Hello guys,

im currently in decision making of buying a new and more modern bike. After my Transalp 600 i need something with decent 2-Up capabilites and ABS.

I testrided all the "Big" makes meaning KTM1090, V-Strom1000, Tracer900, F800GS but im actually kinda sold on a AT.

Im kinda in a dilemma since i got a very decent offer from my dealer for a brand new Africa Twin for 12k€. Alot of money but i'm willing to pay it.

On the other side the AT 2016 would be around 2k less (3 year old bike, but only 2k less...weird used market here) because i dont need as much electronics as the 2018+ models have (Ride-By-Whire with 7 TC mdoes and riding modes etc., different engine break settings and stuff).
So since 2k less for a used bike that is 3 years old and have 10k KM on it and is a bit outdated seems reasonable on the one hand but also too few of a difference to not buy new.

My question is: are there any known issues with any ride-by-whire systems?
I use the bike for commuting, funrides on the weekend and vacations (usually around 6k km, once a year) with my girlfriend.
I just am worried what happens if the ride-by-whire malfunctions and fails. A bowden is relatively easy to fix, with a failing ride-by-whire my vacations are probably over.

And on a big overland trip to mongolia, which i intend on doing SOME day in the future, this might be an even bigger issue. Anyways, if these systems are very unlikely to malfunction i might take the risk?

Opinions?

I was on the market for new AT since the beginning, but somehow didn't pull the trigger. Mostly because many early models flaws and by early I mean 2016/17. Starting 2018 they fixed some issues so I wouldn't buy anything older then 2018. There are no problems with throttle by wire afik but recently
riders reported poor forks coating resulting in premature wear and expensive front suspension repair. This should be also fixed by honda already in latest models but nobody yet is sure if new coating will be any better. Anyway new AT is one of the best looking adventure bikes, I just wish build quality was better.

Why didn't you buy? Because of those issues?

I have a 2017 bike with 14k miles. No issues at all, bar a starter switch which was replaced under warranty. No fork issues at all. It seems to me that heavy off road might be a contributing factor to fork coating issues, something I’ve not done (I’d like to pay it off first!). No idea about your original question, but I mention it so you don’t get put off by ‘older’ bikes.

yep, among the other things like tubed wheels etc.