Words: Clive Strugnell

Every now and then a particular motorcycle becomes an icon, often highly sought after long since production has stopped. So many factors contribute to this, and it’s very seldom that the iconic status was planned by the manufacturer in any way. In fact most times the exact opposite happens, the manufacturer introduces a bike planned right from the beginning to be something special, and in the end it turns out to be nothing of the sort.

The number of really iconic Japanese bikes is actually pretty small considering the hundreds of different models they have produced since the sixties when the mighty four-cylinder CB750 kick-started the country’s worldwide motorcycling domination. Another such legendary bike was the original Africa Twin. First produced in 1988 as a 650 V-twin adventure bike, the Africa Twin used basic looks and configuration to tackle a market that was beginning to emerge for a nimble touring bike that could tackle dirt roads as well as the highways and back roads. The original Africa Twin had spoked wheels, 21-inch front and 18-inch rear, long travel suspension and a fairing copied from the Honda Dakar racers of the time. The Dakar race was a big thing already, and Honda used the image of a cross-continental racer to market their new machine. It was an immediate success, and by 1989 had grown to a 750 and for the next 14 years was a strong seller around the world.

Production stopped in 2003 and Honda pinned its hopes on their new adventure bike the 1000cc Varadero seeing it as the successor to the now ageing Africa Twin. The Varadero, was never as successful or capable as the Africa Twin, and was discontinued in 2013. In the meantime the reputation of the Africa Twin soared, and even 15 years after the last one rolled off the production line it still had a cult following worldwide. The motorcycling world has also moved on, and over the past ten years the biggest sector in motorcycle sales has become the adventure bike market. This has happened for many reasons and not least being that the baby-boomer generation that drove the sales of race replica superbikes in the 90s and beyond, are now older with bodies that don’t fit into racer-style riding positions. Honda was missing from the booming adventure bike segment and in 2009 it was decided to get back to work on resurrecting the Africa Twin.

On arriving at Aquila Private Game Reserve near Ceres on South Africa’s Western Cape, we were introduced to many of the team responsible for the bike. A very proud President of Honda Africa, Mr Yoshiaki Nakamura welcomed us as the first group to arrive. Flanking him was the new bike, this one very understated in a satin black. At that point, to be quite honest, it was just another nice looking new bike, quite similar to one of the older model Africa Twins just outside the door.

Source: Supplied.

Into the tech briefing and it’s immediately obvious there are two distinctly different versions of the CRF1000L. The first is the standard model, and it is fitted with a conventional six-speed gearbox with an ordinary foot gear lever and clutch lever on the handlebar. The second is the Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) model. In Australia, there will be three models: a non ABS base model, an ABS model and a DCT model with ABS.

DCT is a transmission that automates clutch and shift operation while retaining the essential structure and direct acceleration feel of a manual transmission. As the name suggests, DCT features two clutches: one for off-the-line acceleration and 1st, 3rd and 5th gears, and one for 2nd, 4th and 6th gears. The use of this technology in a motorcycle was first introduced by Honda on the VFR1200F sports-tourer. The DCT version has no gear lever, although one is available as an optional extra – everyone smiled when they heard that at the launch! It also doesn’t have a clutch lever. It does have strong looking enduro type plastic handlebar protectors, the instrument panel is easy to read and electronically shows everything you need to know, including the riding mode settings and other normal stuff like the time, your speed, water temp, fuel and the rest.

The DCT Africa Twin has all the normal functions of a typical left switchblock and it also has a spring loaded toggle in front operated by a flick of your pointing finger, and one on the back to press with your thumb. They both fall very naturally in place, and you can change gears manually. Simply flick a finger or thumb to move up or down through the conventional six-speed gearbox. The changes are absolutely instant and as smooth as silk. No rider can possibly hope to match them manually with conventional controls. On the right switchblock block you find the normal starter button and kill switch and a rocker switch marked S and M – sport and manual.

In manual mode the bike works exactly like the manual version, and holds the selected gear to whatever rpm you want. It will also change down to a lower gear any time you select one, even if you do so at too high a speed for the lower gear. Select “S” and a little bar graph pops up on the instrument panel. Lightly tap the rocker lever and each time you do so it adds or subtracts a bar. One bar is for automatic in Sport mode, for riding briskly but conservatively. Flick it to two bars and it changes gears a bit higher up in the rev range for more spirited riding. Select three bars and you have the full power available from the parallel-twin engine. In this mode the rider controls the bike entirely through the throttle and the brakes, and it automatically changes gears at exactly the right time. You can manually override the automatic mode any time you like and manually select the gear you think you need. In general it’s more like a comfort blanket when you do so, and as you get more used to it the less you will over-ride it. If you choose the optional foot gear-lever you can use this instead of the toggle switch to change gear. Quite honestly it’s just not worth the bother, because in less than 100 meters you will have forgotten about a foot change anyway.

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If you think that’s all space-age technology which sounds too good to be true, there’s even more. The electronics employ some smart technology which analyses your riding style over a very short distance, and it adjusts the way the bike performs accordingly. For instance, if you deliberately select the most aggressive Sport mode, but ride more gently and conservatively than the Sport mode is capable of, it will automatically reprogram itself to suit your riding style. Alternatively if you happen to be pottering along enjoying the scenery in the gentle Sport mode, and suddenly decide to chase your mate who has just blasted past, the electronics will immediately pick up your more aggressive riding style and adjust accordingly.

By default, when fitted with ABS, the intervention is set to full. This controls both the front and the rear brakes. In addition to the ABS on the front brake Honda use their Dual Combined Braking System (DCBS) where pressing the back brake always puts some braking force on the front as well. It works so well you can’t even feel it, other than the bike stops incredibly smoothly and efficiently. It can be turned off, mostly for use on heavy sand and dirt surfaces where locking the back wheel helps turn the bike. Interestingly, even though the dash light shows the ABS is off it still operates on the front wheel.

The other electronic aid on this bike is the four-stage traction control system. Default is full traction control, indicated by three bars on the dash panel. With a flick of a switch this can be reduced, or it can be switched off completely when the bike is stationary. With three bars showing it is very restrictive, cutting the power very quickly and comprehensively. It’s probably excellent in heavy rain and perhaps black ice, but too much everywhere else. The other modes work well, and it’s easy to find one to suit the conditions. It’s as good a safety aid as the ABS.

The DVT model has one last trick up its sleeve. All of this wizardry is made possible by the latest version of Honda’s DCT technology. In normal operation to ensure silky smooth gearshifts and to give the bike an absolutely seamless ride from standstill to top speed, there is some slippage between the two clutches and the gearbox. It is ever so slight, and almost unnoticeable. However it does rob a little bit of performance. So to remove this Honda has fitted a button marked “G” just below the screen on the panel which still makes things smooth and seamless, but more aggressive.

On the fully automatic DCT version it only takes 30 seconds from selecting first gear with the right hand rocker switch and turning the throttle to take off to forget that bikes ever had clutch and gear levers. Everything just feels so natural and it all works so well. On the ride we were taken on a succession of brilliant mountain passes, and at speeds we all enjoyed, which exposed the new Africa Twin to real, fast touring conditions. One of the great things about riding in South Africa is that the roads are generally in great condition, traffic is sparse and policing is minimal.

Source: Supplied.

At speed on the open road, fitted with Dunlop adventure tyres, the new Africa Twin proved to be a fabulously capable tourer. It is comfortable and the 270-degree crank angle makes the parallel-twin engine sound and feel like a V-twin. It makes a fabulous induction roar when pressed hard, and this makes it very tempting to keep the revs up as much as possible. Another nice feature is that the one-piece seat has a fashionable dip in the front that allows the rider to move around freely during a long ride. The density and the texture of the saddle cover is also just right. After lunch time we swapped bikes, and moving on to the manual version which was not as different as one would expect. It just goes to show how well Honda have done their homework in making riding the DCT bike as natural and effortless as possible. The manual Africa Twin is just as capable: the ergonomics, geometry and everything except the electronic wizardry is exactly the same.

As the day went by we were in riding heaven. As we got more used to the bike one thing became very clear: the underlying geometry, the choice of suspension, the riding position and even the texture of the handgrips has been honed by a team of people who really know what they are doing. At the end of day one we certainly thought they had pretty much succeeded as a touring or adventure road bike. After a day in the saddle we got home full of enthusiasm and ready for the next day which was to be on the dirt.

When got to the bikes the next morning we found they had been fitted with Continental off-road tyres, which gave us a clue to the day Honda had in store for us. At the briefing we found that we had a new set of lead riders who turned out to be masters of off-road. We were briefed on the off-road loop we would ride, which included a gnarly uphill track more suited to a 450 enduro bike. The loop covered fast, hard-pack semi desert, some thick sand, a water crossing and some fast, eroded, winding and undulating sections very similar to some of the great desert races.

Within a very short distance it was clear that the new Africa Twin is a really competent off-road bike. The terrain was far more suited to a well-sorted enduro bike, especially for the riders capable of picking up the pace and using the ample, seamless power of the new Honda engine. And what a revelation the CRT proved to be. Riding in any mode was just so much fun. The very conventional, adjustable suspension easily handled everything that came its way. The brakes are outstanding, even with the ABS fully on. The biggest surprise of all was how good the automatic DVT bike is. With traction control off, ABS off, Sports mode three selected and the “G” button pressed this bike is like a rattle-free Dakar racer!

“What do you think?” was the first thing we were asked by Mr Kudo, in charge of the final development of the Africa Twin. Honestly, this bike is awesomely good. Time will tell if the resurrected Honda Africa Twin will become as famous as its ancestor. I suspect it will. No bike will satisfy everyone, but this one will excite and satisfy a huge group of serious adventure bike riders, attracted not only by what a good motorcycle this is, but also by the fact that it’s a Honda, backed up by all the qualities Honda is rightly famous for and at a price that is going to be hard to beat.

Specifications

Engine type: Liquid-cooled, uni-Cam, four valve per-cylinder parallel-twin
Capacity: 998cc
Bore x stroke: 92 x 75.1mm
Compression ratio: NA
Claimed power: 70kW @ 7500rpm
Claimed torque: 98Nm @ 6000rpm
Wet weight: 228kg (std), 232kg (ABS), 242kg (DCT)
Seat height: 850/870mm
Wheelbase: 1575mm
Fuel tank capacity: 18.8L
Colours: CRF Rally / Tricolour / Silver (Not all colours are available in all models)
Price: $15,499 (std), $16,999 (ABS) and $17,999 (DCT). All prices plus on road costs
Detailed specs: www.motorcycles.honda.com.au