Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports ES
It’s the least in-yer-mush of all the bikes, the one with the least power and fewest whizzbang features – but the evergreen CRF1100 remains a seriously impressive go-anywhere tool
We’re lounging on a craggy Welsh slope devouring butties and gazing at the splendour and woolly creatures across the valley. There’s a tumbling stream in the gully in front of us and I jokingly ask Bike photographer, resident dirt junkie and proper bloke Chippy Wood which of the bikes he reckons he could jump it on. ‘Africa Twin, obviously,’ he declares between generous mouthfuls of cheese salad roll.
It’s the ’onda that feels most like a pumped-up enduro bike, the machine created with muck ability as high on the design brief as B-road agility and motorway manners. It’s an impression given by the off-road scale 21-inch front wheel, slim build, Dakar looks and supple long-travel suspension. And we obviously like the Africa Twin’s pukka go-anywhere image. Last year it was the UK’S favourite large adventure bike after the BMW R1250GS, with us buying twice as many examples of the CRF1100 as we did the KTM Super Adventure S (though interestingly Yamaha’s middleweight Ténéré 700s out-sold the Honda). ‘It’s a pleasure to get back onto an Africa Twin, I’d forgotten how brilliant they are,’ gushes Hugo. ‘Plush, refined, capable of an impressive turn of speed on almost any surface or type of ride. There’s still something about the way a Honda is made that makes the experience utterly intuitive, and which imparts a reassuring sense of quality.’ Not shouty or showy, the Africa Twin is efficiently effective. Its sideby-side 1084cc twin might struggle to push out the claimed 100bhp
‘Plush, refined and impressive on almost any surface or type of ride’
but delivers usable, flexible, thrummy drive throughout the rev range (with a pleasing rumbly soundtrack from the 270˚ crank, too). Though as lengthy as the substantial Harley-davidson and with by far the most reserved steering geometry of any of these bikes, the Honda’s chassis flicks and swoops keenly and accurately, and its long-travel Showa semi-active suspension is far and away the most supple. ‘After getting off the GS the Honda is slim, light, flickable and fun,’ enthuses John. ‘It feels like a proper, eager adventure bike, rather than a tourer with wellies on. The way it steers is remarkable considering its 21-inch front wheel – it tips in sweetly and holds a line no matter how bumpy the road surface.’ Though the traditional off-road wheel size combination is clearly to improve dirt ability, the large sizes give the Africa Twin great highspeed stability and a nice, natural, flowing feel to its steering. It arcs from side to side through fast bends with minimal input, and there’s no shortage of feedback or reassurance from the Metzeler Karoo tyres and compliant suspension.
No comfort complaints about its comparatively slim, thin seat or the riding position either, though other aspects of the Honda experience divide opinion. John reckons that, ‘after the GS’S electronic complexity it’s a relief to have one screen and some intuitive buttons with no whirly wheel of confusion’, but I find the switchgear and user interface utterly irritating. There are multiple riding modes, with Tour, Urban, Gravel, Off-road and two User options to let you set-up the bike for soggy Tuesday afternoons or hungover mornings. All well and good, though the various screen options include one that doesn’t include speed so there’s a separate auxiliary screen with a second speedo. Hugo finds this particularly befuddling. Niggles continue with the screen, which works well and isn’t as noisy as the Pan America’s but requires both hands to adjust. C’mon, Honda. These are largely personal annoyances, mind. At its core the Honda is a well made, effective and reassurringly complete motorcycle. It’s got the largest fuel tank, decent cornering lights, heated grips, all the expected cornering electronics, plus a touchscreen dash and Apple Carplay with screen mirroring, whatever that might be.
‘In a way the Honda is the surprise of the test,’ reckons Hugo. ‘I’d overlooked how good the Africa Twin is. Maybe it’s not as exciting as the Ducati or as good on residual value as the BMW, but it’s probably the one I’d want if I was planning a really long trip – or expecting to own it for a very long time. But, I’d get it with DCT.’
‘Darting, engaging and everchanging, the epic tarmac of Wales is the perfect place to exploit the any-road skills of modern high-class adventurers’