Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin – Part 2 Offroad

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Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin - Part 2 Offroad
Honda

Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin - Part 2 Offroad

Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin - Part 2 Offroad

Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin - Part 2 Offroad

Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin - Part 2 Offroad

10 photos

Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin - Part 2 Offroad
Honda

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Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin.

Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin - Part 2 Offroad
Honda

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Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin.

Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin - Part 2 Offroad
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The traction control can be changed at any time with one finger on the left side of the handlebar.

Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin - Part 2 Offroad
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The display with bars for the three-stage traction control is sometimes difficult to see.

Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin - Part 2 Offroad
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The rear wheel ABS and the gravity button can only be switched when the vehicle is stationary.

Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin - Part 2 Offroad
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The double clutch of the Africa Twin is quite expansive.

Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin - Part 2 Offroad
Honda

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A really surprising highlight in the field is the smooth DCT automatic.

Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin - Part 2 Offroad
Honda

8/10
Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin.

Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin - Part 2 Offroad
Honda

9/10
Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin.

Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin - Part 2 Offroad
Honda

10/10
The current version ties in seamlessly with the spirit of its predecessor.

Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin – Part 2 Offroad

Off-road test in South Africa

"Be careful, beware of the ruts", the tour guide warned in an Afrikaans-English mix. "Roots?" – "Yes, ruts!" Okay, not roots, but grooves, understood. It was of no use. And there were other surprises at the off-road test in South Africa.

Pffffft – the air is out. For the driver after tens of kilometers of off-road piste near Touws River east of Cape Town, so very gradually, but suddenly for the front tire. The unplanned burst hose leads to a heart-rending oar insert on the handlebars. Phew, it was close. One of these barely recognizable, 20 centimeters deep transverse grooves overlooked, and with one violent thump the fork slams all the way through. No clicks on the fork help, no high air pressure, in such a case the cleverer gives in. Better the tube than the rim.

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Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin - Part 2 Offroad

Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin – Part 2 Offroad
Off-road test in South Africa

Africa Twin is not a crosser, but a travel enduro with an emphasis on driving comfort on asphalt tours, and it is excellent. That means compromises in the field. The suspension cannot be designed for extreme situations such as such “ruts”, especially not with a live weight of 230 kilograms plus driver.

Feedback, controllability, traction

Amazing what is possible in the field with such a caliber. As long as the slope is reasonably flat, the fully adjustable suspension of the Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin works well, responds to stones and holes and holds the wheels bravely on the ground. Well done, after all, we’re not in a special enduro stage in the hunt for best times, even if some journalists occasionally have racer genes.

Apart from more or less planned stunts, it is amazing what is possible with such a caliber in the field. After all, we’re not talking about a leveled gravel pass in the Alps, we’re talking about real desert slopes, sand passages, loose scree fields. So serious challenges that many would-be Enduro bikes have failed to face. When doing circles over narrow single trails you sometimes forget which weight class you are actually dealing with. In terms of handling, the Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin does not have to shy away from comparison with the 800s from Triumph and BMW. This may have to do with the fact that Honda went to great lengths to centralize the masses and lower the center of gravity.

Good running gear is one thing, the drive is just as important. In the first part of the driving report, the Unicam twin was noticed on asphalt due to its enormous suppleness, which helps enormously off the beaten track. The engine of the Honda Africa Twin is gently and cleanly controllable on the gas. Its irregular pulse provides a lot of feedback, fine control and excellent traction when drifting or accelerating on slippery terrain.

Assistance systems on the new Honda Africa Twin

Whether you even need assistance systems off-road is an excellent argument. Electronic helpers may help beginners, true off-road experts wave them down with thanks. The traction control of the new Honda Africa Twin can be regulated in three stages, you can also switch it off completely. In level one, it allows a lot of slip on slippery ground, but catches all too wild drifts again. Practical that switching on / off is possible at any time while driving without taking a hand off the handlebars. A bit inconvenient, however: You have to readjust after each stop. In terms of driving safety, this is okay if the bowl has been turned over. But with the Honda Africa Twin it has to be done even if only the kill switch has been activated.

This also applies to the ABS on the Honda Africa Twin, which can only be switched off when the vehicle is stationary. The anti-lock device is only deactivated on the rear wheel. A practical solution that even aggressive staff can get along with. Because on the front wheel, the ABS intervenes relatively late on loose ground and with not too long control intervals.

What else did you notice? Little things: Anyone who, like the author, has North German square flaps, is standing in the notches on the right with the heel on the exhaust cover. And when you balance to shift your weight, your calves hit the carrier plates of the pillion pegs. Speaking of rest: those for the driver are terribly puny. Old school, the crosser would say. Honda wants to offer wider pegs without a rubber insert as an accessory.

Automatic off-road?

But now for the second surprise: It’s about the DCT dual clutch transmission of the Honda Africa Twin. Automatic off-road? The professional tester with decades of off-road experience initially waves it away tiredly – only to be taught better after just a few kilometers.

Let’s start with a simple trial exercise: slow juggling over thick stones. No problem, the ground clearance is decent at 250 mm. Switching is not necessary here, the first one stays in. Now a lot of work should be done with the clutch and gas in a finely coordinated manner. Not so with the DCT, since everything is done via the throttle grip, which controls the electrohydraulic clutch and thus the power input wonderfully easily and precisely. Like a Rekluse clutch for sports enduro bikes. Stalling is not an issue with the new Honda Africa Twin because it is simply impossible.

Gravity button for uphill or downhill

Exercise number two, a slope: here, too, the automatic gear change makes driving much easier. Loose stones, rumbling rubble, you already have your hands full. The on-board computer – that of the driver – is happy when it doesn’t have to deal with the clutch and gearshift, but can concentrate on the essentials. And then there is the Gravity button, another new Honda patent. If the button is activated, the Honda Africa Twin recognizes whether it is currently driving uphill or downhill based on the relationship between the gas position and driving performance. Accordingly, the gears stay in longer (uphill), or downshifts earlier (downhill). In addition, gear changes are faster and harder. The effects are not dramatic, maybe the altitude profile of the test lap was still too flat.

Exercise number three: sporty driving on gravel roads. So DCT on sport, level three, traction control off, G button on, ABS off. You just have to think a little bit, unfortunately there are no individually combinable and storable driving programs. When drifting, the DCT ensures continuous traction, even if you sometimes feel the wrong gear is in and downshifting after suddenly turning the throttle grip still takes a bit long. Further disadvantages of the DCT: In certain situations, you cannot simply pull the clutch in order to decouple the drag torque of the motor. Above all, however, the additional weight of ten kilograms is noticeable. The motor also always has a somewhat more indirect effect, which in turn can sometimes be an advantage. The traction control has to intervene more with the lively shift version. Conclusion: Crossers and sport endurists will certainly want to keep shifting and coupling themselves, but for the majority of occasional enduro riders, the automatic gearshift of the Honda Africa Twin brings relief off-road.

DCT or not: It’s impressive what the new Honda Africa Twin can do. The current version ties in seamlessly with the spirit of its legendary predecessor and covers a wide area between touring and adventure: Back to the roots.

Data Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin

Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin - Part 2 Offroad

Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin - Part 2 Offroad

Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin - Part 2 Offroad

Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin - Part 2 Offroad
10 photos

Pictures: Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin – Part 2 Offroad

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Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin - Part 2 Offroad

Honda

Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin - Part 2 Offroad

Honda

Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin - Part 2 Offroad

Allucinazione

Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin - Part 2 Offroad

Allucinazione

Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin - Part 2 Offroad

info@fmimages.com

Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin - Part 2 Offroad

info@fmimages.com

Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin - Part 2 Offroad

Honda

Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin - Part 2 Offroad

Honda

Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin - Part 2 Offroad

Honda

Driving report Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin - Part 2 Offroad

Honda

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