[GoBlue]

Originally Posted by aneesh2M

Thats a lovely bike. Wish you thousands of miles of riding. just a small query about the service, did Honda Charged you anything extra for sending the service guy from Mumbai to Pune? like Travel/Service Charges etc.?

Thanks!

Yes, on-site service is a paid option. They charge a flat INR 2500 + GST.

If multiple owners have arranged to get their bikes serviced on the same day, they split this INR 2500 evenly across the owners.

There are around 15 Africa Twins in Pune, a majority of which are 2017-2019 MY CRF1000L (DCT only). For these, Pune BigWing does service locally at Pune (they also retailed the bikes locally).

The 2020 MY onwards CRF1100L Adventure Sports model (DCT + MT) was sold exclusively by the Mumbai BigWing Topline in Maharashtra (along with other Honda SBKs which are greater than 500 cc). For these bikes, service can be done only by the Mumbai BigWing Topline dealer. Pune BigWing (non Topline dealer) cannot retail/service 2020 MY onwards bikes (they can retail/service Honda SBKs up to 500cc only, which means the CB350, CB500X etc).

Owners of CRF1100L Adventure Sports models only can opt for paid on-site service (as the technician comes from Mumbai dealership). They can always choose to ride down to Mumbai and get their bikes serviced at the SVC without paying additional charges.

Can understand if this seems complex to absorb. That’s Honda, in a nutshell.

Pecking order of Honda two wheeler dealerships:

1. Honda BigWing Topline: retail/service all premium bikes up to 1800cc

2. Honda BigWing: retail/service premium bikes up to 500cc only

3. Honda Two Wheelers: retail/service (super premium) Activas/other commuter bikes

[aneesh2M]

Thanks GoBlue, and yes it is complex to absorb and also heartbreaking to see HONDA avoid Pune to get a top line dealership, Pune being one of the top city's for riders it should not have been neglected. in fact this was a deal breaker for me as i was waiting to get CBR 650r but the launched price (absolutely not a value for 600cc bike) and all this headache of getting the bike from Mumbai and servicing it from Mumbai diverted my plans from CBR. IMO Honda is stretching the pricing and service policy too much. They have taken one more HONDA fan away from Honda.

[GoBlue]

2nd Service Update | 3.1K, 6 Months:

As is the service offering by all BigWing Toplines pan-India, BigWing Mumbai technician came down to Pune for the service.

They did not change the oil and oil filter as the bike’s running was fairly less since the 1st service. The technician checked condition of the oil/level and decided to do an oil change during 3rd service.

Besides this, they did the following jobs:
1. Brake pad cleaning
2. Spoke check and rim check
3. Chain clean and lube (lube provided by self)
4. Chain slack adjustment
5. Fluid levels check
6. OEM Honda center stand installation
7. Removed Kriega fork covers and cleaned from inside/fitted back

Cost of service: INR 500 (to fit main stand)
Cost of doorstep offering: INR 2500

The service technician (Mayur) is truly skilled at his craft. Service handled with absolute professionalism. Not a single attempt made to do any extra jobs or to add additional charges. A premium doorstep service for a premium motorcycle. Very happy with how Honda is handling after sales.

Some pics taken when the work was in progress:







Note: can see another thread in which some owners are facing issues with local BigWings not servicing big bikes. Each BigWing Topline is responsible to send service technician (with required parts) to any city within that state (if needed even inter-state) as requested by an owner. This is an established process and works like clockwork. There is no need to be apprehensive about this in case one is looking to buy a Honda SBK.

[Kjasonm]

Hello everyone. It is an honor for me to put up a post on this page and I will do my best to keep it relevant and interesting (it's my first blog post so kindly excuse any mistakes). My post will be about my own experience with various bike dealerships in Bangalore and how I ended up booking the 2022 Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sport Manual. I am not going to touch on specifications of any of the bikes since they are in abundance on this forum and Youtube. I will also include some thoughts on the accessories I intend to install once the bike is delivered a little later on in the thread.

I currently own a Kawasaki Vulcan 650S since 2019. Here are some pics:





This is IMHO a brilliant and undervalued bike with only one real issue which is the ground clearance is pretty poor and you end up scraping the bottom on most speed breakers in Bangalore (now I know why they call them breakers). Its got a great responsive engine and is pocket friendly on maintenance. While it has been a fun ride I need something bigger and definitely with a lot more ground clearance. My previous ride was a Himalayan and purchasing a Vulcan was definitely influenced by the Mrs. wanting a more down to earth bike.

Now onto my options, test ride and dealership experience:

1) BMW F900XR or R1250GS - Ruled them out straight away for a couple of reasons without even going to the showroom. Personally I do not like the looks of the F900XR and the R1250GS goes way over my budget. Plus maintenance and accessories costs and are sky high on Beemers and I am not made of money. So bye bye BMW.

2) Kawasaki Versys 1000 - The Bangalore dealership did not have a Test Ride vehicle and cited Covid as a reason (though we were way past the second wave and even Omicron had come and gone). While a very capable and affordable bike it is heavily road focused and also with only the base version of the Versys being available in India the bike misses out on a lot of "Tech" like cornering lights and Skyhook suspension. A friend also told me that for my style of riding I would be better off getting something with a little more off road cred.

3) Ducati Multistrada 950S - This was a near hit and miss for me. I went to the Bangalore showroom a couple of times. The first time they did not have the test ride bike and the second time I got to test ride it but only inside the compound of the showroom. No longer test rides available. Still the bike felt good and you could tell it was powerful. After multiple follow ups got to know that the test ride bike was available for sale since the 950S was being phased out in favor of the V2S. It had been dropped once and the right hand guard was broken, there was one small scratch on the tank and it was a year old so I was hopeful that I would get a sweet deal on it. After many many more follow ups was told the bike has been sold (I followed up numerous times between December and February about the bike and received very little to no response. Needed them to help sell my Vulcan so maybe that delayed things as well). See you later Ducati.

4) Triumph Tiger 850 Sport / 900 Rally - Now this bike is one I have dreamt of owning ever since I first saw the Tiger XCX 800 back in 2016. Fast forward to 2021 and the bike in it's new avatar comes in the budget 850 Sport which is more road biased and the Rally Pro which is an off road beast. I test road the Rally Pro twice (the second time was without the front windscreen as a customer had dropped the bike and broken it during a test ride almost a month ago and they had not yet gotten round to repairing it) and was thoroughly impressed with the handling and the fact that I was sitting at a height that was above the roof's of most cars but yet cornering did not seem too difficult. Now budget came into play and was dillydallying between the 850 (Head) and 900 (Heart). Then I read the Team BHP thread on the after sales service.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/super...ing-brand.html (Triumph Motorcycles India : Is after-sales service killing this brand?)

Reading the thread killed off any desire I had to own a Tiger. The last thing I can afford is to have my dream turn into a nightmare. Part availability issues and the fear of having to leave the bike in the service center for months at a time as well as less than competent service meant that it was time for me to say farewell to the dream. Though from what I have read if you are in Mumbai or Kerala you should be good as they have a much better service experience.

5) Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sport - Honestly as I write this I am still surprised that I actually booked the bike and I can hardly believe it. I had never thought of owning the bike, did not like the way it looked in photos and had never seen the bike in person so it was never on my radar. When I finished my test ride of the Tiger on a sunny Saturday afternoon my wife and son did not want to head home yet and wanted to drive around a bit more, so I thought to myself what else can I do - Alright lets go look at the Honda just for kicks. Luckily it was right near the Tiger showroom. As I walked in and explained what I was looking for I was told that the test ride bike was in the service center and would not be available for a couple of days (coz a customer had dropped it - I mean what is it with customers dropping these bikes . Maybe the showroom should do some sort of pre-test to prove you have what it takes to ride one).

But then the sales person did something that no one else in the other showrooms had done. He took my name and number and said that as soon as the bike was back he would send it home for me to test ride for at least an hour minimum or longer if I needed to as he believed that this was a decision that was best made once you spend time on the bike. The max I got to test ride the other bikes was all of 15 minutes. He took the time to explain all the features of the bike including what's changing in 2022 and I could almost imagine it in front of me.

I was impressed with his knowledge and confidence in the bike and that got me thinking. I went back home read up all I could on both the Africa twin and the Tiger 900 Rally Pro (I had more or less abandoned the Tiger 850 Sport by this time - Heart wins) and that's when I found the threads about the servicing horrors of Triumph. I reached out to a friend who had bought the Africa Twin last year and he vouched for the bike and also explained that the same servicing issues was the reason why he did not go for the Triumph (a lot of his friends are Triumph owners and they are not too happy). That sealed the deal for me. I went back to the showroom Monday evening and booked the Africa Twin without even test riding it . I know it seems like an impulsive decision but I have been in the hunt for an ADV for a while now and somehow this just felt right.

A couple of days later the bike (It's the 2021 DCT version) was available for a test ride and I decided to do the test ride at the showroom. Believe me pictures do not do justice to the bike when it is in front of you and then the ride experience itself in a word is near "Perfect". Honda engines are known for their reliability and smoothness and I believe that is partly due to the fact that they do not try to draw too much power from the engine. It was fun riding the DCT with the paddle shifters not to mention all the other ABS, traction and wheelie options to play with. A long test ride later I was convinced that I had made the right decision. I still went with manual due to the cost difference and also because I enjoy shifting gears the old fashioned way.

I guess that's it for this post. Thank you for reading. I have a long list of accessories and will post more once I get closer to the actual delivery of the bike which is hopefully in April or May.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by Kjasonm

I test road the Rally Pro twice (the second time was without the front windscreen as a customer had dropped the bike and broken it during a test ride almost a month ago and they had not yet gotten round to repairing it) and was thoroughly impressed with the handling and the fact that I was sitting at a height that was above the roof's of most cars but yet cornering did not seem too difficult. Now budget came into play and was dillydallying between the 850 (Head) and 900 (Heart). Then I read the Team BHP thread on the after sales service.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/super...ing-brand.html (Triumph Motorcycles India : Is after-sales service killing this brand?)

Reading the thread killed off any desire I had to own a Tiger.
…
It was fun riding the DCT with the paddle shifters not to mention all the other ABS, traction and wheelie options to play with.

That’s an absolutely brilliant choice. Would love to see any pics from your test rides of the Rally Pro as well as the ATAS.

If you can elaborate on the specific difference in your riding impressions between the Rally and the Honda that would be most helpful. The manual AT and Rally Pro do go head to head in many people deciding in that price and size segment.

Even I would pit these two bikes head on whenever I want to change over from my 800 Tiger so would be keen to know that aside from service issues, just bike for bike what are your comparative observations from the ride.

Good luck with your delivery in April / May - have they indicated what the color scheme for the Manual bike in 2022 would be like?

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by Kjasonm

He took the time to explain all the features of the bike including what's changing in 2022 and I could almost imagine it in front of me.

Congratulations!

Can you share what all is changing on MY2022? per SA here, there are no expected changes except for an increase in prices over MY 2021.

[Sebring]

Congrats. I approached Kawasaki Bangalore for test rides of both the Z900 and Versys 1000, and they never have these bikes for TD. How will they make a sale like this (Depending purely on peer recommendation)? Honda Topline scores in this regard and hence are able to move the expensive bikes faster

Originally Posted by Kjasonm

Kawasaki Versys 1000 - The Bangalore dealership did not have a Test Ride vehicle and cited Covid as a reason (though we were way past the second wave and even Omicron had come and gone). While a very capable and affordable bike it is heavily road focused and also with only the base version of the Versys being available in India the bike misses out on a lot of "Tech" like cornering lights and Skyhook suspension

[the_skyliner]

Originally Posted by Kjasonm

I went back to the showroom Monday evening and booked the Africa Twin without even test riding it . I know it seems like an impulsive decision but I have been in the hunt for an ADV for a while now and somehow this just felt right.

Congratulations!! ATAS is an amazing bike.

If you are someone who also likes to take the bike off-roading then you have made the right decision. I heard that the "blue-white" will be MT this year and DCT will come in black color.

Why there is so much delay for 2022 deliveries? Last year they delivered in March IIRC.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Sebring

Z900 and Versys 1000

Z900 is available for TD.

My friend who picked up a CB500X recently had tried the Z900 too back then. This was last month.

[kosjam]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Congratulations!

Can you share what all is changing on MY2022? per SA here, there are no expected changes except for an increase in prices over MY 2021.

As of now, from what I know, the colours for the DCT and MT have been swapped and there is a nominal increase of approx 15,000 for the MT. Didnt enquire about the DCT.

[Guru_Shikhar]

@Kjasonm congratulations for your choice. ATAS is indeed a well rounded package with good Honda service back up ( well... most of them.) Honda engines are marvels be it 2W or a 4W. IMHO this bike is very close to DAKAR experience.

Would love to know about your feelings going for ATAS & Triumph Tiger Rally Pro. After all supported by a good gesture from the ATAS SA certainly can not be the major reason; or was it that impulsive??

Also did you get any price reduction/good deal?

Will eagerly wait for your updates regarding delivery.

Cheers.

[Kjasonm]

Originally Posted by Axe77

That’s an absolutely brilliant choice. Would love to see any pics from your test rides of the Rally Pro as well as the ATAS.

If you can elaborate on the specific difference in your riding impressions between the Rally and the Honda that would be most helpful. The manual AT and Rally Pro do go head to head in many people deciding in that price and size segment.

Even I would pit these two bikes head on whenever I want to change over from my 800 Tiger so would be keen to know that aside from service issues, just bike for bike what are your comparative observations from the ride.

Good luck with your delivery in April / May - have they indicated what the color scheme for the Manual bike in 2022 would be like?

Well interestingly both bikes have some similarities IMHO. From my test rides both bikes are responsive, easy to handle at low speeds despite their size, adept at gobbling up the potholes in Bangalore (of which there is no shortage). The Triumph has a bit more grunt and you can feel the handle bar vibrations even at low speeds but I don't think it would really bother me too much on long distances. The Honda is buttery smooth in any gear. Could not test either bike at high speeds though I suspect both would remain stable.

I think the Honda has a leg up on the display since it has Android Auto/Apple Car play and you can easily view maps, music, etc. It loses out on heated seats vs the Tiger and both come with heated grips. I love the fact that the ATAS comes with an big aluminum bash plate and rear rack by default (so do not need to spend money on that).

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Congratulations!

Can you share what all is changing on MY2022? per SA here, there are no expected changes except for an increase in prices over MY 2021.

There are limited changes. Color for the manual is White & Blue and the DCT will be Black. There is a new graphic called cracked earth on side of the tank. The windscreen has been shortened and widened for better visibility & wind protection. Lastly for the DCT they have modified the algorithm for the gear changes between 1st and 2nd and perfected it. When I test rode the DCT it seemed to be changing the gears at the wrong time specifically for 1st and 2nd (it was too early and sometimes way too late). The rest of the gears were fine. I think that's it.

Originally Posted by the_skyliner

Congratulations!! ATAS is an amazing bike.

If you are someone who also likes to take the bike off-roading then you have made the right decision. I heard that the "blue-white" will be MT this year and DCT will come in black color.

Why there is so much delay for 2022 deliveries? Last year they delivered in March IIRC.

I know from my work that globally chip and container shortages are leading to delays in everything. Honda and the SA did not confirm but that is my suspicion.

Originally Posted by kosjam

As of now, from what I know, the colours for the DCT and MT have been swapped and there is a nominal increase of approx 15,000 for the MT. Didnt enquire about the DCT.

Yes the colors are the reverse of last year and I am actually thrilled by that. I would be extremely happy if its an increase of 15000. Anything higher than that does not seem justified since the 2022 bike has not really changed that much.

Originally Posted by Guru_Shikhar

@Kjasonm congratulations for your choice. ATAS is indeed a well rounded package with good Honda service back up ( well... most of them.) Honda engines are marvels be it 2W or a 4W. IMHO this bike is very close to DAKAR experience.

Would love to know about your feelings going for ATAS & Triumph Tiger Rally Pro. After all supported by a good gesture from the ATAS SA certainly can not be the major reason; or was it that impulsive??

Also did you get any price reduction/good deal?

Will eagerly wait for your updates regarding delivery.

Cheers.

Neither Honda nor Triumph are offering any deals probably because both bikes are in demand but they are being supportive if you need help exchanging your old bike for example. Picking ATAS over the Tiger was a bit of everything. It was impulsive since I booked it without a test ride (I did the same thing when purchasing my Renault Duster and never regretted it). It was also due to the horror stories in the after sales service in Triumph. There was not one or two - there were many and that honestly scared me. Also I looked at the engine stats - The Africa Twin has 1084cc engine generating 98 bhp @ 7,500 vs the Tiger 900 with an 888cc engine generating 94bhp @ 8,750 rpm which makes me think that the Honda Africa twin won't be as stressed during long rides for example.

I am eagerly waiting for the launch date and delivery as well and will definitely post about the same and the accessories I am putting on.

[ManneAtWheelz]

Honda Africa Twin is one of the most premium adventure touring lineup currently available in the Indian market

The Indian motorcycling community has found a thing or two for adventure motorcycles in recent years. Keeping that in mind, Honda has updated its flagship ADV lineup. The Japanese brand has launched Africa Twin Adventure Sports in India at a starting price of Rs 16.01 lakh (ex-showroom).

It will be available for retail exclusively through Honda’s BigWing Topline showrooms across India. Bookings of the updated ADV twins have commenced from today onwards. Interested buyers can book the 2022 Africa Twin either by visiting any BigWing Topline dealerships or by booking the same through Honda’s BigWing website.

2022 Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports Launched
The latest iteration will arrive in India as a CKD (Completely Knocked Down) import. Honda is offering 2022 Africa Twin Adventure Sports in two variants- a manual gearbox and a DCT gearbox. Both variants are offered with a single paint scheme namely Pearl Glare White Tricolor and Matt Ballistic Black Metallic respectively. The latter with a DCT gearbox has been priced at Rs 17.55 lakh (ex-showroom).

Powertrain Specs & Features
Powering the adventure tourer is a 1083cc Liquid-cooled, OHC, 8-Valve parallel-twin engine that pumps out 98 PS of power at 7500 rpm and a peak torque of 103 Nm at 6000rpm. It is paired with either a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 7-speed dual clutch automatic transmission. Complementing the engine are a host of electronics that aid riders such as a six-axis Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and HSTC (Honda Selectable Torque Control). Both MT and DCT variants get four default riding mode settings including TOUR, URBAN, GRAVEL and OFF-ROAD to cover most riding conditions. In addition, it also features two customizable USER 1 & 2 settings. Honda has made some adjustments to the rally-style positive LCD instrument console for better visibility while riding. In addition to the pre-existing Apple CarPlay, the console is now also equipped with Android Auto as well. It also comes with dual LED headlights with integrated LED DRLs and Cornering Lights. Other notable features on offer include Bluetooth Connectivity and an adjustable seat.

Hardware Specs
Getting into details about hardware configurations, Africa Twin is underpinned by a semi double-cradle steel frame that is suspended on telescopic forks at front and a pro-link mono-shock unit at rear. It rides on 21-inch front and 18-inch rear spoked wheels that can be shod with dual-purpose tubeless tyres. Braking is handled by twin 310mm disc brakes at front and a 256mm disc at rear.

Source: Rushlane













Source: Honda Bigwing

[Axe77]

I don’t believe these are the 2022 graphics. Image below from the Autocar India insta page is the correct graphic as per my understanding. This year the black is the DCT and the tricolour the MT.

[Kjasonm]

Originally Posted by Axe77

I don’t believe these are the 2022 graphics. Image below from the Autocar India insta page is the correct graphic as per my understanding. This year the black is the DCT and the tricolour the MT.

Yes you are absolutely correct. The images are from the outgoing ATAS. I got the 2022 brochure from the dealer in Bangalore AfricaTwinBrochure.pdf

The brochure has the colors wrong though. The MT will be in Pearl White and the DCT in Black (confirmed by the dealer and several other websites where the announcement was made). The increase in price is nominal. For the MT is it INR 5000 which is not bad. First deliveries are expected in May.