All Comparisons – Comparison Test Africa Twin Vs Tiger 800 XCX and R1200GS: Honda makes the splits – A match at the top!

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Africa Twin vs Tiger 800 XCX and R1200GS comparison test: Honda makes the big difference

All Comparisons - Comparison Test Africa Twin Vs Tiger 800 XCX and R1200GS: Honda makes the splits - A match at the top!

Sleek and smelling the ‘real’ all-terrain, the new Africa Twin would concentrate the qualities of large and medium-displacement trails. Ideal compromise? To find out, MNC has calibrated it to such references: R1200GS and Tiger 800 XCx. Comparo.

A match at the top !

The major novelty at Honda in 2016 is it: the CRF1000L Africa Twin, a worthy descendant of a line initiated in 1988 with the XRV650 then maintained by the XRV750 from 1990 to 2003. Well born, it reinvests the crowded segment of trails with solid arguments, able – on paper – to overshadow the "always-plus-maxi" and eclipse the mid-capacity models (read our and the).

To this end, Honda has endeavored to avoid the technological outbidding largely responsible for the transformation of trails into road disguised as adventurers. The Africa Twin receives traction control (on 3 levels and can be disconnected, while driving), digital instrumentation whose numerous information scrolls from the handlebars (gear engaged, time, consumption, air and engine temperatures, etc.), an ABS that can only be deactivated at the rear … and basta (see our Practical aspects and equipment table on page 3).

No driving modes involved – among others – on the injection mapping or electronic ride-by-wire accelerator, no piloted suspensions or cruise control. All this debauchery of technology, the "Daughter of the Desert 3.0" leaves it to the behemoths of the segment like the, the best-selling trail in the world (). The only concession to this course of action: the optional integration (+1000 €) of the complex and heavy (+10 kg) DCT double-clutch transmission so dear to Honda..

Continuing on from this relative technical simplicity, the performance of the Africa Twin is contained to a "reasonable" threshold of 95 hp and 98 Nm, or 30 hp and 27 Nm less than the R 1200 GS. Here again, the idea is to stick to the basics, without entering the race for (over) power in force in competing trails. So the opposite of the with its explosives 160 horses !

Result: with its new inline twin of 998 cc (preferred to the v-twin of the old XRV to facilitate mass centralization), the Africa Twin fits between the "big" trails of 1200 cc and the "means" of 800 cc. Like the excellent Triumph Tiger 800, whose in-line 3-cylinder engine develops 95 hp and 79 Nm of torque (read and compare the technical sheets on page 4).

Static: the Honda turns heads

Other points in common with the British "tiger": at € 12,999 in a solid color (+ € 300 for a tricolor paint), the Africa Twin plays it financially when a "standard" R 1200 GS costs € 16,000! The Honda barely exceeds the price of a Tiger 800 XCX (€ 12,700), the most adventurous version of the Triumph offer precisely chosen by MNC for this comparison (read in particular).

Like the Africa Twin, the Tiger 800 XCx receives as standard high and narrow spoked wheels (21 inches and 90 mm at the front, 150 mm at the rear), a sturdy aluminum shoe, high-travel suspensions (230 mm and 220 respectively for the Honda, 220 and 215 mm for the Triumph) and hand guards. Finally, both are final transmission by chain … but only the Triumph has a central stand as standard to lubricate it (+ € 224 on the Honda) !

Faced with these motorcycles with a strong off-road hint, the R 1200 GS cannot deny its orientation, which has become more road: Hubert Auriol’s victories in the Dakar at the start of the 1980s with the first R80G / S are a long way off! Its tiny shoe does not encourage tempting the devil and its suspensions frolic on "only" 190 and 200 mm. As for the hand guards and the spoked rims, essential in TT, they are found in the options catalog….

Year after year, its tires are widening and now have dimensions close to those of a roadster (120/70/19 and 170/60/17), while its silhouette follows the same upward trend … three motorcycles, the BMW is the widest, especially at the front part – the Honda appears almost slim in comparison – and its 20-liter tank (19 for the Triumph and 18.8 for the Honda).

And it is not its "Fleet-twin", with its two cylinders installed flat facing the road, which refines its general appearance! Not surprisingly given its larger dimensions and cubic capacity (1170 cc), the German is also the heaviest with 238 kg announced against 232 kg for the Africa Twin and 221 kg for the Tiger 800 XCX.

Up by 9 kg compared to the air-oil cooled, this weight remains moderate for a big trail with cardan transmission, moreover equipped with a windshield adjustable with one hand while driving (fixed on the ‘Africa Twin and the Tiger 800). Compare with the 275 kg of a Honda Crosstourer and the 259 kg of a Triumph Explorer, for example…

With the engine off, these extra kilos nevertheless require more energy to maneuver "Die Referenz" from across the Rhine. However, with only 6 kg less, the new Honda does little better: a small disappointment, especially for a chain drive motorcycle that capitalizes as much on all terrain….

The Triumph takes advantage of its smaller displacement to rest the muscles during maneuvers at a standstill. But the energy saved is lost as soon as it comes to raising it on its central stand: poorly positioned, it requires an exaggerated effort to be deployed, while that of the BMW is handled with disconcerting ease..

Devoid of standard power plant, the Africa Twin 2016 creates a diversion by showing off its successful plastic and its pretty face devoid of that "duckbill" that has become essential on the trails. And it works: in its optional HRC colourway, the Honda is a real eye-catcher and kids thumb their thumbs up imagining you on your way to the Dakar! Gratifying…

Its slender silhouette, less stocky at the shoulders, gives it a visual fluidity that its rivals, especially the R 1200 GS, cannot boast, its lines carved with a billhook and its asymmetrical optics. But what it gains in width, the Honda concedes in length since it reaches 2335 mm against 2248 for the Triumph and 2207 for the BMW. Either almost 9 and 13 cm apart !

Thin but long as a day without a motorcycle, the Africa Twin also admits 1575 mm of wheelbase against 1545 for the Tiger 800 (-30 mm) and 1507 for the R1200GS (-68 mm). Despite a saddle height identical to the BMW (adjustable from 850 to 870 mm), the Honda is the least accessible, reinforcing this feeling of being in the presence of a very high-legged motorcycle..

The R1200GS takes advantage of its remarkable thinness at the crotch to offer a slightly lower arch, while the Triumph’s adjustable saddle – lower by 10mm (840 to 860mm) – puts riders under height more comfortable. ‘1.75m. Note in passing that adjusting the seat height is childish on the German and English, but much less on the Japanese !

In terms of finish, the three motorcycles do not suffer from any critical point and enjoy an excellent build quality. The Tiger 800 XCX takes a short lead thanks to its superb stainless steel hardware, impeccable surface treatments (the BMW tank guard was already badly scuffed with only 4,800 km on the clock) and its engine protection bars at the back. neat welds.

Despite its radial 4-piston calipers at the front (same on the BMW but 2-piston on the Triumph), its elegant petal discs and finely chiseled crankcases, the Honda is not so rewarding. This is due to a few shortcomings that are difficult to forgive on a motorcycle at this price, such as the lack of gap adjustment on the clutch lever, rubber on its rear footrests (optional at 99 €!) And braided metal brake.

Even if the Africa Twin stands out with its luggage racks as standard (optional on the other two), these "omissions" are a bit of a task … Finally, the large square button on the right of the dashboard – which serves to disconnect the ABS at the rear – frankly basic, while its square-ended muffler seems to be directly stuck to … an R1200GS !

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