Motorcycle specifications HondaCRF 1000 L AFRICA TWIN 2018 Honda returns to the dunes

The Africa Twin has brilliantly put Honda back in the land and escape fantasies. With the Crosstourer positioned on one side of the road to follow the Multistrada, Tiger and other S 1000 XRs, the Japanese manufacturer was able to launch a more adventurous off-road offensive, more in tune with the true spirit of trails. The CRF 1000 won over the public.
Now that the bike is well established, a series of changes will keep it up to date. There's no question of touching philosophy, form or substance. Honda has focused on optimizing the electronics and a whole series of other small elements.

Woodland corners, well-trodden roads, sand sprays and the scent of mud. The playgrounds for the 1000 Africa Twin are as varied as the rider's mood. Now it will be possible to combine all this with the bike's character. Thanks to the addition of a ride-by-wire throttle, the on-board electronics now offer Riding Modes. Four choices, four ways of driving dynamics - with 3 power levels and the same for engine braking.
- Tour" mode gives the engine the highest power, an intermediate level of engine braking (2) and a near-maximum level of traction control (6).
- In "Urban" mode, power and engine braking are at the intermediate level (2), while traction control is close to maximum (6).
- The "Gravel" mode releases power at minimum level (3), while engine braking is low (3) and traction control is high (6).
- The fourth mode, called "User", allows the rider to select and save his own settings for power, engine braking and traction control.
Those familiar with yesterday's Africa Twin will have noticed. Level 6 traction control??? A typo? No, an evolution. Traction control now has 7 intervention levels, compared with 3 previously.

And let's not forget a few changes to the chassis. The front footrests have been made wider, and the passenger footrests have been redesigned to be less of a hindrance to the rider when standing up. The instrumentation has also been repositioned.
The rear shock absorber anchorage is lowered to better centralize mass. The turn signals switch off automatically and feature an emergency brake warning function. Last but not least, tires are now available with approved studs. Alas, we still can't fit tubeless tires.

What do you mean, "Let's finish"?! Not at all. The Honda 1000 Africa Twin is just waiting to go out on the open road. It's got what it takes:

This big trail bike aims to revive the all-round spirit that the Paris-Dakar Rally brought to the fore and made so many backpackers dream. The styling is unmistakable: minimalist and rally-raid in style, it's both athletic and incisive, with a provocative look to boot. As if the forkhead had donned cross-country goggles to protect its LED headlights. On the other hand, no visual improvements to the exhaust system. What a blunderbuss...

Cross-country capabilities are a real notch above the majority of machines in the category. Ground clearance is 250 mm, 70 mm more than that of a Crosstourer. The shoes speak even louder: a large 21" wheel at the front, 18" at the rear, with mixed trail-radial tires.
As a result, the seat height is substantial. But we've seen worse. The seat peaks at 870 mm, or 850 in the lowest position. About the same as a KTM 1090 Adventure.

While a Crosstourer can impress with its aluminum perimeter frame worthy of a GP machine, the Africa Twin reverts to simpler solutions, more in keeping with its vocation. The frame is a double steel cradle, strong enough to ensure on-road performance, yet with the off-road ability and agility of a true trail bike. The 45 mm long-travel fork is inverted, and is complemented by a monoshock with remote adjustment knob. These elements slide over 230 and 220 mm respectively. Braking is via twin 310 mm petal discs at the front, with Nissin 4-piston radial calipers. That's for the front; the rear features a 256 mm disc with a single-piston caliper. The DCT version is always a surprise with an additional handbrake. And to get all this moving, what engine has Honda chosen?

The Africa Twin of the new era has inaugurated a new boiler. Displacement inflation won't bother anyone, especially in a sector where Superbike hearts are no longer shied away from. Except that Honda has decided to be reasonable: it's a 998 cm3 that pulsates here. The engine remains faithful to the twin, but it's no longer a V-twin. Honda has come up with a new engine, a parallel twin this time, with a nice dose of technology.
For example, the camshaft is made from the same material as that used in the CBR 1000 RR, and is housed in a Unicam-type cylinder head. This single-acting, 4-valve-per-cylinder valve train results in a very compact cylinder head, a process that Honda developed for its CRF cross-country bikes. The engine has two spark plugs per cylinder and 270° timing, for character and maximum traction. For 2017, it has adapted to Euro4 standards, imposing pollutant emissions almost twice as drastic as the previous standard.
In 2018, a new dose of modifications with a modified airbox, intake ducts increased by 20 mm, lighter counterbalance shafts, a modified exhaust, and the adoption of a Lithium-Ion battery allowing a weight saving of 2.3 kilos.

So, is this engine a monster to counter the 1290 Super Adventure or 1200 Multistrada? No, not at all. Because if you're looking for a maxi-trailer to tackle the road (with a taste for asphalt), Honda has its Crosstourer. The Africa Twin is for adventure, rivers, the taste of dried earth and clouds of dust betraying your journey. Its twin is rated at 95 hp and 10 mkg of torque. A little short perhaps, in this category where values orbit around 130 hp. But it's better to have a few hundred horsepower perfectly exploited than an unmanageable Valkyrie ride.

In the '90s, the XRV 750's only companion on the road was the rider and the throttle. The CRF 1000 L boasts HSTC torque control with 7 intervention levels, ABS (disconnectable at the rear) and a special version of the DCT robotized gearbox.
Unlike the VFR 1200 and Crosstourer, the gearbox here is perfectly integrated, using the same housings as the manual version. It doesn't "overflow", and on the electronics side, the engine management offers more. The choice is yours:
- a fully automatic D mode, smooth, comfortable and economical... in short, placid enough for leisurely driving.
- an S mode for more performance, with 3 sub-modes to spice up driving (S1, S2, S3).
- or it's up to you to click gears from the left-hand switch.
The Africa Twin's DCT has a special "G" control, which enables it to become more off-road. By activating this control in any mode, the gearbox reacts in a "rough terrain" manner, optimizing traction and limiting slippage during gear changes. It also uses an inclination sensor to supervise and adapt gear changes.

The dry weight of the Africa Twin is 210 kilos. A relative figure, since this figure rises to 230 ready to ride, and peaks at 240 kilos with the DCT robotized gearbox. The fuel tank holds 18.8 liters of fuel. Honda has announced a record range of over 400 km. This unprecedented twin is apparently extremely frugal. The autobox version costs an extra 1,000 euros. With this new look, all Africa Twin owners will be able to dream of this new generation and get ready to see so much further.

M.B - Manufacturer's photos