Pricing for the Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin has been released and adventure sport fanatics may be surprised by the numbers. At $13,999 for the manual edition, $14,299 for the "rally colour" upgrade and $14,999 in dual-clutch automated manual transmission trim, the Africa Twin is priced lower than its natural competitors from the European stables.
With the automatic dual-clutch transmission comes three levels of sport mode, a G button that allows more aggressive clutch engagement and index-style gear buttons on the left grip. Similar to a mountain bike, the buttons allow the rider to change gears with their thumb and index finger. A foot-operated gear lever is available as an accessory. The G button allows the rider to break traction in the rear by allowing the clutch to engage rapidly, useful for off-road control and performance.
The ultra-serious adventure bike is equipped with a 998cc SOHC parallel twin engine. The 9.1 inches of front suspension and travel and 8.7 inches in the back, plus aluminum skid plate, compact battery/engine/oil placement and rubber-mounted handlebar mean the Africa Twin will be a heavy-duty off-road brawler. A 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheel further add to the off-road focus of the bike, based loosely on the iconic 750cc V-Twin of Dakar Rally fame from the late 1980s through to early 2000s.
A remote adjustment dial for rear preload is one of the tools for transitioning the Africa Twin from on-road to off-road, and in DCT models there are 80 combinations of traction control, gear behaviour and ABS to be selected by the rider.
Traction control can be set to fully off, and ABS can be turned off for the rear wheel only by the rider.
The Africa Twin will arrive in early spring 2016.
