The 2020 Honda Africa Twin CRF1100L has been leaked
through photographs published by CycleWorld. There will be two variants of the
upcoming adventure tourer – standard and Adventure. The current model, too, is
available in two variants.
The 2020 Honda Africa Twin will come equipped with a
shorter windscreen, a relatively smaller sump guard and conventional wire-spoke
wheels with tube tyres. The rear panel on the base variant will also be smaller
than on the Adventure variant, thus revealing the sub-frame of the vehicle. The
rear panel on the base model of the 2020 iteration will miss the pannier
mounts. The saddle design, too, will be noticeably different on both the bikes;
the base variant will feature a relatively flatter seat design.
The 2020 Honda Africa Twin Adventure, on the other
hand, will come with extra equipment such as extra set of lights under the
primary headlight (may perform adaptive cornering lamps functions), a taller
windscreen, bigger fuel tank, wider sump guard, top-box and pannier mount and,
most importantly, cross-spoke wheel design that will bring the convenience of
tubeless tyres. The next-generation Triumph Tiger 800 XCa, too, will use a
cross-spoke design, while the BMW F 850 GS already comes with the feature.
In terms of styling upgrade, both models will come
with a sharper headlight on the front fascia. Both motorcycles will feature
knuckle guards, although the unit on the Africa Twin Adventure will be bigger
in size. The side panels and the tail section, too, will carry mild revisions.
More changes will take place under the bodywork, and
the 2020 Africa Twin will use a new chassis. While the layout will be identical
to the outgoing model, the new version of the adventure tourer will pack
revised alloy castings near the swingarm pivot. The swingarm, too, will be
noticeably different on the 2020 iteration of the Africa Twin. Moreover, the new
subframe will be a bolt-on unit to ensure easier repairs in case of damage.
Despite the changes to the underpinnings, the CRF1100L will have the same
wheelbase (1,575 mm) as the CRF1000L.
The cockpit of the 2020 Africa Twin will be a
horizontally mounted TFT display that will most likely come with features like
Bluetooth connectivity and turn-by-turn navigation function. The 2020 duo,
similar to the current model, will come with full-LED lighting (headlight, tail
lamp and blinkers) as standard.
Leaked specifications have already confirmed that
the upcoming new Africa Twin CRF1100L will pack a bigger engine than its
predecessor. The upcoming version of the adventure tourer will use a Euro-V
compliant 1,084 cc parallel-twin, liquid-cooled engine, as against a 998 cc on
the outgoing model. The peak power output will stand at 101 PS versus 94 PS on
the current bike. The motorcycles will come with a comprehensive electronics
package that will comprise ride-by-wire with multiple riding modes, traction
control and ABS among others. The engine will be available with a manual transmission or a
dual-clutch automatic transmission. The DCT-equipped model will be heavier. The
more premium Africa Twin Adventure, with its relatively bigger fuel tank and
extra equipment, will be heavier than the base variant.
The exhaust canister will be bigger than the current
model to accommodate internal changes for the Euro-V norm compliance. Similar
to the current model, the 2020 model will come equipped with long-travel
upside-down front forks and a monoshock unit at the back to perform the shock
absorption tasks. Hardware specifications may witness a few changes to the
dimensions of the suspension (travel length) and the disc brakes (larger
diameter).
Braking hardware will comprise, petal-type disc
brakes at the front and a single, petal-type rotor at the back. The electronics
package may include cornering ABS function on the 2020 Africa Twin, but we will
wait for the official spec sheet before getting our hopes high. The off-road
biased setup will continue to feature 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheel
combination. The setup will be the same for both models although, as mentioned
above, the Africa Twin Adventure will come with tubeless-tyre compatible cross-spoke
wheel design. The wheels will come wrapped with dual-purpose tyres. The unveiling details are scarce
now, but we may see the new Africa Twin CRF1100L in the coming weeks, along
with the rest of the 2020 line-up.
