After the ferry we headed into Jock’s old
stomping ground where he showed me just
about every road surface imaginable. The roads
of the lower east coast of the North Island are
like spaghetti, but the AT just ate it up. The rear
suspension was really tested particularly by the
almost never maintained B and C sealed roads
of this area but it’s fantastic at smoothing things
out by being compliant and controlled. We
fanged through the beautiful hill country and
coastal terrain and ended up on top of Te Mata
peak for more photos in the last sunlight.
The route home was via the Gentle Annie to
Taihape which is a fantastic road ride through
a spectacular piece of the country. With the
mountains as a back drop we really put the
Hondas to work. The motor has smooth power
through the midrange all the way to the limiter and
this allows you to get through the twisties fast with
good power for corner exits, and the almost 100hp
is awesome in the more open going. The bonus
with the DCT is that it sounds like a race bike when
you jam it down the gears, it electronically blips the
throttle and sounds real cool.
The last leg home highlighted the quality of
the seat which had my rear end home in good
shape, which was a big bonus as that 400km
from Taihape can often be torture. The Africa
twins performed faultlessly and have the goods
for an adventure on whatever roads or tracks
you choose to explore.
GEOFF OSBORNE
The manual feels more
responsive as the drive is more
direct and it’s slightly easier to
throw around due to less mass
KIWI RIDER 49