2020 Honda Africa Twin Launch Review

The 2020 Honda Africa Twin CRF1100L comes four years after the original Africa Twin became an overnight sensation for the Japanese manufacturer. For 2020, Honda’s boffins have delivered an updated model promising more power from a higher displaced 1100cc engine, less weight, improved agility and more tech.

With the current state of affairs, the 2020 Honda Africa Twin will have tongues wagging. The idea of setting off on a cross-country adventure on your motorcycle is pretty attractive right now - especially to those of us confined to our lounge rooms.

But Honda’s audience of adventure fans had been on a steady increase long before a certain virus arrived in Australia.

Smash hit

When the original Honda Africa Twin launched in 2016, it was unequivocally the right bike at the right time. Adventure bikes are the motorcycling equivalent of the dual cab ute – especially in Australia. Almost everyone wants one.

In four years, the Africa Twin surpassed the showroom success of all before it, outselling three previous iterations of Honda adventure bikes combined – some 13 years of lineage.

“We’re seeing many buyers step off sports bikes for something that involves less risk to their licence,” says one Honda Australia representative. “For them, the Africa Twin is a logical choice.”

All of that brings us to the 2020 Honda Africa Twin. This is no nip-and-tuck update, but a comprehensive overhaul delivering more power, less weight, more nimble ergonomics and considerably more tech.

We put the Africa Twin through the wringer earlier this month on a three-day, 2000km launch hosted by Honda Australia and Daryl Beattie Adventures. It emerged resoundingly strong.

Number crunching

For 2020, the Africa Twin range is divided into two models: the $19,999 CRF1100 and the $23,499 CRF1100 Adventure Sports. The former is strictly a six-speed manual proposition, while the latter is available as either the manual or a six-speed dual-clutch automatic ($24,499). At the top of the tree sits the Adventure Sport DCT/ES ($26,499), which adds Showa electronic suspension.

The new entry point is a hefty $4500 more than the Africa Twin that first lobbed in 2016, but the increase is addressed with significantly more standard equipment.

The CRF1100L Adventure Sports shares the frame, engine and riding position of the focused CRF1100L, but has a role very much of its own: genuine long-haul ability. This comes in the shape of a larger 24.8-litre fuel tank, extended wind protection (from both the fairing and fairing side panels), a height-adjustable screen, large engine sump guard, aluminium rear carrier plus tubeless wheels and tyres. A charge point and heated grips are also standard fit.

Engine talk

All Africa Twin models employ an uprated 1084cc parallel-twin (up from 998cc) bringing 75kW at 7500rpm and 105Nm at 6250rpm. The engine’s internal changes are quite significant, with increased inlet and exhaust valve lift, increased stroke, new aluminium cylinder sleeve, re-profiled piston and crank, and readjusted throttle bodies.

Along with power and torque increases of 5kW and 7Nm respectively, the Africa Twin is also Honda’s first Euro5-compliant machine in Australia, fit with a catalytic converter and a control valve that channels exhaust outputs via one of two ports depending on engine rpm.

The rejigged engine is teamed with a lighter frame that contributes to a 5kg total weight saving compared with the previous model. The rear sub frame is now removable, while ground reach has been improved by 40mm. Fully adjustable Showa upside-down forks ride up front, offering 204mm of axle travel, while a 46mm Showa adjustable monoshock resides at the rear fit with Pro-link and 220mm of axle travel.

All told, Honda says the engine-frame changes have resulted in a 10 per cent improvement in power-to-weight ratio, though at 226kg in manual form (236kg in DCT automatic trim) the Africa Twin is not what you’d call light.

Electronics

Elsewhere, there’s a swish new 6.5-inch TFT screen with Apple CarPlay and Bluetooth connectivity, six rider modes (including two user-selectable options), seven-level traction control, three-level wheelie control, cruise control, cornering ABS (with an off-road setting) and LED daytime running lights.

For tech heads, the screen is one of the headline acts of the new machine. It automatically dims depending on external light, is a cinch to navigate with gloves on and offers clear and legible readouts that are easy to dissect on the road. The only real bugbear centres on the switchgear blocks that drive many of the screen’s functions; they are festooned in buttons and are not backlit, which makes operation at night near-on impossible.

The Africa Twin Adventure Sports also features three-stage cornering lights that automatically adjust the field of illumination depending on the lean angle. Yep, the standard kit is quite commendable.

Torture test

Few things can prepare you for the rigours of riding a full-size adventure bike through the Australian desert, but it must be said the Africa Twin is incredibly forgiving. We discovered this on a three-day adventure that took us from Alice Springs to the Devil’s Marbles via the Stuart Highway and the spectacular Binns Track.

Ergonomically, the newcomer feels much more user friendly than before – with a 40mm narrower seat and well-considered handlebar-seat-footpeg positioning. Standing or sitting, the cockpit offers easy reach of the key controls for an average 175cm rider, making the Africa Twin amenable to long days in the saddle. A five-stage adjustable windscreen on Adventure Sport models offers excellent wind coverage at open speeds too, but tends to sit too high in its lowest setting – particularly during open sand tracks where forward vision is critical.

Shorter riders will also appreciate the Africa Twin’s adjustable seat height, which can be lopped from 870mm to 850mm via a quick removal and reinstallation.

Of the underbody changes, it’s the increase in available torque that feels most satisfying on the new Africa Twin. The 1084cc twin has tractable grunt everywhere, bringing instant and crisp power to push you out of sand sections, or long and linear procession to redline in each gear.

The manual gearbox is smooth and well-spaced with its ratios, accessed via a light clutch lever with decent feel and feedback.

As for the DCT automatic? Surprisingly, it was the bike we kept going for after each stop; quick-witted, intuitive and willing to peg back gears where required. This was especially the case in sport mode, which also wound back cogs with a quick blip of the throttle during heavy braking.

Suspension

Where the pair begin to diverge is suspension set-up. Whereas the entry Africa Twin feels a tad rawer, agile and lighter, the Adventure Sport imparts the feeling of a big lounge chair: wafting through drawn-out undulations and pampering its rider with heated grips, a larger 24.8-litre tank and all the mod-cons.

This feeling is accentuated yet again on the flagship model: the $26,499 Adventure Sport fitted with electronic suspension. The technology manages damping force every 15-milliseconds by drawing real-time information from front and rear stroke sensors, IMU and cornering ABS. Rear spring preload can also be adjusted electronically while stationary to suit load. Four default modes – soft, mid, hard and off-road – cover every type of riding situation.

The electronic suspension tends to isolate pitter-patter bumps more effectively than the stock unit, but its biggest improvement comes over fast, drawn-out undulations, where the bike feels more controlled and less resistant to floating or wallowing on the rear wheel.

Feel and feedback

Irrespective of model, the Africa Twin offers excellent feel and feedback for a big-bore machine. Our bikes, fitted with Michelin Anakee Wild rubber, telegraph progress nicely through the front and are easy to steer on the throttle, even facilitating long, progressive power slides when traction control is fully deactivated.

Braking performance is likewise strong, though the inability to switch off front wheel ABS does tend to limit effectiveness on loose surfaces.

In terms of fuel use, expect to average about 5.5L/100km in a mix of real world conditions, correlating with a realistic range of about 330km on the CRF1100L and 430km on the Adventure Sport.

The verdict 

The overarching lesson with the new Africa Twin is how accessible its performance is. From the tuning of the engine and electronics to the safety and comfort features, this big-bore adventurer offers a secure safety net – be it ironing out big hits at big speed, or offering surefooted stability through sand – that will appeal to all abilities of rider.

This character trait is underlined by its various riding modes and electronics, which simply serve to reinforce its ‘Swiss army knife’ positioning.

The Africa Twin’s sheer size and weight is not infallible: arrive at a corner too hot and you’ll soon be wrestling with its big footprint. But even its size become less of a consideration with more hours in the saddle.

Other than that our complaints list extends to a few minor gripes: the regular model doesn’t get the rear carrier rack of the adventure sport (and offers no real alternative to grab the rear from when manoeuvring in trailers etc.), the aforementioned handlebar switch blocks are festooned in a confusing layout of buttons, and the windscreen tends to sit too high (even in its base setting) on the Adventure Sport model.

But otherwise, this is a consummate Honda: well put together and proven across all conditions.

Current circumstances aside, this is a bike you could effectively jump on and complete a lap of Australia without a fuss in the world. More than ever, it’s a pretty enticing proposition.

Specs: 2020 Honda Africa Twin

ENGINE
Type: SOHC liquid-cooled 4-stroke 8-valve parallel twin with 270° crank and Uni-cam
Capacity: 1084 cc
Bore & Stroke: 92 mm x 81.5 mm
Compression Ratio: 10.1:1
Fuel system: Electronic fuel injection

PERFORMANCE
Claimed maximum power: 75 kW at 7,500 rpm
Claimed maximum torque: 105 Nm at 6,250 rpm

TRANSMISSION
Clutch Type: Wet, multiplate with coil springs, aluminium cam assist and slipper clutch (DCT – 2 wet multiplate clutches with coil springs)
Transmission type: 6 speed manual (6 speed DCT)
Final drive: Chain

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame: Semi double cradle
Front suspension: Showa 45mm cartridge-type inverted telescopic fork with dial-style preload adjuster and DF adjustments, 230 mm stroke
Rear suspension: Monoblock aluminium swing arm with Pro-Link with Showa gas-charged damper, hydraulic dial-style preload adjuster and rebound damping adjustments, 220 mm rear wheel travel
Front brakes: 310 mm dual wave floating hydraulic disc with aluminium hub and radial fit 4-piston calipers and sintered metal pads, ABS
Rear brakes: 256 mm wave hydraulic disc with single piston caliper and sintered metal pads. 2-channel with rear ABS OFF mode.
Tyres: Bridgestone Battlax Adventurecross Tourer AX41T/Metezler Karoo Street (Test bikes were fitted with Michelin Anakee Wild rubber)

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Dimensions (L´W´H): 2330mm x 960mm x 1395mm
Wheelbase: 1575mm
Caster angle: 27.5 degrees
Trail: 113mm
Seat height: 850/870mm (low seat option 825 mm, high seat option 895 mm)
Ground clearance: 250 mm
Claimed dry weight: 226 kg (DCT 236 kg)
Fuel Tank Capacity: 18.8L (CRF1100L)/24.8L (Adventure Sport)

OTHER STUFF
Price: $19,999 (CRF1100L), $23,499 (Adventure Sport)
Colours: Grand Prix Red, Matte Ballistic Black (CRF1100L)/Pearl Glare White Tricolour (Adventure Sport)
Bike supplied by: Honda Australia
Warranty: 24 months/unlimited kilometres
Fuel Consumption: 4.9L/100 km (20.4 km/L) MT 4.8 L/100km (20.8 km/L) DCT
CO2 Emissions: 112g/km MT 110g/km DCT