“Dakar”: Honda Africa Twin Scrambler by Treasure Garage

The Africa Twin, first introduced in 1988, was an homage to the great desert racers of the Paris-Dakar Rally, a V-twin dual sport with twin headlights, windshield, aluminum grab-rail, luggage rack, bashplate, and more. From 1990-2003, the bike was known as the XRV750T, powered by a liquid-cooled 750cc V-twin. In 2016, Honda introduced the new Africa Twin, the CRF1000L, while the earlier V-twin models are now prized by aficionados.

Enter Prakoso Imanuel — Nuel — of Bali’s Treasure Garage, whose workshop turns out some of our favorite builds from island nation of Indonesia — a hotbed of the modern custom scene. A couple years ago, we came across an Africa Twin scrambler that the shop had recently completed, but by the time we inquired about a feature, the bike had already been sold away. However, the original owner, who got too busy to ride, sold the bike to a friend of the shop, who returned the Africa Twin for further customization.

Below, we get the full story on this burly Africa Twin scrambler!

Africa Twin XRV750T Scrambler: Builder Interview

• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.

I’m Nuel — from Bali, Indonesia.

We actually had the bike two years ago and built it for a client. But he got too busy with work and didn’t ride it as much. So he ended up selling the bike to another client and friend of mine, and we customized it even more and better. From paint job, wheels, and accessories like lights, handles, seat, etc. And chose a wrinkle white color.

• What’s the make, model, and year of the bike?

This is a 2002 Honda Africa Twin 750cc.

• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?

The design was to have a mean, big, long, and powerful bike that was dual purpose, on and off road. And also using an off-centre headlamp to make it unique.