Honda Africa Twin First Look Review

Honda Africa Twin First Look Review

Adventure touring enthusiasts in India can rejoice because they can soon buy a modern interpretation of a four time Paris-Dakar rally winner. The CRF1000L is a 1000cc parallel-twin adventure motorcycle which will be produced by Honda in India.
The adventure bike market has been growing steadily, even as other segments recede. The BMW 1200GS, Ducati Multistrada and the Triumph Tiger Explorer are major segment sales holders. Year after year, the BMW R1200GS has been the best-selling adventure motorcycle worldwide. The one company that has been absent from the battle is Honda. The 2016 CRF1000L Africa Twin is Honda’s return to that market segment.

In terms of looks, the front of the motorcycle has a tall and flat appearance, typical of a motorcycle of this genre. The motorcycle also features twin barrel headlamps and a tall vertical windscreen. The 21-inch front wheel with enormous suspension travel of 230mm through its Showa 43mm upside down front forks give it a “go anywhere” stance. The motorcycle comes with an 18.8-litre tank and parallel twin engine to keep the motorcycle short and the mass centralized. The narrow waist also makes it easy for the rider to get his feet flat on the ground. Furthermore, the rear of the motorcycle features a fully adjustable Showa with an 18-inch wheel to handle all sorts of terrain. The motorcycle can also be opted with panniers, which is a must in this motorcycle segment.

Powering the Africa Twin is a 1000cc parallel-twin engine that gets compact overall dimensions, thanks to the four-valve Unicam head design borrowed from the CRF250R and CRF450R motorcycles. The engine puts out a modest 94bhp at 7,500rpm and 98Nm of torque at 6,000rpm through either a six-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed dual clutch transmission.

Coming to the electronics and braking, the Africa Twin offers ABS and traction control, both offering different modes for different conditions. The ABS can be only switched off for the rear wheel. Traction control has four settings, off and level 1-3. Level 1 being the most aggressive while level 3 being the most forgiving.

Honda has announced that the CRF1000L Africa Twin will be its second ‘Made in India’ big bike for the country. They have also refused to divulge details about the launch date of the motorcycle. We can expect it to be rolled out in the second half of this year.