Clicks over credibility: How AI is creating motorcycles that don’t exist

Be it fake social media accounts or celebrity deepfakes, from voice emulators to image generators, no space is safe from artificial intelligence. Not even motorcycles.

Take the Honda Africa Twin 650, for example. If the little voice in your head is wondering when Honda announced the ADV, that’s because the Africa Twin 650 doesn’t exist. It’s a digital mirage dreamt up by text-to-video tools and user-generated prompts. That hasn’t stopped it from drawing clicks from thousands of moto enthusiasts.

Over the past few months, several AI-generated AT 650 videos have made the rounds on YouTube. Many of which report a 649 cc parallel twin, long-travel suspension, and dirt-ready wheels (18-inch rear and 21-inch front) on the model’s “spec sheet.” Some go as far as listing a Bluetooth-compatible TFT dash, ride modes, traction control, as well as a DCT option. It would be a plausible package if it weren’t for two key details.

First and foremost, the XL750 Transalp already exists. Introducing a baby Africa Twin would only eat into the Transalp’s slice of the ADV pie. Honda’s remaining lineup provides another reason to be skeptical. Big Red currently produces one 649 cc engine. There’s just one problem: It’s an inline four, not a twin. To design an Africa Twin 650, Honda would need to develop a sleeved-down version of the Transalp’s 755 cc p-twin. That or engineer an all-new 650 cc platform. I file both scenarios away as highly improbable.

The issue isn’t isolated to the bogus Africa Twin, either. YouTube channels like TheBikerLane and Bike Culture Hub recently published videos on a two-stroke Kawasaki KX500, a supercharged Honda VTR850RR Firestorm, and a V4-powered Yamaha R1. None of those OEMs have unveiled such models. That isn’t stopping some content “creators” from flooding YouTube with videos about them.

Much of that rapid-fire production pace is owed to AI tools. Today, AI can write scripts, compose images, and generate action footage, all of which are key ingredients in promotional motorcycle videos. It’s no secret, AI is more powerful today than ever before. Identifying the difference between human- and AI-produced content will only become more challenging in the years to come.

That's not to say that dreaming up your ideal motorcycle is wrong. RevZilla’s Highside/Lowside podcast dedicated an entire episode to it. The same can’t be said for passing those “dream” bikes off as authentic articles. That’s what many channels in this category do, and they do so in the name of clicks.

AI-generated content is more pervasive than ever. There’s no doubt about it. However, cross-referencing legitimate news sources is key to combatting the side effects of AI proliferation. No, Honda isn’t prepping an Africa Twin 650 for release, but AI is here to stay. Recognizing when it’s being used for misinformation will be a critical skill moving forward.