Honda Africa Twin CRF1100L Adventure Sports motorcycle test

Menus

• 100 hp, 105 Nm at 6,250 rpm, 238 kg all full (250 kg in DCT / EERA), 16,899 euros (19,399 euros in DCT and EERA suspensions).
• The spirit is there
• Discovery
• In the saddle
• In the city
• On the highway
• Departmental
• Paths
• Braking
• Comfort
• Consumption
• The Africa Twin test in video
• Conclusion

100 hp, 105 Nm at 6,250 rpm, 238 kg all full (250 kg in DCT / EERA), 16,899 euros (19,399 euros in DCT and EERA suspensions).

The spirit is there

It would have been a legendary motorcycle, like the Goldwing, if Honda had not stopped it in its tracks in 2003 to replace it with the bland Varadero 1000. The Africa Twin returned in 2016, and admittedly, it didn’t take long for its name to rekindle the spark. She still smells a little of hot sand ("my legionnaire" …), she keeps the aura of a vanished Dakar. Always high on legs, assertive mouth, slender pace, chin forward. Now modern, packed with chips, it has found a new 1100 engine, a parallel twin (it was born in V in 1988) technically stupidly called Unicam (for “single overhead camshaft”), a little more powerful than the 1000 of 2016, 102 hp against 95 for the 1000, but conforming-to-Euro-5-standards-the-finger-the-long-of-the-seam, no choice. Or to put it better: gagged.

Comparo Honda Africa Twin CRF1100L Adventure Sports in mechanical gearbox and DCT version

I’ve always had a soft spot for the Africa Twin, starting with the 650, but I’ve also always found it too big for a trail. In 1988, its twin-cylinder similar to that of the Transalp made me dream less than its promise of adventure and its natural balance. Motorcycles today have to be even bigger, because everyone dreams of being fat, will find out why. Did the Africa Twin still keep its balance? Yeah, because the modern era isn’t all bad, far from it. And we are talking here about the Adventure Sports version with its 24.8 liter tank. !

The essence of the trail to go any way

Discovery

We spare ourselves the hackneyed spiel on trails that are no longer. The only slips that these motorcycles know are semantic. Above all, don’t be fooled by the spectacular-incredible-you’ve-seen-this footage of riders handling their BMW R 1250 GS, Africa Twin 1100 or KTM 1290 Adventure as if they were BMX. They are the only ones to successfully cross cubic meters or cross terrain tables with these monsters. The power of marketing is crystallized in these images. The interesting thing is what we brave rednecks can do with it on frequentable paths or lost meadows. Our best friends in this field remain the engineers and their databases, archives of decades of research. And those at Honda don’t come to the office to hang out the laundry.

A high bubble, which generates reflections

The new split-cradle single frame has lost 1.8kg, with increased stiffness around the steering column. The aluminum rear buckle has also been replaced. As well as the aluminum swingarm, 500 grams lighter but still more rigid. With the frame of the motorcycle in place, the dimensions and mass distributions remain. Long wheelbase (1,575 mm), open column angle and significant drag characterize the trails, to ensure their stability with suspensions with relatively large travel (230 mm in front, 220 mm behind), to withstand shocks in all terrain. The little geniuses of the chassis, supporting specialized software, then imagine an ideal weight distribution, which ultimately ends in compromise with engine engineers and stylists.

226 kg in running order

Which engine, 1,084 cm3, gained about 100 cm3 per stroke increase (engineers usually realize) but lost about 2 kg, both in the classic gearbox version and in the DCT version (double clutch, without gear selector). Vibration-free thanks to two balance shafts, it is set at 270 °, supplied by injection bodies that are wider than on the 1000 and an exhaust valve, as on the new CBR 1000 RR, accompanies the climbs. in regime to improve efficiency.

270 ° inline twin / parallel twin, 4 stroke, single ACT Unicam

The corpulence having taken shape, let’s move on to the brain, whose vital core consists of a 6-axis IMU Bosch MM7.10 inertial unit (yes….). The bazaar concentrates the information sent by all the sensors (angle, roll, pitch, gear engaged, etc.), calculates at light speed the ideal setting (I am summarizing quickly) and decides, according to our settings (the space granted to our commitment) :

• the liveliness of the engine response to the request of the throttle the degree of traction control,
• for drifters of the degree of intervention of ABS
• the intensity of the engine brake when downshifting: whether you prefer to enter a curve like the Marc Marquez or rather specific to the Fabio Quartararo
• the possibility of doing more or less admirable wheelies
• of the freedom that we allow for the natural movements of the off-road motorcycle, sometimes when we are tempted by a French championship round.

I’m a little ironic, but the Africa’s electronic equipment has risen to a very high level, it works very well, you just have to look a little at the user manual to enter the menus, at the dashboard. Fortunately, it is tactile, which makes it much easier to use on a daily basis, once you have memorized all the possible settings. I would add, for geeks, that the Apple Car Play device is installed, for those who have an iPhone.

Touch screen dashboard (and complex to manage via the commodos)

More useful in my opinion, the additional lighting called "cornering lights", evident at night: just take a little angle and an additional bulb illuminates the inside of the bend. Effective.

Finally, the Africa Twin Adventure Sports equipped with the piloted suspension option (EERA), at 17,599 euros for the moment (18,099 euros excluding promotions), which I was able to try in a DCT box (19,399 euros in DCT and EERA), allows instant adjustment of the preload and rebound of the fork, depending on the conditions. Ditto for the shock absorber concerning rebound and compression. And everything works very well.

LED rear light

The following week, I traded in this premium version for Adventure Sports without these options. Or a test of around 2,000 terminals combined with the two Honda.

In the saddle

The new Adventure Sports 1100 is a little lower in saddle (850mm) than the 1000, but still perches for a little guy under 1.70m, which is my case. However, I benefited from the low saddle, at 825 mm. There is also a high saddle and in all cases these saddles are still adjustable by 2 cm. We are getting closer to the personalized bike, between the electronic settings and the seat height. The screen can also be adjusted in height, manually, in steps. You have to be at a standstill to perform the manipulation. The dashboard (TFT screen whose brightness adapts to exterior lighting) is easy to read for major information. Several modes are available, including an Off Road, a Touring for the trip, an Urban for the city and two modes (User 1 and 2) in which you can save your preferences in terms of traction control (HSTC), wheeling (W), engine brake (EB) and suspensions in case of EERA option (piloted suspensions): soft, mid, hard and off road. The more parameters you get, the more you get lost, but it is only a matter of time. I finally opted for the minimum in W and HSTC and the maximum in engine power, after several tests.

Saddle а 850/870 mm

Once launched, the Africa Twin handles well, thanks to its narrow Metzeler Karoo Street tires (90 wide in front, 150 behind), one of its major trail characteristics. A BMW R 1250 GS has wider, more road tires. But with the filling of almost 25 liters, the high perched weight is felt and induces a kind of imbalance at low speed. Otherwise, a little upright driving position, old-fashioned trail type, perfect. It’s also easy to secure a big bag or whatever (but maybe not a Grandfather clock …) with turnbuckles, which easily find their attachment points. This is also a trail.

The spirit of the trail

In the city

The smoothness of the saddle as close as possible to the fuel tank prevents me from looking for the saving sidewalk at every red light. By swaying a little, I manage to put one pointed foot on the ground. The balance of the bike does the rest. The long wheelbase guarantees royal stability under braking and between lines of cars. The thin tires save the agility of the bike, although it is quite heavy, which is felt in maneuvering at low speeds. Moving her to a standstill is a Scottish game for a small build. Again, its weight is significantly higher than that of a BMW GS. Blame it on the vertical twin and the huge tank.

High weight (even when seated)

Another small flaw, the slightly short side stand. On a slightly sloping sidewalk, you sometimes have to turn the motorcycle over.

In DCT version, it is the great luxury. The reports pass ideally. No jerks, a brilliant double clutch system. I chose S2 mode so that the bike would downshift enough not to drop below 1500 RPM and knock the engine, despite everything quite smooth..

Fairly flexible motor

On the highway

The cruise control, saver of points, liberator, door open to various awakened dreams (“what if we repainted the kitchen in metaphysical blue?”), Set at 140 counter, 4,600 rpm, dispenses with worrying about anything. that is. And with a full tank, it can last more than 400 terminals, the stabilized consumption not exceeding 5 l / 100 km. Except that…. the saddle becomes my worst enemy, because of its minimal padding and design. In twenty years of trying, I have rarely had such a sore ass after only 200 kilometers. The Africa Twin’s big black spot is revealed there, when nothing is happening, on the corridor of boredom. And in the end it suits him quite a bit: it’s a dynamic bike. My passenger did not take it with such optimism. The protection is not great either, bubble in high position, the shoulders are under the air pressure. However, the Africa Twin is also a traveler, these faults are difficult to forgive, especially at more than 17,000 euros.

Straight driving position

Departmental

In Suisse Normande then in the Alpes Mancelles, in the heat of July, on small deserted roads (the world is crowded on the coasts), I liked the Africa Twin. Its claimed trail character, both in engine and cycle part, its ease on the way (even in duo), its high driving position to see far, its punchy engine between 4,000 and 7,000 rpm…. Too bad it is still a bit heavy (236 kg in DCT-EERA version, 226 kg otherwise) with the full tank of gasoline.

400 km of autonomy but the Spartan comfort will make you stop after 150 km

Towards Boulay-les-Ifs, Champfremont, a host of small tangled, serpentine roads with undulating surfaces, make up the kingdom of trails…. and tractors, in full swing. Easy to improvise with the big, considerate Africa, with rigorous suspensions, even perhaps a little firm for the shock absorber. The fork tends to dive a bit fast, even when set to the tightest, but it’s also characteristic of trail running. None of his reactions are disconcerting; predictable, it inspires optimism. Stable, good brakeman, I get down to the ascent of her twin.

Stable, good braking machine

He boxes relentlessly, in rapid blows, with a dry sound, he sometimes backfires when decelerating: he lives, despite his suffocation-to-standards. Nice feat from Honda. A BMW GS develops more power but gives less feeling at mid-range. Very high revs (8,000 rpm max) do not disturb him but his favorite area is around 4-5,000 rpm. In DCT, S1 mode, the mechanics reacts almost as if I were deciding the gear changes, surprising.

Asks to write a little manly on the corner

A Honda mechanic would later teach me that the electronic brain "learns" from its rider and adapts to it over time. It remembers the type of regular driving and adapts to it. Soon we will be able to talk to his motorbike, ask him to find the funniest little roads or the shortest way to go to granny (or uncle). Ask him to tell us the story of Brittany of Nominoe as we cross the mountains of Arree.

Twin boxing relentlessly, by quick blows

Paths

Far from the enduro stages, I took stony or earthy, dry paths (it never rained over the 15 days of testing), sometimes with ruts. Standing forward, even accelerating like a fool, the bike never broke apart. It retains its rigor and is always reassuring. The mini traction control lets the rear wheel panic enough for fun. A real trail, the extra weight. At a slow pace, in convoluted places, the Africa Twin is less comfortable and requires technique.

The original Adventure Sports tire fitment, the Metzeler Karoo Street, is better suited to the TT than the Dunlop Trailmax Meridian (220 euros per train) which I also tested in this test. On the other hand, on the road, these are more rigorous, more precise, more road ….

Dunlop Meridian tire instead of the original Metzeler

Braking

There, it is still necessary to pull on the lever or to press on the pedal. The double front disc (310 mm in diameter for each disc) combines power and progressiveness, no complaints, without the ABS triggering early. The fork dips but that’s normal, it’s a trail. The rear slows down properly and is efficient on the way.

Double hydraulic disc ш 310 mm with radial mounted 4 piston calipers

Comfort

This touches the Achilles heel of the Africa Twin 1100. The low saddle is downright uncomfortable after 200 km and of course the sensations get worse when you spend the day on the bike. The suspensions are not in question, it is about the design of the saddle, its side ridges and its padding. A tan !

Saddle firm, even very firm, solo or in duo

The bubble also lacks protection, it also disturbs the vision a little by harmful reflections.

Consumption

The average over 2,000 km, which is the same with the DCT version as with the classic boxed version, hovered around 5 l / 100 km, without being particularly careful. The engine thrives at mid-range and shows good performance.

We dream of an Africa Twin 800

The Africa Twin test in video

Conclusion

Some characteristics made it possible to suspect it: its 21-inch front rim, its narrow tires, its seat, its all-terrain type saddle (with the comfort that goes with it….), The Africa Twin 1100 remains a real trail . Its engine has character, despite its compliance with Euro5 standards, it handles like a big trail, which you sometimes have to put a little manly on the angle, because the weight is rather high, but remains agile. It affirms these inclinations in soft all-terrain. But its weight is still felt and above all, its saddle must absolutely gain in comfort! As for the price, the Honda remains cheaper than the BMW R 1250 GS with equal equipment, with a high-end finish and efficient electronics, so not much to complain about..

Ideally for me would be a lighter, more comfortable Africa Twin 800, around 75 hp but with character at mid-range, at around 11,000 euros. But it seems that "the customers" swear by only the big cars…

Strong points

• Motor
• Electronic
• Cycle part
• Finishing

Weak points

• Saddle comfort
• Heavy weight
• Bubble protection

The Africa Twin technical sheet

Test conditions

• Itinerary: small varied roads + interurban highways with a bit of town
• Motorcycle mileage: 2800 km

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