Table of contents

• Honda Reader Test Ride 2020 Readers test the Africa Twin CRF 1100 L / Adv. Sports
• Participants’ voices from the Honda Reader Test Ride

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Honda invited ten MOTORRAD readers to test the new CRF 1100 L Africa Twin. As it should be for an adventure bike, not only the use on the road, but also off-road riding was on the program.

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The reader’s Test Ride with the Honda Africa Twin started Thursday evening with a cozy dinner.

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Here the participants were able to get to know each other and share their previous experiences.

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At breakfast the next morning, the participants were over-punctual – they couldn’t wait to finally get on their bikes.

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At the Honda Academy in Erlensee, the bikes were already waiting for the test participants, although they had previously …

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… received an introduction to the variety of models and the technical finesse of the Africa Twin.

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Before our readers could choose their motorcycles, they had to pose for the group photo.

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Harley rider Tim chose the standard Africa Twin with manual transmission. The luggage for 2 days had to be transported on the bike – no real problem for the Honda with its large suitcases.

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The small handling course on the Honda site gave the participants the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the Africa Twins under the eyes of tour guide and riding coach Rainer (4th from left).

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After just a few laps, the first footpegs scratched the asphalt, but this was not due to the lack of lean angle, but rather to the great confidence that the bikes conveyed.

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It didn’t matter whether it was the normal CRF 1100 L, as here, or the fully equipped Adventure Sports, which is piloted here by Adrian, who otherwise lives on Fohr with his Africa Twin, which is two decades older.

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After getting to know each other for the first time, we took to the streets. Even in the first corners, tester Dominique noticed how much more agile the new CRF 1100 L can be compared to her own CRF 1000 L. But the Africa Twin is not only agile, it is also fast. So we went to the next item on the program as quickly as possible, the …

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… Off-road training on the grounds of the MSC-Bauschheim. There were more Africa Twins available in the standard version, optionally with a manual gearbox or the double-clutch gearbox from Honda called DCT. For off-road use, mirrors were removed and crash bars screwed on.

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Before the start of the off-road unit, coach Christian imparted important basic knowledge on the subject of posture, among other things.

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Driving was in one of the two user-defined driving modes, whereby the rear wheel ABS and the tranction control were of course deactivated for off-road use.

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Riding coach Christian led the ten readers across the area to a large area with loose ground in order to be able to get used to the absence of asphalt.

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Among other things, they practiced driving slowly and navigating in the dirt, and coach Rainer also used the opportunity for helpful tips, tricks and wisdom.

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One of these tips: When in doubt, it usually helps to give more gas. And one of these wisdoms: Falling is part of the terrain and must also be practiced.

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The next exercise consisted of driving circles and figures of eight, paying particular attention to eye guidance and posture. MOTORRAD reader Rolf had no problems with this exercise.

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For many, however, driving slowly is comparatively demanding. Fortunately, the Africa Twin has excellent handling qualities and was quite unimpressed by the ground contact.

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To put it in the words of the coaches: We all have a guardian angel. So that he is prepared for an emergency, it is important to train him from time to time. There were no injuries that day.

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After the first exercises and short breaks, driving trainer Christian led the three readers to the other end of the training area.

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There, a beautifully laid out route offered the opportunity to practice the driving technique in greater depth in the field.

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First exercise: correct braking. At first only with the rear wheel with ABS switched off, as Coach Christian demonstrates here.

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The test participants were then allowed to practice the braking maneuver one after the other, with the lush clouds of dust definitely generating respect.

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Reader Uwe brought the DCT variant to a safe stand and heeded the tips on correct posture in an exemplary manner.

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Occasionally a motorcycle came to a stop lying on its side, which was a good opportunity to learn from the mistakes. That’s what trainings are for.

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An exercise that looks easy on photos: driving downhill on a slope. In real life, these runs are usually much steeper than the pictures suggest.

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Reader Christian drives a BMW GS privately. Exercises like braking downhill on steeper sections did not bother him very much, but he still learned a lot for use with his own motorcycle.

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For the next exercise – driving uphill with inclines of up to 80 degrees in the meantime – coach Rainer gave tips on correct posture beforehand.

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When climbing the uphill passage, the Africa Twin found it surprisingly easy, so that instructor Rainer even had to slow down the brisk participants a little. Finally, the ascent was followed directly by a tight left turn.

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Switching from accelerating uphill with a front-wheel-oriented posture to slowly driving around a curve was also a good learning opportunity.

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Where there is planing … Two-meter-man Alex managed to split a brake lever, but proudly shows his souvenir in the camera.

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Apart from this one broken lever, only plastic parts were otherwise affected. The Africa Twins were all unimpressed by this.

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The lunch break served not only to strengthen, but also to exchange ideas. Basic tenor: The Africa Twin is agile and makes off-road use surprisingly easy.

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After the meal, there were two more points on the program, which demanded a lot of courage from the participants. This included driving across tree trunks lying across.

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Coach Rainer: “As I said before, it usually helps to simply accelerate more off-road.”

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Participant Alex implemented this tip and not only overcame the tree trunks without problems, but also very impressively.

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The second challenge in the afternoon was the trip to the cross piste. Jacky dared and described the CRF 1100 L Africa Twin as her absolute dream motorcycle at the end of the event.

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Patrick, who drives an Aprilia Tuono privately, even came to the off-road event in the right clothes. He obviously had fun on the cross track.

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Tim, who was also wearing a motocross jersey, also had fun on the cross-piste. Here he is piloting the Africa Twin through a jetty, a quickly driven banked curve.

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When the event ended around 3:30 p.m., the participants were well exhausted, but they still enjoyed the return trip to the hotel on Landstrasse.

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The second day of the test began at the hotel, where the participants were able to swap their motorcycles again. After all, the Africa Twin was available in the normal version both as a switch and with DCT, as well as an Adventure Sports version with a larger tank and optional electronic chassis.

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A column of 16 vehicles headed for the Rhine ferry across the country road.

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On the crossing, the rules for driving in a convoy were explained again, so that nobody gets lost on the extensive motorcycle tour through the Taunus.

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Photographer Gerhard Rudolph had selected a photo curve in advance, which the participants were allowed to drive several times. Participant Ute (picture) would actually prefer a smaller version of the Africa Twin. A kind of mixture of their NC 700 and the CRF 1100 L, so possibly a new edition of the Honda Transalp.

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The MOTORRAD editor Tobias Beyl, who was traveling with us, didn’t miss the drive through the photo curve. He, too, clearly had fun with the entire event.

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One last group photo after lunch with all participants and the Honda employees, then we went back to the Honda Academy via other beautiful streets, from where the participants made their way home happy and satisfied.

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The Honda Reader Test Ride was a complete success: the participants had a lot of fun with the Africa Twins and Honda had a lot of fun with the participants. Accordingly, the manufacturer promises to offer even more readers test rides in the future.

counselor

Driving experience & Driving tips

Honda Readers Test Ride 2020: Readers test the Africa Twin CRF 1100 L

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Honda Reader Test Ride 2020
Readers test the Africa Twin CRF 1100 L / Adv. Sports

For three days, getting to know a motorcycle extensively and in good company, putting it through its paces and being able to experience possible limits for yourself – that is the idea behind the reader Test Ride. Sometimes it turns into a ride that tests the readers: when the new Honda Africa Twin invites you not only to get to know your own limits – but also to push them.

Tobias Beyl

08/11/2020

The term “Adventure bike” makes it clear: This motorcycle can and wants adventure. Adventures are not always easy and not always painless – but they are usually extremely rewarding. Ten motorcyclists who were invited by MOTORRAD and Honda Germany to experience three days of intense adventures on and off the road with the new Honda CRF 1100 L Africa Twin were able to see this for themselves at the end of July 2020.

So it was chosen

The participants were selected based on the creativity and originality of their applications. Out of around 2,500 applicants, there was an illustrious field of drivers consisting of three women and seven men. They came from all corners of Germany with a wide variety of conditions: represented in human form, among others, were the Frankfurt financial world, Munich’s big city life and the seclusion of a North Sea island that can only be reached by ferry. Also in terms of age and in relation to their own vehicle fleet, there was a colorful bunch sitting together on the evening to get to know each other. Despite all the differences, one thing could be clearly felt: the mutual anticipation of setting off on your own adventures the next morning with the facelifted Africa Twin CRF 1100 L.

Day 2 began punctually: First we went to the Honda Academy in Erlensee, where a short presentation not only explained all the technical features of the Africa Twin, but also explained the variety of model variants. The standard AT is surprisingly slim and is usually the better choice for off-road adventurers, while the Adventure Sports variant is intended for great adventures on paved roads and is optionally available with an electronic chassis. All variants were available for testing and were fully loaded and driven over the autobahn to the off-road area of ​​the MSC Bauschheim.

“Falling over is absolutely no problem”

There stood for the fun carried out in cooperation with the ADAC & Safety Adventure Training ten more Africa Twins ready – with TKC 80 studded tires, without mirrors, with a smaller windshield and optionally with or without DCT, the dual clutch transmission from Honda. When testers and test bikes came together, there was a healthy (and, as it should show: health-preserving) respect to be felt for what was to come: traction control off and off into the terrain, where man and machine were mostly pleasantly, but sometimes also somewhat painfully challenged . Eye guidance, posture and driving technique were also on the curriculum as well as the right mental preparation and helpful tips to be able to free yourself from dangerous situations if necessary. Regardless of their personal previous experience with driving off-road, the trainers Rainer and Christian had helpful tips ready for each participant. This included simple wisdom like “If you’re scared today, use your friend: the gas. It helps you out of many situations. ‘”, general advice like “Think about concentration, feeling and gaze guidance! And always have a look at your condition” and encouraging words like “Falling over is absolutely no problem. That’s part of it. We’re helping each other today.”

Said falling over shouldn’t be long in coming. But neither the participants nor the optionally red or black Africa Twins were discouraged. If necessary, you have to exceed the limit in order to know where the limits are in the future. And only those who know what they did wrong can avoid mistakes from now on. So after the first warm-up exercises on a large area with loose soil, it was soon on to technically more demanding terrain with steep ascents and descents and tree trunks lying across the direction of travel. Accelerating and braking, on the straights and on slopes, uphill and downhill were just a few of the exercises performed there. Regular short breaks were welcome and served as a mutual exchange. Basic tenor: It’s a lot of fun, but also incredibly exhausting. And that, although the Africa Twin with its calm, but also surprisingly lively character and its intuitive predictability – in other words: its high-torque and powerful engine and its pleasant throttle response – makes it extremely easy.

Training on the cross slope

There was consensus on this over lunch, even if there was also a single point of criticism between all the positive reports: If the motorcycle is switched off with the ignition key, safety-relevant settings such as traction control and ABS are always activated again and have to be activated again – by pressing a button or touchscreen turned off. Since it also takes a surprisingly long time before the display shows all information and allows settings, the test participants here unanimously want a software update that speeds up the start process a little. If the engine is stopped via the kill switch (or voluntarily or involuntarily stalling), all of this is not a problem.

In the afternoon, further driving exercises were on the program, as well as a ride across the cross-piste for all those brave enough. It is hard to say who had more fun here – the participants or the CRF 1100 Africa Twin. But what can be said: The Hondas could have done their laps until late in the evening, while the participants, somewhat exhausted but also visibly satisfied, parked their bikes at 3:30 p.m. Damage report: A good layer of dirt on the bikes and clothes, but apart from minor damage to the plastic, the motorcycles (and despite one or the other involuntary ground contact, the test participants as well) were intact. Coach Rainer made it clear once again that falling down is part of off-road driving. His advice also: “We all need a good guardian angel. You have to train it a little every now and then.”

Evening program and petrol talks

The evening program consisted of a delicious meal, cool drinks and lots of petrol talks. Even the omnipresent subject of Corona, which is why the group had to sit on two tables, was quickly forgotten; Instead, it was about the experiences of the day and the technological leaps that motorcycles like the Africa Twin have made since the XRV 650 from 1988, but also in a shorter historical view from the CRF 1000 L to the CRF 1100 L. In the evening there was agreement on two points: First: Honda did everything right for me with the new Africa Twin. Second, it was a wonderful day.

Test of fitness to tour on day 3

As a result, the organizers had to offer a lot in order to be able to build on the great experiences of the previous day on day 3. The focus was now on the touring suitability of the Africa Twin, be it as a standard version or as an adventure sports variant with a larger tank, underrun protection and crash bars, be it with DCT or a normal gearbox, be it with electronic or conventional chassis, be it with aluminum – or plastic cases. For this part of the reader test, tour guide Rainer had prepared beautiful streets through the Taunus, the curves of which put a constant smile on the faces of the participants. At lunch on the Grober Feldberg there was ample opportunity to exchange ideas about driving impressions both off-road and on the road.

Participants’ voices from the Honda Reader Test Ride

Adrian, who lives on Fohr with his Africa Twin from 1998, is impressed by the agility of the latest model variant: “Wherever I have to forcefully move the old one, the new Africa Twin almost automatically drives to where I want it to be.” Christian, Alex and Uwe also emphasize the surprising agility, whereby they all refer to both off-road use and cornering on country roads. Uwe also praises the dual clutch transmission, and although he is sure that the Africa Twin would definitely be a motorcycle for him, at the moment he could not decide whether with DCT or without: “Both work great. The DCT made it very easy for me in the field, and I could well imagine doing more leisurely group trips. If I’m on my own, I would also have a lot of fun with the manual transmission!” Jacky and Rolf are already certain: the normal Africa Twin without DCT would be their dream motorcycle where the choice of model variant is still open. Tim could also well imagine the Africa Twin, because although he often raved about his Harley Breakout during the test days, the Honda would not only be the better, but almost the perfect bike for off-road use.

Patrick was particularly enthusiastic about the off-road training: He thinks it is “it’s amazing how easy it is to move such a travel enduro off-road.” And while Dominique, who rides the 1000 Africa Twin privately, is happy about the lower weight and increased agility of the new 1100, Ute is even thinking a step further into the future and would like a smaller version of around from Honda 800 cubic meters and DCT – a mixture of your NC 700 and the new Africa Twin, or if you will: a new edition of the Transalp. Honda was covered in this regard, but took the opportunity to make another announcement: “The participants obviously had fun with our Africa Twin, that’s exactly what we want: We would like to give something back to our community – and therefore plan to offer such events more often!” That is good news, and so it was not as difficult as expected for the participants of this year’s reader test ride to say goodbye in the afternoon (after further beautiful kilometers through the Wetterau).

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