2016
Honda Africa Twin
The new
CRF1000L will go up against the likes of BMWR1200GS, the KTM 1190 Adventure,
Yamaha Super Tenere, Ducati Multistrada and the Triumph Tiger Explorer.. According
to the spec sheet, the Honda Africa Twin CRF1000L will be powered by a
liquid-cooled, four-stroke, 8 valve 998cc parallel twin engine, which will make
just over 95PS @ 7500rpm and maximum torque of 98Nm @ 6,000rpm.
What is
noteworthy is that the 2016 Africa Twin will be equipped with an optional
dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT), which has been specifically developed
and optimised for off-road use.
The 2016 Honda
Africa Twin will come in three variants – standard, ABS and one with DCT. And
they weigh 228 kg, 232 kg and 242 kg respectively; not very lightweight for
solo adventure travel, but weight is on par with big bore adventure bikes. The
Honda however is lighter than the KTM 1190 Adventure R as well as the BMW R1200
GS Adventure. The DCT version is though 9 kg heavier than the 1190 Adventure.
The ABS and
DCT versions will also get the three level HSTC system (Honda Selectable Torque
Control). The gearbox is a six-speed manual transmission with the
six-speed DCT with driving modes for
on-road and off-road use.
Wheels are
21-inch wire spoke aluminium at the front and 18-inch wire spoke aluminium at
the rear, suitable for off-road use. Braking system consists of four piston
callipers at the front on twin 310mm floating discs and two piston callipers on
a single 256 mm rear disc. The DCT version also features a parking brake
system.
Two LCD
screens include digital speedometer, tachometer, gear indicator, fuel level,
temperature level and a comprehensive trip computer.
