Honda Transalp and Africa Twin
From GummyCarbs
The Honda Africa Twin is a 650cc (RD03) or 750cc (RD04, RD07) cousin of the 600cc Honda Transalp. The earlier Africa Twins are very similar in construction to the Transalp, and many parts can be put onto a Transalp. Potential improvements include a larger fuel tank, an aluminum swingarm, taller suspension, and a rear disk brake.
Model Designations
Model designations become very important when purchasing parts, so it's important to understand the meaning of PD06, RD04, RD04, and RD07.
The Transalp imported into the US in 1989 and 1990 is the PD06 XL600V.
There are several models of Africa Twin. The important thing to remember is that RD07 parts are cannot be used on Transalps. Many RD03 and RD04 parts, however, bolt straight up to a Transalp. The following chart shows years and models. Note that only models relevant to the US-spec Transalp are shown:
Year Africa Twin 1988 RD03 XRV650 1989 RD03 XRV650 1990 RD04L XRV750 1991 RD04M XRV750 1992 RD04N XRV750 1993 RD04P XRV750 1994+ RD07
For a full breakdown of Transalp models (PD06H, J, K, PD10, etc) see Deti's page.
For a full history of the Africa Twin (RD03, RD04L, M, N, P) see this page (Japanese).
Fuel Tank
RD03 and RD04 fuel tanks, which are identical apart from color scheme, will fit directly onto a Transalp frame. An RD07 has an entirely different frame, so its tank will not fit a Transalp.
Interference
Without the support bracket, the RD03/RD04 tank's petcocks may interfere with the Transalp engine's oil lines. This does not seem to be an issue with later Transalps, which may use a different oil routing more similar to the NT650 Hawk.
Support Bracket
The Africa Twin tank requires a support bracket, which is mentioned here (image).
This item may be listed on [http//www.ebay.de Ebay Germany] as "Verkleidungshalter" (translates as "Fairing bracket"). It certainly appears to be the exact same part as what is commonly listed as "Kühlerhalter" ("cooler holder").
It appears in the XRV650K microfiche as:
64209-MS8-000 PIPE COMP., COWL MOUNTING
and on the XRV750N microfiche as:
64209-MV1-000 PIPE COMP., COWL MOUNTING
Fuel Pump
The Africa Twin tank needs a fuel pump in order to pump the last few gallons.
Stock Africa Twin
The Africa Twin's OEM fuel pump is electric, and it's prone to failure due to internal electrical contacts which arc and destroy themselves. The pump itself can be hardwired and controlled by an external relay, which prevents the arcing problem.
Substitute Pumps
Many people run vacuum-operated fuel pumps.
Another alternative is an electric fuel pump from Spruce Aircraft and Supply.
Swingarm
The Africa Twin has an aluminum swingarm which is is longer than the steel Transalp swingarm. It can be fitting with relatively few problems. Notably, the drum brake stopper has to be ground to fit the Africa Twin swingarm (assuming an Africa Twin disc rear wheel hasn't been used as well), and a 124 link chain is needed.
The RD03, RD04, and RD07 swingarms appear to be identical, but in fact differ. The RD04 swingarm is slightly longer than the RD03 swingarm. The RD07 swingarm has slightly different mounting spacers and bushings and requires adaptation to the Transalp. If an Africa Twin rear wheel is to be used for disc braking, note that the disc and bracket are different on the RD03 than on the RD04 and RD07. See below, under "Rear Brake".
- Translated "Transalp with Africa Twin swingarm" (from transalp.de).
Swingarm Parts Interchangeability
This diagram from the XRV750N microfiche is colored to indicate compatibility of many of the swingarm parts between the Transalp and the RD04 Africa Twin. Green indicates that the part numbers are the same, while red indicates that the parts differ.
Chain Slider
This ADVRider post mentions two European sources which ship internationally and stock Africa Twin chain sliders.
Rear Brake With Africa Twin Swingarm
The stock drum brake housing can be machined to fit into the slot on the RD04/RD07 swingarm.
Alternatively, an Africa Twin rear wheel can be used to get a disc brake. This post provides the following information on rear brake disks:
Model Rotor Dia. Internal Dia. Bolt Center Dist. Bolt Dia. PD06 240mm 105mm 125mm 10.5mm RD03 240mm 105mm 125mm 10.5mm RD04 256mm 144mm 166mm 10mm RD07 256mm 144mm 166mm 10mm
The same post goes on to point out that the RD03 and RD04 rear caliper brackets are for different diameter disks, but they are interchangeable in terms of width along the axle. So, if you have a 240mm disk, use an RD03 caliper bracket. Otherwise, use an RD04 or RD07 caliper bracket, regardless of which AT swingarm you have.
Rear Brake Rotors for Africa Twins
EBC
- RD03 and later Transalps with disc rear brakes: MD6097D.
- RD04 and RD07: MD6103D, pads FA140 or FA140HH.
Buying Parts
Ebay
Ebay is a good source for used Africa Twin parts. I recommend Ebay Germany since shipping prices from Germany are reasonable, and German sellers have proved very helpful. UK sellers have either refused to ship, or charge exorbitant rates, and Italian sellers want nothing to do with me.
Payment
Traditionally, German Ebay sellers accepted only SWIFT money transfers. Ask your bank if they can perform an international money transfer. Get a copy of the transfer form, and look for "SWIFT" in the routing number area.
More recently, some German Ebay sellers have begun accepting PayPal. This makes the process much simpler and faster.
Make sure to get a shipping quote before committing to purchase!
German Terms
Finding parts in German can be tough without any language skills.
English German Fairings Verkleidung Tank Support Bracket Verkleidungshalter ("fairing bracket")
Kühlerhalter ("cooler holder")Swingarm Schwinge Brake Rotor Bremsscheibe Sprocket Kettenrad Sprocket Carrier Kettenradträger Rear Hinten Wheel Rad Rear Wheel Hinterrad
Other
- This post gives contact information for a seller in Singapore.
Substitution
Honda reuses parts whenever possible across models. It's worth finding part numbers on the microfiche and looking them up online. Ron Ayers has an excellent parts lookup facility.
Petcock
According to this page, "the left AT petcock is the same as the petcock for a 1990 NT650 Honda Hawk" ($55 at BikeBandit.com).
Microfiche
The Honda parts microfiche for Africa Twins is an absolute necessity. I have made PDF copies particularly relevant pages of the XRV750N microfiche:
Resources
Conversion Examples
- dualdogdave appears to have a very clean Africa Twin swingarm and fork conversion (called TANTAT).
- Jeff Stoess: XR600 forks, RD04 swingarm, 30mm spacer on the rear shock.
- Jeff Stoess RallyeAlp