HONDA’S 2017 AFRICA TWIN IS COMFORTABLE AND LIGHT
I might be in the market for a new bike. I say “might” because, while the purse is willing, the butt isn’t. By that I mean that, while I’d gladly replace my old Suzuki DL1000 with something newer, preferably with ABS, a better fork and, let’s be candid here, looks that don’t make dogs barf, I can’t find anything that satisfies.
The problem is that the old DL is just so damned comfortable. Honda’s new CRF1000L, however, is giving me pause.
Modest horsepower — as in about 85 at the rear wheel — along with buckets of torque at low rpm? Check. Simple, manually adjusted suspension that is not only comfortable but without the complicated electronics that will surely go on the blink in a couple of years? Righty-o. Decent seating position? Yup. And, perhaps, most of all, is it light? (My knees are getting creaky and wrestling dirt bikes that weigh as much as Gold Wings is getting old.) Indeed, the Africa Twin is the lightest bike in the large adventure touring category, its 232 kilograms undercutting some of its competition by as much as 40 back-straining kilograms. Despite it’s comparatively low-tech chassis and modestly-motored powertrain, it’s got a newfangled dual-clutch transmission, just like on them there Fancy Dan Porsche Turbo things? Sign me up!
Let’s get the evaluation of this last out of the way first, especially since it, like anything new, has rankled many in the incredibly conservative motorcycling community. First of all, Honda’s DCT is not an automatic transmission. It may shift automatically, but it is most definitely not an automatic transmission. Inside you’ll find the same gears and shifter forks as in a conventional motorcycle, nary a torque converter to be found. In fact, the main difference between the $16,199 DCT and the $15,099 traditional six-speed manual that Honda also offers for the Africa Twin is that a) it has two clutches instead of one and b) yes, those two clutches and their attendant shifter forks can be made to change gears automatically, but it’s still not an automatic.
The trick to a DCT is that 1st, 3rd and 5th gears operate through one clutch while 2nd, 4th and 6th work through the second. Essentially what happens is that when you’re riding around in first gear, second gear is already pre-selected but its clutch is disengaged. If the computer calls for a switch — or you toggle one of the left handlebar switches calling for a “manual” shift — the second clutch slams home while the first opens up. As you can imagine, that’s a much faster process than the whole gears engaging/disengaging and clutch pulling process, the reason virtually all of the world’s fastest supercars now use dual-clutch transmissions.
In the real-world, the DCT works pretty much as advertised. There are two selections — Drive and Sport — and in automatic mode, the former holds gears longer and the latter shifts quicker. To be truthful, I tried Sport once for evaluation purposes and left it in Drive the rest of the time; the 998-cc parallel twin’s abundant low-end torque was plenty, even when riding two up with the transmission shortshifting. And, even in Drive, if you gas it up, the big twin will spin up to its (relatively conservative) 8,000 rpm, so max power is always available.
If I wanted to shift manually, it was a simple matter of two toggles on the left handlebar — the one on the switch housing facing the rider to downshift, the one on the other side to gear up — that were relatively easy to operate. That said, if I were to buy a CRF, I would definitely opt for the DCT Pedal Shift kit.
Indeed, I quite liked the newfangled tranny. Foibles are few and the acclimatization period required surprisingly short. In fact, my major complaint is that when you’re at a stoplight — and when you would normally have the clutch pulled in — if you blip the throttle, the Africa twin will lunge forward, a little disconcerting for the rider, even more so for a passenger. Nonetheless, were I in the market for a CRF, I would definitely opt for the DCT version.
As for the rest of the bike, the parallel twin pumps out adequate, though not exciting power. On the other hand, it’s got plenty of grunt even when riding two-up fully loaded. More importantly to the adventure touring set, its (comparatively) light weight renders it excellent off-road. Ditto for the dirt bike-sized tires, the rear a fairly conventional 150/70R17 Dunlop TrailMax but the front a fairly oddball 90/90-R21 item. That big front wheel comes in mighty handy over big bumps, something one doesn’t actually have to go off-road to encounter.
The suspension is also dirtbike soft, meaning the CRF really can soak up potholes like few other motorcycles. At low speed, the Pro-Link rear shock and inverted fork front suspensions are ideal. At higher speeds, however, the front fork borders on the overly soft and dives quite a bit under hard braking. If you’re planning on venturing off-road, leave it as is. Anyone planning to ride the CRF primarily on the street might want to re-valve and re-spring the fork a tad.
Other comfort aspects are also well executed. The riding position is excellent when seated and (again, for those venturing off-road) when standing on the pegs. Wind protection is good and is easily improved with the optional, taller Touring windscreen. More impressive than the amount of wind blocked is how relatively turbulence-free the cockpit is. Unlike many other adventure bikes, the CRF doesn’t offer an electronically adjustable windscreen, but also unlike many other adventure bikes, it doesn’t need one.
The only thing preventing the Africa Twin from being a perfect long-distance touring mount is the seat: It’s well shaped and padded, but, in keeping with the offroad theme, it’s a little narrow.
Indeed, as you’ve just read, there’s precious little to complain about with the Africa Twin itself. Honda Canada’s Africa Twin accessories, on the other hand, leave a lot to be desired. Atrociously overpriced and sometimes overpriced and not very good, it’s almost like Honda Canada wants you to shop the aftermarket.
For instance, Honda wants $862.87 for the big CRF’s tubular engine guard. TwistedThrottle. ca will sell you a Givi’s upper and lower engine guard combo for a little over $500. Ditto for the centre stand: Honda Canada wants $445.19 for its accessory version, while Twisted Throttle asks $265.99 for the SW-Motech version.
That, of course, would not dissuade me from the big CRF. The bike itself is first-rate, the first adventure bike to have tempted my wallet in a very long time. Its comfortable, light, practical and the electronic features it does offer (DCT and ABS) are much more important than those it doesn’t (heavy and glitch-prone electronically adjustable suspension). The Africa Twin really is an excellent combination of the sophisticated and simple, one that may yet get me off my old Suzuki.