Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin DCT
The new Africa Twin could be the perfect commuter, tourer and adventure bike in one, and we’ve got the next few months to find out just how good it is...
When Honda relaunched the legendary Dakar Rally-winning Africa Twin earlier this year, a lot of emphasis was put on its offroad capabilities. And it really is a surprisingly capable bike for its size on dirt, but what’s more important in everyday use is how well the bike fends for itself in the urban jungle.
It’s also seriously good-looking. People actually point and stare when it’s swanning around town, all tall and majestic, with its 21-inch front wheel splitting traffic like a hot knife cutting butter. And just in case anyone missed it, the noise produced by the 998cc liquid-cooled parallel twin engine, delivered to the world through the upswept end-can, will soon turn their heads as it purrs and burbles like only a big twin on a prowl can.
Automatic, manual or somewhere in between
Our long-term test bike is the DCT (Dual Clutch Transmission, or automatic if you like) version of the bike, which means that not only does it have traction control (three levels or off) and ABS (rear wheel on/off), but it also boasts different drive modes. You can go for a fully automatic D-mode, which is the comfortable urban riding option, or get a bit more power, throttle response and engine braking from one of the three sporty automatic settings. And then there’s my favourite, which on this bike is called manual transmission, but actually means using the gear up and down buttons on the left handlebar to change quickly and easily. Every now and again I still catch my left foot twitching
in vain, trying to find the gear lever that isn’t there (although you can add it as an accessory). But the more I ride this bike, the more I appreciate the DCT gearbox.
It took me a while to get my head around all the drive options, and especially to appreciate their comparative merits. For example, it’s far too easy to label the D-mode as boring, as it calms the engine down and goes for higher gears and low revs. But put the bike on a wet, greasy and uneven surface, and I’m quite happy for the machine to keep some of its horses safely in the stables. I use the ‘manual’ setting for most of my riding and basically pretend it’s just a quick-shifter, but it’s nice to have the fully automatic option when I’m feeling lazy.
Early adjustments
The suspension is preload, compression and rebound-adjustable for both front and rear, which is a good thing too as the factory settings are quite soft. I have adjusted the suspension to make it a bit harder across the board – and that has made the bike much nicer to ride. It’s now firm and stable around fast corners and undulating roads, but still soaks up the bumps in the road without catapulting me up in the air.
One thing I’ve already added on my shopping list of accessories is an aftermarket screen. The one that the Honda comes with is just not quite right for me. I’m 6ft tall (with short legs and a long back), which means that my head is right in the firing line of the wind bouncing off the screen. At motorway speeds it amplifies the wind and creates some turbulence. Luckily there are loads of options for screens, so that issue should be quickly resolved.
Coming up…
We have this bike on loan from Honda for a few months, so we’ll do a thorough test over the next few issues, including taking it off road, on track and touring. Stay tuned!