Honda mulling over developing smaller capacity Honda Africa Twin

Currently, the Honda Africa Twin is not A2 licence compatible as it is too powerful for beginner riders. Honda does not have a proper adventure motorcycle in the middleweight segment either. Hence, in order to cater to this gap, Honda is planning to bring a smaller capacity Africa Twin.

Speaking to the website, Kenji Morita, Large Project Leader for the Africa Twin said:

When we speak about pure adventure, we don't have such a wide line up. And yes, we are thinking of putting a half-way model in to attract younger people. We will develop this bike, but it's not something we are working on right now.

The media house reports that the upcoming motorcycle will either have a 750 cc parallel twin or a 650 cc twin mill, akin to its forefather, the XRV650 Africa Twin. As per the website, the brand may showcase the bike at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show in October. Moreover, the Euro V emission norms will come into effect in 2020, and thus would be a right time for Honda to bring in its smaller capacity adventure bike.

The upcoming motorcycle will compete with the upcoming KTM 790 Adventure; Yamaha Tenere 700, Triumph Tiger 800 range, and the BMW F750GS / F850GS. Expect newbie-friendly dynamics to be a differentiating factor compared to its competition.