discs and pads. 

The CRF450 Rally inspired machine’s Ohlins fork and rear shock were prepared by famous tuning house, Andreani MHS, located in Barcelona. For tires, Kirian opted for a set of Mitas XT Trail Plus Dakar tires that turn on narrow, enduro-sized black Takasago Excel rims with red-anodized billet Talon hubs.   

Additional accouterments, including oil cap, rear axle screws, handlebar clamps, steering damper, gear lever and the footpeg mounts were supplied by Luxembourg-based Gilles Tooling. 

Kirian says there will be two versions of the bike this year, this “racing” version and another wilder take to be revealed later in the year. And while this current build is turning heads on Kirian’s online content, the next version will star in a new showpiece video, the theme of which Kirian and his crew are currently keeping under wraps. 

No doubt it will be fun to watch. Last year we were treated to the short film Gymkhana38: The Step, a tribute to Ken Block’s Gymkhana series of viral stunt videos. It featured Kirian on an AT AS tearing around the city of El Paso (The Step), on La Palma, one of Spain’s Canary Islands. There are also fun videos of him riding ice and surfing dunes on Africa Twins, and let’s not forget that time he backflipped a luggage-laden AT into a massive, purpose-built foam pit.

Kirian stays very busy these days creating content and participating in his Honda-based activities, including the Honda Adventure Roads trips created especially for Africa Twin owners (this year’s 10-day “Epic Tour” event takes place in Morocco this May). As part of the lead up, Kirian teams up with Dave Thorpe for “how to” videos including a brand new edition that covers sand riding skills, which offers good tips for riders of all models. 

With these duties and a calendar full of additional presentations and events around the globe Kirian says at the moment he doesn’t have time for racing, and he’s okay with that. 

“I love my job,” he says of inspiring, teaching and hanging out with the adventure riding community. “It is incredible to be able to share a few days with the community, followers or people who love two wheels from all over the world.”

Photos by Arnau Puig

Author: Jamie Elvidge

Jamie has been a motorcycle journalist for more than 30 years, testing the entire range of bikes for the major print magazines and specializing in adventure-travel related stories. To date she’s written and supplied photography for articles describing what it’s like to ride in all 50 states and 43 foreign countries, receiving two Lowell Thomas Society of American Travel Writer’s Awards along the way. Her most-challenging adventure yet has been riding in the 2018 GS Trophy in Mongolia as Team AusAmerica’s embedded journalist.