2018 Bikesales Bike of the Year: Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports

The 2016 Honda Africa Twin took out the inaugural Bikesales Bike of the Year awards three years ago and now it's back, with the 2018 Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports DCT taking out our adventure bike category for the second time.

After BMW's R 1200 GS Rallye X seized the title last year, Honda has fought back with a suite of upgrades in its Africa Twin to make an already good adventure bike even better for those intent on heading bush.

There are now three models in the Africa Twin family: a base model Africa Twin with manual six-speed transmission, unchanged from previous years; and two 'Adventure Sports' models, available with either the manual gearbox or the third generation of Honda's 'DCT' dual-clutch transmission.

All three come with anti-lock brakes as standard, and all three now benefit from a ride-by-wire throttle with a choice of four ride modes, seven-level traction control (or Honda Selectable Torque Control, in Honda-speak), wire-spoked wheels, and various tweaks to produce "stronger mid-range response".

In addition, the Adventure Sports pair both benefit from a raft of extra upgrades, the changes spanning longer-travel suspension (with a rise in seat height from 850/870mm to 900/920mm), a flatter seat profile, more upright riding position, a larger screen, a bigger sump guard, and a wrap-around crash bar.

Fuel capacity on the Adventure Sports models has been increased by 5.4 litres (for a total of 24.2 litres, up from the standard model's 18.8 litres), while the pair also boast multi-level heated handlebar grips as standard.

Both Adventure Sports models are only available in a special tri-colour paint scheme – a tribute to the 30th anniversary of the introduction of the very first Africa Twin, the XRV650, in 1988. The standard Africa Twin, meanwhile, is available in either Matte Ballistic Black Metallic, Pearl Glare White (Tricolor) and Grand Prix Red (Team HRC Rally colour).

Bikesales was the first media outlet in Australia to sample the Africa Twin Adventure Sports DCT when we got along on a Daryl Beattie Adventure's tour of Western Australia's rugged Kimberley region in June 2018. It was there, over a particularly tough day that saw us ride for 11 hours from Drysdale River Station, north of the Gibb River Road, to Kalumbaru, the most northerly community in the Kimberley, that we grew to appreciate the DCT's charms.

The dual-clutch transmission system essentially does away with the traditional manually operated clutch lever and gear shifter. Don't be fooled by the long throw of the hand lever on the left-hand handlebar – it's a park brake. Simply fire the bike up in the usual manner and then press down on the mode selector on the right-hand switch block and the transmission will select first – then roll on the throttle as the gearbox flicks through its six ratios, the DCT swapping cogs as quickly and as smoothly as any manual transmission.

There are three transmission modes, with a Sports mode holding gear for longer and raising shift points in the rev range for harder riding compared to the more pedestrian Drive mode, or you can select a manual mode and use the paddle shifters on the left-hand 'bar for total control.

You can also effect gear changes on demand when in the regular or Sports auto modes by using the paddle shifters too. Basically, even in manual mode the DCT won't let you select anything that's going to harm the driveline – it'll override any 'idiot' inputs…

There's also a 'G' button to improve rear wheel traction when off-road, while another button allows the rider to deactivate the ABS on the rear wheel for those who like a bit of rear-wheel steering. And there are four ride modes: Urban, Tour, Gravel and User.

The first three deliver pre-set combinations of power, engine braking and traction control, while User allows the rider to tailor each to their own preferred recipe.

Finally, the traction control can be switched off altogether, if desired. We found this to be the way to go when tackling deep sand in the Kimberley, where even a tiny amount of traction control saw the engine bog down and the bike subsequently lose forward momentum.

Before the Kimberley trip we'd always thought of Honda's DCT as a great thing for anyone with a physical impediment that prevents them from using a traditional gearbox but not of much use beyond that – we were wrong.

Over the course of that long day, and with the temperature nudging 38 degrees C, this pilot succumbed to dehydration and hit his limit – and the deck on numerous occasions, as every last bit of strength ebbed away. After downing some of Daryl's glucose shots and a couple of cold sports drinks at the Kalumbaru store, I revived to the point of making the return run to Drysdale River Station – and I welcomed the DCT's assistance with open arms.

Every bit of energy saved was a plus as far as I was concerned on that remote outback track, and I thoroughly happy to let the auto do its thing…

Fast forward to our 2018 Bikesales Bike of the Year test, and the Africa Twin Adventure Sports DCT found itself within very different environs, with cool southern temperatures and not a dirt road in sight.

However, given our road-focussed run, the Africa Twin still gave a great account of itself. It might lack the power and torque of many of its cousins on this test, and it certainly has the plushest suspension and least road-focussed rubber (Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR) of the bunch, but the Africa Twin can still be hustled through the bends with surprising pace.

Perhaps the biggest issue many had with this bike was its sheer size. With a truly towering seat height and a wet weight pushing a quarter of a tonne, it's a lot of machine to manoevre in the car park, and even this 188cm (6ft 2in) author adopted the technique of climbing on with one foot on a footpeg, rather than simple swinging a leg over with your foot on the ground.

Once in place, however, high on that broad (and reasonably firm) seat and with your hands gripping that wide handlebar, you're greeted by a totally commanding and roomy ride position. Standing up on the pegs feels totally natural, your lower legs gripping the bike's flanks as you enjoy an easy reach to the 'bars and a great view ahead.

It's while standing that you can allow the Africa Twin to do its best work when negotiating a rocky track or technical climb, when the bike's sheer mass and momentum becomes your friend. Mind you, this isn't something to thread through timber on tight singletrack and care must be taken on any water crossing, as the process of reviving a drowned bike – like for any big adventure bike – is a long and involved process.

Of course, there was none of that to contend with in Tassie, where it was the bike's blacktop touring prowess that went under the microscope. And in that context, the Africa Twin is still a mighty fine steed.

The firmish seat can always been addressed with an Airhawk seat top or similar if you plan on spending the majority of your time on the saddle, while even tall riders will appreciate the legroom.

The non-adjustable screen does a good job of punching its way through the wind and heated grips were much appreciated at several points in Tassie. However, one nicety the Africa Twin misses out on – compared to many (admittedly higher-dollar) rivals – is electronic cruise control.

The instrumentation now has a sun visor over the top of the LCD display but it's a busy format, packed with information, and it can still be difficult to read in certain light, especially if you're wearing sunglasses or have a tinted visor.

And then we come to the Africa Twin's range, which – courtesy of the boosted tank capacity – is now huge. While hardcore tourers may still opt for an aftermarket fuel-tanker job, the standard tank – when combined with the bike's frugal fuel consumption – should see well over 500km beneath the wheels before you go hunting for a servo. How good's that?

On this trip the Africa Twin returned an average of 6.6lt/100km, which is a very impressive figure given the nature of the riding. That's a range of nearly 370km, but we know that with more restrained use a range of well over 500km is possible.

The DCT shifts gears smoothly, quickly and precisely, although regular drive mode seems to favour early shifts for better fuel economy. We opted for Sports mode for a majority of the time in Tassie, or simply shifted it manually via the paddles.

This transmission takes some acclimatising, and the first hour or two aboard the Africa Twin DCT usually involves plenty of grabs for the non-existent clutch and a few prods of the non-existent gear shift. However, with a little time it all becomes second nature and you settle in to the transmission doing the work for you.

The suspension, while intended to soak up big hits, still does a reasonable job on the tarmac. The brakes, too, tread a decent compromise between off-road finesse and on-road power, and under hard brakes the dive is controlled better than you may expect of a big, heavy adventure bike. It's no sportsbike, but it's still a heap of fun in the twisties.

Also fighting the Africa Twin's corner is its price. At $19,999 plus on-roads for this Adventure Sports DCT variant – or $17,499 plus on-roads for the garden-variety base model – it's a whole lot of adventure bike for the bucks. It may not have all the bells and whistles of some of its rivals, but it's a solid package with reasonable technology that will still get the job done, whether you're circumnavigating Oz on the blacktop or heading out along any of our remote dirt highways.

It'll handle some more technical stuff too, and keep up with the pack on sealed roads, and all for a price that will leave you plenty of bucks for fuel left over in comparison with its European rivals. What's not to like?

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ENGINE
Type: Liquid-cooled, eight-valve, four-stroke parallel-twin
Capacity: 998cc
Bore x stroke: 92mm x 75mm
Compression ratio: 10.0:1
Fuel system: Electronic fuel injection

PERFORMANCE
Claimed maximum power: 95.2hp (70kW) at 7500rpm
Claimed maximum torque: 99Nm at 6000rpm

TRANSMISSION
Type: Six-speed
Clutch: Wet, multi-plate
Final drive: Chain

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame: Semi double cradle steel
Front suspension: Inverted 45mm Showa fork, fully adjustable
Rear suspension: Monoshock, fully adjustable
Front brake: Twin 310mm wave discs with four-piston, radial-mount Nissin caliper, ABS equipped
Rear brake: Single 256mm disc with single-piston Nissin caliper, ABS equipped
Tyres: Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR; 90/90-21 front, 150/70-18 rear

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Claimed wet weight: 253kg
Seat height: 900/920mm
Wheelbase: 1580mm
Fuel capacity: 24.2 litres

OTHER STUFF
Price: $19,999 plus on-roads
Colours: 30th Anniversary Tricolore
Bike supplied by: Honda Motorcycles
Warranty: Two-year/unlimited kilometres