Test fleet: Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin DCT

Mikko is reacquainted with the Africa Twin after a long break.

Ihad an Africa Twin long-term test bike a couple of years back, and since then I’ve had an itch to get back in the saddle of Honda’s flagship adventurer. And now I’ve finally managed to do some wintry miles on the good old AT.

Now, I know Honda has just updated the Africa Twin, but my test bike was the 2017 model, which many will buy as a second-hand adventurer. My first impressions from our reunion were pretty much as I remember them being when I first climbed on the tall perch of the resurrected king of adventure: despite the height, size and weight, the bike felt surprisingly easy to ride. Manoeuvring the 242kg machine around the car on my drive was hard work, but once you get going, the Africa Twin feels very manageable indeed.

And I had almost forgotten that pleasing burble from the two-into-one exhaust. It sounds rich and reassuring even with the standard can.

The real star of the show, however, is the 998cc parallel twin engine. It may be lacking in peak power compared to some of its rivals (the Honda manages 94bhp compared to the 125bhp of the BMW R1200GS), but the low and mid-range torque that it cheerily pumps out more than makes up for that – and let’s be honest, that’s where you want to find the bulk of the performance on a bike like this, unless you’re mad enough to take it to a track day. Which, incidentally, I was mad enough to do when I had the previous bike. Much to my surprise, I managed to keep up with the other non-sports bikes quite happily, but that’s not what the bike is designed for, really.

My main bugbear with the bike last time round was the screen, and I’m afraid that hasn’t changed – I still can’t get on with the standard screen, so the old Touratech touring screen was bolted on straight after the first ride. It makes the airflow better, but doesn’t eliminate all the buffeting for me. I know this is a personal issue, and your height, helmet, and riding position will make a big difference, but for me, the screen just isn’t quite right on this one – maybe the 2018 models will suit me better…

I seem to remember having a bit of a mixed opinion of the