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All-New Honda Africa Twin Revealed, Arrives in Autumn 2015

It's now official: the long-expected, much-anticipated Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin is real and will be in stores this fall, just in time for you to start saving money for it and prepare your old bike for sale. And even more, Honda showed the first pictures of the Africa Twin, even though they are rather teasing than revealing.
Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin 3 photos
Photo: Honda
Honda CRF1000L Africa TwinHonda CRF1000L Africa Twin
We showed you the prototype adventure machine Honda brought at EICMA last November, and the actual CRF1000L Africa Twin is following those lines closely. Largely drawing inspiration from the CRF line-up instead of the old XRV v-twins, the new Africa Twin ditches the V engine in favor of the parallel twin architecture.

Some of the fans of the old XRV750, which was the last iteration of the Africa Twin before it got sacked in 2003 will argue that a parallel twin is a poor replacement for the rumble and vibe of the old V. They are right in a way, but we should also consider that engines have gone a really long way during the last decade or so, and parallel twins have become almost as gritty as the older v-twins.

Increased displacement, power, but not a fat cow

While certain adventure riders say that a 450-600cc displacement is the right way to go for a true adventure machine, the CRF1000L Africa Twin promises quite a lot. We feared that the new bike would follow the bigger displacement trend and arrive as a fat cow that's truly no good on hard trails.

However, with so much CRF DNA infused in this build, Honda managed to keep both dimensions and weight at bay and deliver a bike that looks equally nimble on the road and in the mud. Wide, flat bars with handguards and plenty of dash room for satellite navigation or a road book are standard features for the new CRF1000L Africa Twin.

Honda retained the dual-headlight approach, but upgraded the lines of the Africa Twin to a more modern vibe we like quite a lot. The mix of Dakar-inspired CRF straightforward design and long-range usability produces a pleasing result, and we tend to believe that it will also be a highly functional one, too.

Wire-spoked wheels and optional Dual Clutch Transmission

The wheels come with wire spokes as standard, and this is a good sign that Honda has serious off-road intentions for the CRF1000L Africa Twin. The dual-sport tires shown in the initial photos look like being able to tackle both highway tarmac, loose gravel, and even some wet trails. For hardcore mud fun, you'd most likely have to look into TKCs.

A neat addition is the optional Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT), which can be disengaged. This means that riders can shift using handlebar buttons or a foot lever and feel almost like riding a bike with a standard gearbox, yet without having to pull the clutch.

Or they can switch to fully automatic and enjoy the benefits of letting the bike do the shifting and thinking even in tough off-road scenarios.

Honda only says that the bike will be launched this fall, and no price was mentioned for this liter-class adventurer. We guess EICMA 2015 will be the "catwalk" for the CRF1000L Africa Twin. Stay tuned for more info soon!
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