“Be careful, beware of the ruts,” the tour guide warned us in an Afrikaans-English mix. “Roots”? – “Yes, ruts”! Okay, not roots, but rather ruts, got it. It did not help. And there were other surprises with the off-road test with the Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin in South Africa.
Pssst – there goes the air out of the tyre. So very gradually with the driver after tens of kilometres of off-road track at the Touws River east of Cape Town, but very abruptly with the front tyre. The unplanned hose blowing led to the handlebar becoming a heart-rending rudder system. Whoa, that was close. Overlooked a hardly recognisable 20 cm deep cross-groove, and with a violent impact the fork cracks to the bracket. No clicks on the fork, no high air pressure helps here. In such a case, the wiser person gives in. Better the hose than the rim.
OK, surely a driving mistake. Could a stiffer suspension have mitigated the effects? Maybe, maybe not. It is certain that the Honda Africa Twin is not a crosser bike, but rather a touring enduro with a focus on driving comfort on asphalt roads, which is excellent. This means compromises off-road. The suspension cannot be designed for extreme situations, such as those in “ruts”, certainly not at 230 kilogrammes of live weight plus the driver.
- Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin. Foto: Honda
- Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin. Foto: Honda
- A really surprising highlight off-road is the smooth DCT automatic gearbox. Foto: Honda
Feedback, Controllability, Traction
It is amazing what is possible with such a calibre off-road. As long as the track is reasonably flat, the fully adjustable suspension of the Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin works well, approaches rocks and holes smoothly and valiantly keeps the wheels on the ground. So hold your horses, after all we are not looking for best-times in an enduro special test, even if the racer gene occasionally ekes out in some journalists.
Aside from more or less planned stunts, it is amazing what is possible with such a calibre off-road. We are not talking about a planned Alpine gravel pass, but rather about proper desert trails, sandy tracks, loose scree. These are serious challenges that some wannabe enduros have already failed at. When circling along narrow single tracks, you sometimes forget what weight class you are actually dealing with. In terms of handling, the Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin does not have to shy away from comparison with the 800-series from Triumph and BMW . This may have to do with the fact that Honda spent considerable effort to centralise the masses and lower the centre of gravity.
A good chassis is one thing, the drive is certainly just as important. In the first part of the road test, the unicam twin certainly stood out on the asphalt due to its tremendous flexibility, which also helps greatly off-road. Gently and crisply controllable, the engine of the Honda Africa Twin responds to the throttle. When drifting or accelerating on slippery terrain, its non-rhythmic pulse offers plenty of feedback, fine controllability as well as excellent traction.
Assistance systems of the new Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin
It can admirably be argued whether you need assistance systems off-road at all. Electronic aids may help beginners, while off-road experts waive it aside, saying no thank you. The traction control of the new Honda Africa Twin can be regulated in three levels and it can also be switched off completely. In level one, it allows for proper slippage on slippery surfaces, but catches drifts that are a little too wild. It is practically designed so that the level can be changed or switched off while riding without taking your hand off of the handlebars. What is a little more complicated, however: It has to be readjusted after every stop. This is OK in terms of driving safety if the ignition key has been turned. But with the Honda Africa Twin, it also has to be done if only the kill switch has been operated.
This is also true of the ABS of the Honda Africa Twin, which can only be turned off at a standstill. The anti-wheel-lock braking system is only disabled on the rear wheel here. It is a practical solution that even works well with aggressive people. Because the ABS intervenes on the front wheel on loose ground somewhat late and with control intervals that are not all that long.
What else did we notice? The little things: Those with giant feet, like the author, hit the exhaust cover with their heel when standing on the rests. And if you balance for the purpose of shifting weight, your calves hit the carrier plates of the rear footrests. Speaking of the rests: Those for the driver are puny. Old school, as the crosser would say. Honda is planning to offer wider rests without a rubber insert as an accessory.
- A really surprising highlight off-road is the smooth DCT automatic gearbox. Foto: Honda
- The dual-clutch of the Africa Twin builds quite expansively. Foto: info@fmimages.com
- The rear wheel ABS and the gravity button can only be switched at a standstill. Foto: info@fmimages.com
An automatic off-road?
But now the second surprise: This is about the DCT dual-clutch gearbox of the Honda Africa Twin. An automatic off-road? The professional test driver with decades of off-road experience waves it aside wearily at first – only to be taught better a few kilometres down the track.
Let’s first begin with a simple trial exercise: slow juggling over thick stones. No problem, the ground clearance is just fine at 250 mm. It is not necessary to shift here and you can stay in first. You just have to do a lot of fine coordination with the clutch and throttle. Not so with the DCT, since all you have to worry about here is the throttle, which very easily and precisely controls the electro-hydraulic clutch and therefore the performance. Like a Rekluse clutch for sports enduros. You don’t have to worry about stalling with the new Honda Africa Twin, because it’s simply impossible.
Gravity button for uphill or downhill
Exercise number two, a slope: The automatic gear shifting also tremendously facilitates driving here. Loose stones, rumbling boulders – you will already have your hands full here. The on-board computer (that of the driver) is happy here that it does not have to deal with the clutch and shifting, but can focus on the crucial matters at hand. And then there is the gravity button, another new Honda patent. If it is pressed, the Honda Africa Twin uses the ratio of the throttle position and driving performance to determine whether you are driving uphill or downhill. The gears correspondingly stay engaged longer (uphill) or downshift sooner (downhill). In addition, the shifting then occurs faster and harder. The effects are not too dramatic. Perhaps the height profile of the test lap was too flat.
Exercise number three: sporty driving on gravel roads. So set DCT to Sport, level three, traction control off, G-button on, ABS off. You just have to think a little bit, because unfortunately there are no individually combinable and storable driving programmes. When drifting, the DCT provides for continuous traction, even if it sometimes feels like the wrong gear is engaged below you, and downshifting after a sudden twist of the throttle still takes a little too long. Other disadvantages of the DCT: You cannot simply pull the clutch in certain situations to uncouple the engine’s drag torque. Above all, however, the added weight of ten kilogrammes is noticeable. The engine also seems somewhat more indirect, which in turn can be beneficial. The traction control has to intervene more with the lively shifting version. Conclusion: Crossers and sports enduro drivers will certainly want to continue to shift and clutch for themselves, but the automatic gearbox of the Honda Africa Twin brings relief off-road to the majority of casual enduro riders.
DCT or not: It is impressive what the new Honda Africa Twin can do. The current version seamlessly ties in with the spirit of the legendary predecessor and covers a wide range between touring and adventure: Back to the roots.
- The traction control can be changed at any time with your finger on the left of the handlebar. Foto: Allucinazione
- Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin. Foto: Honda
- The current version seamlessly links with the spirit of the predecessor. Foto: Honda
Technical Data
Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin | |
Model year | 2016 |
Motor | |
Number of cylinders, design | 2, in-line engine |
Bore / stroke | 92.0 / 75.1 mm |
Displacement | 998 cm³ |
Valves per cylinder | Four valves per cylinder |
Compression | 10.0 |
Output | 70.0 kW (94.0 PS) at 7,500 rpm |
Max. torque | 98 Nm |
Number of gears | Six-speed gearbox |
Rear-wheel drive | O-ring chain |
Chassis, wheels, brakes | |
Frame | Bridge frame |
Front/rear spring deflection | 230 mm / 220 mm |
Tyres | 90/90 21, 150/70 18 |
Front/rear brake | 310 mm four-piston fixed callipers / 256 mm single-piston floating calliper |
ABS | No |
Dimensions and weights | |
Wheel base | 1575 mm |
Steering head angle | 62.5 ° |
Trail | 113 mm |
Dead weight with a full tank of petrol | 228 kg |
Seat height | n/a |
Permissible total weight | 427 kg |
Maximum speed | 199 km/h |
Price | |
Catalogue price | EUR 12,405.00 |