A few weeks ago we gave you the first good look at Honda's all-new CRF1000L adventure bike, in the form of leaked patent illustrations (see Honda Patent Photos here) that gave a 360-degree view of the finished product. Now we have spy pics of an actual test mule in action and we can see even more details than before—including, for the first time, hard luggage that will be an available option.

Hard sidecases and a matching top-box appear to be made from plastic and are similar in size and shape to the pieces currently available on the VFR1200X Crosstourer—suitable for commuting and light touring, but probably less-than-ideal for bouncing off boulders. Which is a shame, because, as you can see from these photos, the tall, 21-inch front wheel, long-travel suspension, high-swept exhaust, and proper skidplate promise at least a modicum of off-road ability, unlike the very road-biased Crosstourer.

These photos also show the windscreen set in what appears to be its uppermost position—the system looks to offer a significant amount of vertical adjustment, perhaps as much as six inches. The rest of the bike looks like exactly what we’ve seen in the patent images, with a 1,000cc parallel twin mounted in a modified aluminum perimeter frame. Patent filings suggest a novel upper intake arrangement, with the airbox split into two separate sections that straddle either side of the headtube (above a similarly bisected radiator), which would allow for the fuel tank to be moved further forward to keep the bike narrow in the middle for enhanced maneuverability.

Honda is still mum on details, but rumors suggest that we'll see this bike in final form for the first time this fall—perhaps at the Tokyo Motor Show—with availability in Europe in the final quarter of 2015. Distribution in the US will follow early in 2016.