Honda Africa Twin French Riviera Tour Review (Day 3)

If your idea of motorcycle heaven involves leaning so far into hairpin turns that you start recognizing individual blades of grass on the apex, welcome to Day 3 of the Tournanti Maritime Alps Tour. Leaving behind the superyachts and casinos of Monaco, we pointed the front wheel north into the French Maritime Alps before carving our way toward the sun-drenched Italian coast at Diano Marina.

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Over nearly 1,000 miles (1,500 kilometers) across this multi-day adventure, we put two heavyweight adventure touring icons through their paces: the nimble Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports ES and the high-flying Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally. Day 3 was all about the Honda—and it proved that torque, balanced chassis engineering, and a relentless parallel twin are all you need when the pavement gets twistier than a bowl of tagliatelle.

The Route: From Monte Carlo GP Roads to Maritime Alps Canyons

Carving out of Monaco on a warm morning, the route immediately paid dividends. Riding the historic Monte Carlo racing circuit roads, our tour leader Klaus guided us through narrow canyon runs, hand-carved cliffside tunnels, and single-track mountain passes overlooking rushing glacial rivers.

While the French backroads present a dizzying array of switchbacks, they are exceptionally tight. Here, massive top-end horsepower takes a backseat to low-end grunt and effortless low-speed balance. The Africa Twin’s 1084cc parallel twin provided punchy roll-on power out of 15 mph hairpins, proving that usable mid-range torque beats high-revving supercar muscle when you’re negotiating single-lane European mountain passes.

The guided journey with Tournanti Tours ($1,100 for a fully guided experience) removes every ounce of navigation stress. You just fill up, follow the line, and focus entirely on apex hunting.

Tested on the Tour: Adventure Gear & Soft Luggage Round-Up

Running through a 95°F European heat wave calls for gear that breathes and luggage that stays put when g-forces pull you into every corner. Here is how our long-distance setup fared:

1. Giant Loop Soft Luggage System

• Giant Loop ZiggZag Handlebar Bag ($50): The unsung hero of the cockpit. Mounts with simple Velcro straps to store visor wipes, chapstick, and camera gear right at your fingertips.
• Giant Loop Buck ‘N Roll Tank Bag ($120): Designed specifically for short-sloped fuel tanks like the Africa Twin’s, offering 1.5 liters of quick-access storage. The clever quick-zip base allows instant access to the fuel cap without hassle.
• Giant Loop Great Basin Saddlebag ($630): A massive-capacity rackless soft bag that contoured perfectly over the Africa Twin’s tail section. It carried clothes, shoes, laptop, and camera gear without altering the bike’s center of gravity or requiring intrusive exhaust heat shields.

2. Tour Master Zephyr Adventure Suit

• Zephyr Jacket ($349.99) & Pant ($249.99): Featuring flexible Armanox armor, this modular combo delivered excellent flow-through ventilation in 100°F coastal heat, proving that functional long-distance touring gear doesn’t need a four-digit price tag.

3. Shoei Neotech 3 & Cardo Packtalk S

• The updated Shoei Neotech 3 Modular Helmet impressed with a noticeable drop in cabin noise over the previous generation, paired with a taller drop-down sun visor.
• Integrated seamlessly with the Cardo Systems Packtalk-S Communicator, delivering crisp Bluetooth audio streaming directly to our action camera setup.

2023 Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports ES Technical Specifications