Honda’s->ke291 got high hopes for the Africa Twin, the company’s resident adventure bike that’s itching to become the game-changer in the segment Big Red always hoped it would be. The all-new Africa Twin clearly has a lot on its shoulders so as you can expect, Honda has prepared a marketing siege to help promote the bike, including a promotional video of the bike with interviews from the people who were directly responsible for building it in the first place.

Honda went straight to the point here and you have to applaud them for that. Instead of the carefully crafted promo piece, the company went straight to highlighting what the new Africa Twin will have at its disposal.

One new feature on the Africa Twin is the Dual Clutch Transmission, which is not only new to the model, but also a first for off-road riding in general. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing remains to be seen, but from the looks of things, Honda’s willingness to take the bike outside of its comfort zone speaks to the company’s confidence that the name, cache, and overall features will translate well to off-road riders the world over.

As far as the video itself is concerned, it’s nice to see the team behind the all-new Africa Twin to talk shop with their Japanese counterparts who were responsible for the development of the original model. Hearing how both sides reflect on their creations is like listening to two proud sets of parents comparing their equally awesome children. It’s a nice break from the usual cavalcade of promotional materials that focus solely on the aesthetics without diving deep into the spirit of these machines.

The new Honda Africa Twin is promising a lot, which it should if it wants to separate itself from the likes of the KTM 990 Adventure or the Yamaha Super Tenere->ke4422. After watching this video, I’m hopeful that all these promises won’t go unfulfilled.

Continue reading to read more about the arrival of the new Honda Africa Twin.

Why it matters

Promotional videos come in many different forms. Some aren’t really worth our time while others are worth bookmarking for future reference. Honda’s promo for the Africa Twin is part of its “True Adventure” web series but whatever shape it comes in, it’s definitely worth watching.

I’ve watched it a few times actually, and I think those interested in the bike should do the same. If you want to really dive deep into the inner workings of how the new Africa Twin came to be, the development teams that worked on different versions of the adventure bike provide unprecedented insight on the process behind their respective models.

It’s fascinating to watch two separate teams, which includes HRC riders, Honda engineers, and stakeholders to the Africa Twin brand, sit in one table and talk shop about their projects, comparing what one team did relative to the other yet also firmly establishing the shared passion that came in the development of the Africa Twin.

The discussion about the bike’s new Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) was particularly telling since both teams seemed to agree about the initial apprehension of fitting an adventure bike with a transmission system that kind of robs of its ruggedness. In the end, though, everybody seemed to agree that the new Africa Twin is the right kind of bike that can line up with some of the best the segment has to offer.

It’s still a little premature for me to say as much, too, but I’m going to take Honda’s word for what it’s worth.