HONDA The Power of Dreams

The origin of the long-selling Africa Twin brand is the Paris-Dakar Rally.

The epic Paris-Dakar Rally covers a total distance of more than 10,000 km from Paris to Dakar, Senegal, in West Africa.

Honda’s first victory in the motorcycle division came in 1982, when Cyril Neveu of the Honda France team took the win on his custom XR500R built by Honda R&D and RSC (Racing Service Center).

Later, as the performance of rally bikes became more advanced, it became necessity to develop a specialized machine with even higher levels of handling stability and durability.

Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) developed the NXR750 factory bike, and introduced it to rally racing. It was equipped with a liquid-cooled, 4-stroke, OHC, V-twin engine and as an off-road machine had a unique fairing.

This bike won its debut race in 1986, and went on to win three consecutive championships through 1988. The Africa Twin was developed as a true adventure production model, reflecting the know-how of the factory bike that became the off-road king.

The Africa Twin has an iconic, big 24-liter fuel tank, allowing it to be ridden over long distances without refueling. Other features, such as the fairing, which reduces rider fatigue from the wind, and the styling and equipment of the factory bike, made the Africa Twin popular among off-road enthusiasts, especially in Europe.

The production model Africa Twin, has also performed well in numerous fields. In 1989, the year after its launch, it was crowned the first and runner-up in the Marathon class of the Paris-Dakar Rally for unmodified production motorcycles. This was an “Objet Dakar” project in which Honda France invited riders from the general public to ride an Africa Twin to Dakar. Fifty riders were selected to take on the grueling Paris-Dakar Rally with the support of Honda France, and a whopping 18 riders completed the race.

This was proof of the Africa Twin’s high potential as a rally machine.

The origin of the long-selling Africa Twin brand is the Paris-Dakar Rally.

The epic Paris-Dakar Rally covers a total distance of more than 10,000 km from Paris to Dakar, Senegal, in West Africa.

Honda’s first victory in the motorcycle division came in 1982, when Cyril Neveu of the Honda France team took the win on his custom XR500R built by Honda R&D and RSC (Racing Service Center).

Later, as the performance of rally bikes became more advanced, it became necessity to develop a specialized machine with even higher levels of handling stability and durability.

Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) developed the NXR750 factory bike, and introduced it to rally racing. It was equipped with a liquid-cooled, 4-stroke, OHC, V-twin engine and as an off-road machine had a unique fairing.

This bike won its debut race in 1986, and went on to win three consecutive championships through 1988. The Africa Twin was developed as a true adventure production model, reflecting the know-how of the factory bike that became the off-road king.

The Africa Twin has an iconic, big 24-liter fuel tank, allowing it to be ridden over long distances without refueling. Other features, such as the fairing, which reduces rider fatigue from the wind, and the styling and equipment of the factory bike, made the Africa Twin popular among off-road enthusiasts, especially in Europe.

The production model Africa Twin, has also performed well in numerous fields. In 1989, the year after its launch, it was crowned the first and runner-up in the Marathon class of the Paris-Dakar Rally for unmodified production motorcycles. This was an “Objet Dakar” project in which Honda France invited riders from the general public to ride an Africa Twin to Dakar. Fifty riders were selected to take on the grueling Paris-Dakar Rally with the support of Honda France, and a whopping 18 riders completed the race.

This was proof of the Africa Twin’s high potential as a rally machine.