Fri Apr 18 00:14:56 1997 - Message No. 649
From: MHatton304@aol.com

Subject: TESTS OF AFRICA TWIN


I have recently acquired my first AT (infact my first bike for 15 years).  I
researched which bike to buy for some months before deciding.  A big
influence on my final decision was two recent articles about the AT in UK
motorbike magazines.  The AT is quite a rare bike in the UK (everyone seems
to prefer CBR600 or Trumph 595's!).  The tests were in Ride magazine (March
1997) and Bike magazine (November 1996).  Both tests compare the AT with 3
other bikes and in both tests the AT was the "winner".  The Ride test
compared a 1992 AT with a similar aged BMW R100GS, a Yamaha TDM850 and a
Yamaha XTZ750. The R100GS was second in the test and seen as being slow and
ugly but with a great "plodding" engine, smooth ride and lasts for ever.The
TDM 850 was third and seen as a great engine but wobbly suspension.  The XTZ
was seen as a poor man's AT with a rough engine and crude suspension.  To
quote the article the AT was described as "Completely ace at everything
except limbo dancing, it scratches, tours and commutes better than its got
any right to do".  The Bike test compared a new AT with a new Triumph Tiger,
BMW R1100GS and a Cagiva Elefant.  Again the AT won with the GS a very close
second, the triumph third and the Cagiva a poor fourth.  The Honda was seen
as a little characterless with no outstanding features but everyting worked
very well and they concluded that an owner would grow to love their machine
and never want to sell it.  The GS was described as "an absolute gas" a
totally crazy bike that weighs a huge amount and is the size and colour of a
bath but it handles and is engineered best of all.  Its price at #2,000 more
than the AT made it second.  The Triumph had the most exciting engine but it
was seen as a scary ride (too top heavy and poor suspension) and the Cagiva
was seen as having a great engine but everything else about it disappointed.

So if anyone is thinking about buying a bike to fall in love with - follow my
example and get an AT, I certainly have not regretted my decision for 1
moment - but an XRV 850 .... well thats something I should perhaps have
waited for !


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dipper@normans.isd.uni-stuttgart.de