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Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin

Experience over 50,000 kilometers

The Honda Africa Twin has been running the MOTORRAD endurance test since April 4, 2016 and has now completed the full distance of 50,000 kilometers. You can find the final balance here. We’ll also tell you in the video what is important when buying a used Africa Twin.

Our 50,000 km endurance test of the Honda AT.frica Twin can with a clear conscience be described as an uneventful long-distance test. What sounds boring ultimately means accolade for an endurance test motorcycle. Especially since – especially in the case of the Africa Twin – uneventful cannot be equated with unemotional. The Honda was already causing excitement when a mud-encrusted prototype was shown at the Milan trade fair in autumn 2014. The photos of the two-cylinder in rally outfit went around the world, and the field for the hype about the comeback of the grande lady of the travel enduro segment was set. Twin fever was even rampant in the MOTORRAD editorial offices: when test boss Gert Thole returned enthusiastically from the presentation of the production model a year later, travel editor Markus Biebricher and reporter Mike Schumann each blindly ordered a private Africa Twin. It convinces – the asphalt riders with a relaxed roadholding, the tunnel knights with the best off-road capabilities of all two-cylinder enduros, the doubters with the limited use of electronics and the fans with their successful look.

Video: Used advice on the Honda Africa Twin

Over half with dual clutch transmission

From a standing start, the new Honda Africa Twin jumped to fifth place in the registration statistics and crept up to fourth place in 2017. Interesting: 52 percent of Africa Twin buyers ordered the bike with the automatically shifting dual clutch transmission despite an extra charge of 1,000 euros and an additional ten kilograms. And our long-term test motorcycle? Unwinded the kilometers in a hurry. Defects? Anyone who expects "none" as an answer is wrong. There were even notable one is.

Because what went on strike on the long-term test twin also gave up on some other Honda Africa Twin. The rear wheel bearings, for example. They are not undersized, maybe not sealed well enough. Like the starter button on the right handlebar switch. This ensured a long troubleshooting phase and therefore – probably unnecessarily – exchanged spark plug connectors. You often hear about leaking fork seals, but rarely about a stiff clutch cable that has therefore been replaced. The broken nose for draining the air filter box is ultimately more due to a faux pas when screwing or fiddling with the long-term test machine than to a material defect.

equipment

Seldom before has MOTORRAD tested more accessories in the interim endurance test than for the Honda Africa Twin. The best tires: Conti Trail Attack 2, Metzeler Tourance Next and Pirelli Scorpion Trail 2. The best retrofit silencers: Bos and Leo Vince. Jungbluth cushions a long-term, comfortable bench, inventor Wolfgang Roth devised a clever, customizable windbreak, and the GPS-based anti-theft protection and emergency call from dguard allows the twin to be located on a smartphone with thieves or after a fall. Also a good idea. The transmitter even signaled the mechanics’ test drives after the inspections to fleet manager Tobi Wassermann. We have put together all the accessories in detail for you in our picture gallery.

Inspections

The costs were initially within reasonable limits: 159 euros for the 1,000 kilometer initial inspection, 235 euros for the 12,000 inspection and 325 euros for the 36,000 service. It was precisely the recalibration of the dguard that caused the 24,000-kilometer inspection to swell to 834 euros. The final workshop visit after 48,000 kilometers also had a painful impact. Including the cost of new brake pads, the bill came to 868 euros. With an average consumption of 5.5 liters, the Honda Africa Twin was at least frugal in terms of fuel consumption. Many owners even report consumption of less than five liters.

The last gear of the Honda Africa Twin on the dissecting table of the MOTORRAD workshop was also remarkable. The twins from colleagues Biebricher (4,700 km) and Schumann (13,500 km) paid their last respects to the endurance test machine with a two-man trellis. The result of the autopsy: harmless tracks, little wear, all parts in the green area. The Honda Africa Twin would probably have lived a long time. With a loss of only 37.1 percent, it also achieved the second best value of all endurance test machines ever driven by MOTORRAD, behind the Harley-Davidson Road King.

Balance after 50,000 kilometers

Cylinder head: An outlet valve and an inlet valve are slightly leaking. The compression, however, has hardly decreased. The valve guides and stems are in good condition. There are harmless running tracks on the camshaft bearings. The exhaust valves and their seats have only slight traces of fire.

Cylinder / piston: Tea cylinders and pistons show hardly any signs of wear apart from a few harmless traces of friction, as do the piston rings.

Crank drive: Normal running tracks are visible on the connecting rod bearings, the bearing play is within the tolerance. The crankshaft main bearings show a somewhat asymmetrical contact pattern, the bearing play is also okay.

Power transmission: The gear wheels and shafts as well as the gearshift mechanism show hardly any wear apart from slight traces of engagement on the gearshift claws. The clutch steel disks are discolored, but not warped. Tea clutch springs have settled a bit.

Frame / chassis: The frame and add-on parts show signs of wear corresponding to the mileage, the swing arm and steering head bearings are free of play.

Honda opinion

… to the broken drainage nose on the air filter box:
This is certainly an isolated case and probably caused by an assembly error. We are not aware of any damage of this type.

… to the defective rear wheel bearings:
The warehouses complained about were not submitted to us for examination. In terms of warranty, the wheel bearings on the Africa Twin models are inconspicuous on the market.

… to the defective starter button:
This problem was quickly recognized and remedied with a modified switch unit. The lubricant of the switch and the contact pressure of the engine stop switch have been increased. Our dealers have been informed of this by circular.

… to the leaky fork seals:
Investigations on leaky forks revealed that these vehicles had been driven for a long time with heavily soiled forks. We cannot understand a quality problem, which is confirmed by our guarantee figures.

… to the quickly sagging bench:
This complaint is completely unknown to us. Neither quality monitoring nor customer service were contacted with such complaints.

… to the corroding spokes:
Corroded spokes are replaced without any problems under guarantee. The new spokes are coated twice. From model year 2018, stainless steel spokes will be used.

… to the request for a larger tank volume:
It is difficult to find a good compromise between range and weight or dimensions. The new Adventure Sports version of the Africa Twin has a tank volume that has been increased to 24.2 liters.

… to the wishes for a firmer shock absorber for better passenger suitability:
The Africa Twin chassis was designed for a wide range of applications. On- and off-road suitability, single-seater and two-seater operation and suitability for travel both with and without luggage. Due to this multitude of possible applications, compromises have to be made in the design.

… about the wishes for tubeless rims:
The ability to be repaired is of course in the foreground with such a type of vehicle. That is why Honda decided on spoked wheels with tubular tires when designing the Africa Twin.

Reading experiences

Gerhard Etlinger: I ordered and paid for the Africa Twin without having sat on it, let alone driven. I immediately fitted crash bars from African Queens and Cobbra Nemo chain oiler. The speedometer currently shows more than 20,000 km, including 3,000 km with a pillion passenger. A trip to the corn field at around 70 km / h was also included. Set up, bend the crash bar a little, and continue driving. I was very satisfied from the start. Little things, such as the spokes no longer shining, don’t bother me. If I can drive 130,000 km again in ten years with as few problems as with the Varadero, then I’ll be happy.

Thorsten Gudegast: It’s been 4,500 km with the new Africa Twin. I gave my XRV 750 for them after 14 years. For me, the new CRF 1000 is clearly better in terms of performance, stability and braking performance. The anti-skid control works great, as does ABS. The old twin is much more agile. Care: Dismantling the side panels and the front paneling on the old Africa Twin takes ten minutes, on the new one it takes 40 minutes. One of the original suitcases couldn’t stand falling over while standing. My previous Hepcos Juniors took harder blows. I think the new Africa Twin won’t stay with me for 14 years. It’s a solid machine, but not as multifunctional as the XRV. During this year’s trip through the Alps, we often talked about the fact that the CRF wrongly received such good press reports.

Andreas Jorn: The Africa Twin is my 47th motorcycle. I covered a good 10,000 kilometers with her. In addition to the many good features, there are also a few downsides: In my opinion, the spring of the rear shock absorber is quickly overwhelmed in pillion operation. The processing no longer seems to do justice to the legendary Honda image. The heated grips have been repaired three times so far. The left handlebar armature was replaced as well as the wheels, which were marred by rusty spokes. What remains is a tank logo that has fallen off in the Spanish sun. Tip: If the handlebars are covered with dark foil between the risers, this increases the readability of the instrument cluster.

Kai-Uwe Och: I moved the Africa Twin a good 25,000 km, and it was almost completely problem-free. She never let me down. It is made for Scandinavia, here the travel enduro gets species-appropriate floor housing. The chassis impresses on bumpy country roads with and without asphalt. The known teething troubles of the corroding spokes and the hanging set button were resolved by Honda without discussion. And: I’ve been riding the first set of Heidenau K60 Scouts for 22,000 kilometers!

Andreas Hess: I live in Thailand and drive an Africa Twin DCT. The switch from the scooter succeeded straight away thanks to the famous DCT. Within three months I unwound a good 5,000 km. The moped is absolutely heat-resistant, the engine temperature does not rise even at an estimated 50 degrees and stop-and-go in downtown Bangkok. I am very satisfied. In mountainous terrain – here it is sometimes 20 percent – being able to shift downhill manually is a great help. Improvements? A height-adjustable disc, proper footrests and a socket in the cockpit are suggestions for a product upgrade.

Markus Hellstern: My experience from 37,000 km with the Africa Twin: First of all I have to say that I think the motorcycle and especially the engine and the (manual) gearbox are great – if it weren’t for that annoying and sometimes dangerous "hobbling" of the front fork. When driving straight ahead and at an incline between 50 and 85 km / h, the front of the vehicle behaves as if it were a strong imbalance or a strong lift on the front wheel. The front wheel and the tires were checked often and by several authorities – no finding. Slight improvements were achieved by lowering the air pressure at the front, the softest fork setting, and "pushing through" the fork legs (8 mm). All those involved, including the importer, consider the fork’s breakaway torque too high to be the cause. Honda calls this “state of the art” and sees no need for improvement.

Price comparison Honda Africa Twin

Here we have listed current offers and a price overview for the Honda CRF1000L Africatwin. We have all versions (with and without DCT) as well as the Adventure Sports in comparison.

Price comparison for used Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin

1000PS marketplace app

The variety of used Honda Africa Twins is great.

Since its return, the Honda Africa Twin, this time with the abbreviation CRF 1000 L, has been a real hit on the used market. The range is large and the selection of different configurations varied. With or without DCT, full of accessories or still standard – used Honda Africa Twins are available in every version. Here is a price comparison for used Honda Africa Twins: used Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin in Germany.

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