What Is The Most Difficult Honda Motorcycle To Ride? Here's What Riders Say

Honda has an impressive lineup of motorcycles these days. There are naked sport bikes, supersport liter bikes, adventure bikes meant to conquer continents, big and comfy cruisers, and several popular beginner bikes, too. But what's the toughest of them all to ride? Which Honda should beginners avoid and seasoned veterans think twice about?

We're going to narrow the field a bit before we land on one bike that's particularly difficult to ride. First, we're only considering bikes that Honda currently offers. Sure, we could find obscure models from the past with tough-to-ride lore, but that's a topic for another day. And yes, MotoGP bikes, especially some Honda MotoGP bikes, are known for being extremely difficult to ride, but we're sticking to street-legal bikes only.

With all this said, we can now take a closer look at some of Honda's larger and more powerful bikes. I've had the opportunity to ride or test lots of Honda motorcycles, and my general experience has taught me that the taller and larger a motorcycle is, the harder it is to ride. The Gold Wing is absolutely massive, but I found it surprisingly nimble and easy to manage when I tested one. However, another one of Honda's biggest, tallest motorcycles, the Africa Twin, might just be the toughest Honda to ride.

The Africa Twin will definitely be manageable if you know how to properly manage the throttle, clutch, and brakes on a motorcycle, but its size is worth considering. Depending on the trim level you go with, the AT can weigh as much as 559 pounds. Forum posts and Reddit threads highlight the AT's weight and the fact that the weight sits quite high. That combination makes it easy to drop and particularly hard to lift off the ground if you have a spill. Getting on or off a bike is a big part of the riding experience, too, and having the ability to put both feet on the ground can often save you from tipping over. Unfortunately, the Africa Twin's 34.3-inch seat height might create issues for even average-height riders.

Bikes like the Honda CBR1000RR, which we've recently reviewed here at SlashGear, are certainly far too fast and powerful for beginners, but even the CBR is considerably lighter. Tip one over in a parking lot, and you will likely be able to pick it up yourself. That said, with the right experience, especially a bit of time spent on smaller adventure or dirt bikes, the Africa Twin can be an excellent choice. But novice riders might want to consider something smaller and more manageable, like the Honda Transalp, instead.