Honda won the Dakar 4 times in a row, 86-89 with NXR750. It was a total prototype with a 4 valve engine and 6 speed gearbox.The AT's and TA's were marketed as replicas of the Dakar bikes but of course they had very little in common. here's some photos of it;
wow cool bikes,,,its almost worse knowing they have the goods and are just too incredibly lame to not produce them.
Excellent piccies Of the AT650 and 750 marathon versions.Honda made special Dakar kits for both the 650 and 750 AT's for the Marathon Class in the Dakar. Big tanks, pannier tanks, improved suspension and different exhaust made up the kits. AT650 Marathon AT750 Marathon
OH YES YES YES! I'll take a set of those side pannier tanks for my RD03! Not for fuel mind you... one side for water and the other for the Stout of the week! Hey Greg, I've been told over and over that the '88-'89 RD03 Africa Twin bikes had been hand built by H R C. Your knowledge of the AT is impressive so I thought I'd ask you the full story on them. I've also heard that many of the RD03 bikes had actually done the Paris Dakar with only minor mods needed.
Man, I almost break out in a sweat when I see P-D style bikes. They are just so cool to me. I'm 41 and sometimes when I'm blasting down a dirt road on my DR650, I kinda just sorta maybe a little bit imagine I'm running with the leaders of the great endurance race. A tad childish, I know, but it seems a better choice than recreational drug use. Hey, does anyone know why Dakar bikes run the low front fender? I'm guessing maybe high speed stability - the high fender might catch too much air at 100+? Also, I guess mud isn't a big factor in the dessert. Opinions/answers?
atgreg, thatnks for posting those. I can never get enough of the Dakar, it's bikes and it's heros. One of these days I'll get a smugmug acct. and post some of the Dakar photos I have.
Mod, I'm sure the kits are sitting somewhere on a shelf with your name on it, just have to find it.....
Mod, the AT 650 was a normal built bike but they didn't build a lot of them. Honda sold the "Marathon" kits for them. The Dakar used to have a class for almost stock bikes called the Marathon class and for a few years Honda dominated it with the kitted 650's and then the kitted 750's. Big tanks, pannier tanks, improved suspension and different exhaust made up the kits. Ihave some great video of the 650 and 750 kitted bikes in the Dakar. Heck I have lots of good Dakar stuff, I have videos of, 83,84,85,86,87,88,89,90,91,94,96,99,2000,2001,2002,2003,2004,2005 as well as vids of lots of Australian safaris Greg
Info about the AT marathons at; http://www.cyber-moto.com/africatwin/xrv-marathon.htm Info about NXR750; http://www.cyber-moto.com/africatwin/nxr.htm Both in French Im afraid Great pics of honda rally bikes including the XL500 and 600 PD bikes. http://www.rallye-tenere.net/Honda.html
