HONDA’S CRF1000L AFRICA TWIN HAS NO EQUAL
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 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 r.p.m.? Check. Simple, manually adjusted suspension that is not only comfortable, but without the complicated electrics that will surely go on the blink in a couple of years? Righty-o. Decent seating position? Yupperoo, Bob. 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 its 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 bit 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 differences between the $16,199 DCT and the $15,099 traditional six-speed manual Honda also offers for the Africa Twin is it has two clutches instead of one and 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 first, third and fifth gears operate through one clutch while second, fourth and sixth 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 dualclutch 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 short-shifting.
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 important to the adventure touring set, its (comparatively) light weight renders it excellent off-road. The suspension is also dirt-bike soft, meaning the CRF soaks up potholes like few other motorcycles.
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 off-road theme, it’s a little narrow. But 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, while twistedthrottle.ca will sell you a Givi’s upper and lower engine guard combo for a little over five hundred bucks, offering more coverage for less money. 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. It’s 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.