autoevolution
 

EICMA 2015: New Honda Africa Twin in the Flesh

The new Africa Twin was one of the most anticipated motorcycles this year, as it promised to carry on the amazing heritage of multiple Honda adventure bikes that literally made history. Rumored at first and later confirmed, the CRF1000L was, however, a parallel twin machine instead of a v-twin.
Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015 37 photos
Photo: Florin Tibu
Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin shifter at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin seat at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin dashboard at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin taillight at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015Honda Africa Twin at EICMA 2015
Some of the more traditionalist Honda fans felt a bit disappointed because of this change, but Honda has done its homework quite well. The Africa Twin is not a remake of the old XRV. The house of Tokyo engineered a new motorcycle that carefully picked the best features of the old middleweight adventure machine and integrated them in a modern masterpiece that will surely shake the segment once the bike reaches the trails.

Even though many are still waiting for a middleweight adv machine, those who will take the Africa Twin for a spin will be impressed with it. The CRF1000L comes with a 998cc liquid-cooled Unicam mill that can deliver 94 hp at 7,500 revs and 98 Nm (72.2 lb-ft) of torque at 6,000 rpm.

Riders can choose a manual or a DCT transmission, and the bike also comes with Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC), Drive and Sport riding modes, with the latter also including three additional sub-modes.

ABS can be disengaged for the rear wheel

When riding off-road, having the rear wheel sliding is a natural thing, and not only when riding Dakar-ish style, hard and fast. Still, with ABS on, the bike can't really understand that everything is under control even though its wheels are seemingly going amok.

With the option to disengage the ABS for the rear wheel, the rider can retain the safety features the system comes with, but can rest assured that sliding the rear will not interfere with the actual riding.

As it is already known from other DCT machines, this transmission can be set in two ways, according to each rider's preferences. The shifting can be full-automatic, but riders can also use the left bar + and - buttons to cycle through the gear sequence.

Additionally, it looks like the DCT version of the Africa Twin can also be fitted with a foot shifter lever for a more traditional feel. Still, shifting in this case doesn't involve a clutch, so it may take a bit until people get a consistent, confident feeling of the machine.

Narrow and packing a decent weight for a bike in its class, the 2016 Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin will surely chew a significant piece of the cake BMW and KTM seem to be enjoying at the moment.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories