New Honda CRF 1000L Africa Twin

[bramds]

I find it hard to believe that Honda Thailand only expect to sell 10-15 AT's per year?

I personally know two expats friends that want one badly and a few on another local bike forum. I think they can sell app 50-75 per year easily, if the price is right off-course.

Yes agree on the ECU, on my V mk3 I read in the service manual that they can (in case of a bad accident), go in and read via the ECU what rpm and what gear was engaged when the bike crashed.

10-15 units, period.

I want so many bikes badly, doesn't mean I buy them all, met enough people who want and going to buy this this and that, never happens.

[papa al]

papa did.

(buy this and that)

[guzzi850m2]

10-15 units, period.

I want so many bikes badly, doesn't mean I buy them all, met enough people who want and going to buy this this and that, never happens.

Well I am not convinced about that low predicted sales no's, much depends how the Thais like the AT or not? Well only time will tell how well they sell here in LOS, we will find out next year, I guess.

Yeah agree regarding the "I want bug", has it myself from time to time but for me having more than one big bike in the stable would be crazy and a complete waste of money as biking has turned into a "Sunday biker" thing, sadly.

That being said; an expat friend of mine have 4-5 big bikes in his garage but he don't drive 4 wheelers, hard core biker, money is not the reason he don't get a car.

[Richard-BKK]

10-15 units, period.

I want so many bikes badly, doesn't mean I buy them all, met enough people who want and going to buy this this and that, never happens.

Well I am not convinced about that low predicted sales no's, much depends how the Thais like the AT or not? Well only time will tell how well they sell here in LOS, we will find out next year, I guess.

Yeah agree regarding the "I want bug", has it myself from time to time but for me having more than one big bike in the stable would be crazy and a complete waste of money as biking has turned into a "Sunday biker" thing, sadly.

That being said; an expat friend of mine have 4-5 big bikes in his garage but he don't drive 4 wheelers, hard core biker, money is not the reason he don't get a car.

With a seat height of 871mm not much Thai people while be able to put their feet on the ground. For example, the Honda CRF250L (similar seat height) sales was suspended in Thailand early because sales was way behind sales targets…

[Neilly]

With a seat height of 871mm not much Thai people while be able to put their feet on the ground. For example, the Honda CRF250L (similar seat height) sales was suspended in Thailand early because sales was way behind sales targets…

Not sure where you got that info from? A friend of mine just bought a new 2016 last Monday

[DILLIGAD]

It's not being advertised yet by Honda so it does seem possible what Richard has said.

Was the purchase in Thailand and was it from a Honda dealer?

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[Neilly]

It's not being advertised yet by Honda so it does seem possible what Richard has said.

Was the purchase in Thailand and was it from a Honda dealer?

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Think we got crossed up...I was on about the CRF250L, which was bought from a main dealer and is still up on their website

http://www.aphonda.co.th/2015/aphonda-home.ashx

The AT is up on their other website, but no mention of when it'll be available

http://www.aphonda.co.th/hondabigbike/product.aspx?product=AFRICA-TWIN

[BBJ]

Lyndon Poskitt's view of the Africa twin. From his facebook page

First of all I’d like to make something clear, I’m not a motorcycle journalist and the only reason I am doing this is quite simply to fulfill the requests from many of my fans and followers who asked for it. So if you like it and think others would like to read it, please go ahead and share it. So, here it is, my first and unbiased / non-comparative impressions of the new Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin.

Jumping on the bike for the first time, my immediate thoughts were, wow, the motor and ride is so smooth, unsurprising really considering I’d just climbed off 130,000km on a big single! The next thing that sprang to mind was how soft the power was, at first this was mildly disappointing but then again I am use to high powered sports bikes and off-road race bikes with smaller highly strung engines. This bike was not designed to be either of those so as the day progressed, I began to realize what Honda wanted to, and had achieved (read on). The third thing I noticed was how much I liked the riding position, very comfortable sat for long periods on the highway and also very friendly to my tall frame (6’4”) when standing up or attacking stuff off-road. With the first few corners and thoughts out of the way, it was time to give it the ponies, and pony up it did, comfortably whisking its way up to an indicated 190kmh and still pulling. Hmm, pretty impressive that for what initially seemed a little relaxed in the power department.

So, I had three bikes for 5 days, a red one, standard clutch and road tyres; a black one standard clutch with TKC80’s fitted and a silver DCT (Dual Clutch Transmission) with road tyres. All three of them I took on the road and off-road and covered a combined mileage of around 900km in 5 days between a bunch of other activities including delivering training schools, presenting and chatting to lots of likeminded people at the Overland Adventure Rally in Ontario, Canada.

On the road the handling is sharp for a bike with 21”/18” wheels. Throw it about you may, and it won’t complain. It’s super stable, friendly and a joy to ride. As a commuter I suspect it will do exceptionally well, especially with the 60+mpg (<4l/100km) I got from it on an average road ride. But lets not stop on the road, a good 50% of my riding was on gravel roads or adventure trails.

The suspension is quite compliant, or soft you might say which really does help it to be comfortable on the road and for the majority of gravel roads and tracks it works well and provides positive feedback with no unexpected behaviors. Start pushing it though and you will find yourself winding the clickers up at a pretty sharp rate. I played with the settings a bit and you can dial it in pretty well for 80% of the things that I did which is probably 100% for the majority of oweners. However, if you are a serious racer or off-road rider like myself that likes to push their bikes hard, you will soon find yourself finding the limits of the stock setup, but lets face it, that’s the same with any production bikes for that matter. Even my Factory Rally bike has had its suspension uprated to deal with everything I throw at it. So, in conclusion I think it will work well for the majority and that’s for sure where Honda aimed it.

The weight of the bike has been a massive topic of discussion, everyone expected less right? Well, it might not physically be the weight you were looking for but boy does it carry it well. Honda clearly worked hard to get the CofG low and geometry right as it just does not feel like a 200kg+ motorcycle, even full of fuel, on or off-road.

Now, I’m not that used to riding aids (ABS/Traction Control), so as soon as I got off-road the bike began to do things I wasn’t expecting so it was not long before I was playing around with the settings to explore the possibilities. First thing to note is the ease at which you can change the settings. The Traction settings are a finger flick away and the ABS easily accessible on the dash. For me I’d like to be able to change both of these on the fly but from memory only the traction could be adjusted while riding, I’m sure this is the same on all new bikes. Another slightly frustrating thing for me was how every time you turn the ignition off, it defaults to full safe mode (max traction and ABS). Putting these (probably regulatory) issues aside, the settings worked really well from ‘off’ to 100%. I tried it all. With the traction full on, you're not going to worry about the rear wheel doing anything but optimal, even on a gravel road or off-road, but if you start reducing the levels, you find yourself comfortably sliding around corners and having fun letting the computers do the work, without worrying about her stepping out too far. For the most part though, I rode with traction off and played till my heart was content and this was where I realized how much I liked the soft power delivery of the engine.

The motor is electric in terms of power delivery, very linear and smooth and not aggressive like some of the bigger adventure bikes can be, this made it a joy to ride. The bark of the intake and the exhaust note is a pleasure to listen to and it for sure still has enough oomph to get you into trouble so you still have to treat it with respect. The gearbox ratios are nice, relatively wide ratio 6 speed, a good spread for most situations experienced on an adventure bike and a comfortable cruising speed.

The ABS is also adjustable but the models I had in Canada would not allow you to turn the front completely off, just the rear. At first I was disappointed by this but when you ride the bike hard in the ‘ABS off’ setting I was pleased to have the mild front ABS still in place, I used it plenty of times and although I could have managed without, it worked well so I guess its acceptable ☺.

Lets move onto the DCT, I was very skeptical about not having a clutch, simply because as a racer you use the clutch so much to help you launch the front wheel over obstacles, to give you more torque or just for fun for that matter. Riding without a clutch or gear shifter is certainly alien for most of us but within minutes I was into it, no worries. On the road, the DCT is just like an automatic car with a DCT (which many have now). Gear changes are seamless and fast and you have various settings to switch between depending on your riding style. Sure there is a small delay if you instantly demand full throttle immediately but I’d say its no longer than downshifting on a standard and it’s for sure way smoother than a manual shift. It’s a little like jumping from a standard / manual shift car to an advanced DCT car, it takes a few minutes to learn the characteristics of it to allow you to get the most of its performance and, just like most modern DCT cars, used properly its performance can surpass that of the standard shift in most conditions. When you want it to change on demand, the option is there, even in auto mode, just flick the paddles and it jumps to action as the next gear is already pre-engaged. I personally found it hard to get used to using the paddles but I was only on the bike for a day. For the most part I left it in full auto sports mode and off-road it was always in the right gear for the situation I was in, even when pushing hard which really…really surprised me. Lofting the front over obstacles is a challenge though, even though the sport setting sharpens everything up, including the hit from the motor, I did miss the input of a manual clutch in the technical off-road. That said, if your not into aggressive or extreme off-road riding (most are not with a bike this size) then the DCT is for sure a consideration as it definitely performed better than I ever imagined. The additional weight of the DCT was not noticeable.

Now I would not encourage wheelies but if you’re a wheelie junkie like me, on either model you will have to put significant effort into lofting the front, even in first gear but once you get up there it’s really nicely balanced. Even though the bike carries its weight well on the trail, it becomes clear it’s biased to the front in this situation. I completed successful mono’s on both models but if you like to upshift on one wheel, forget the DCT, on this one the gearshift was disabled when the front wheel is in the air, I tried everything, manual and auto and it wouldn’t let me. I’m sure its for safety reasons; I guess they are worried that the torque increase during a seamless gearshift might just catch an inexperienced rider unaware and flip them off the back. Oh well, I tried and just reporting my findings ☺.

I rode all three bikes pretty hard off-road and don’t think I ever grounded the bash-plate or anything, even in the rocks or tree root ridden forest tracks. I’ve not looked at the figures but it seems to me they succeeded here to tuck everything away and give it plenty of ground clearance for the suspension travel the bike has.

The bike was really easy to ride, out of the box, in all situations without feeling like I needed to change loads of stuff like bar position etc. You could, but I found it comfortable as it was.

So, would I change ‪#‎basilbike‬ for an Africa Twin? Probably not because I’m used to a lighter bike with a massive fuel range and long travel off-road racing suspension and out of the box, the Africa Twin would not do this, nor would any other production bike. I like to ride hard off-road and of course I love to race too, which is why I built the bike that I did however, I have no doubt that the new Africa Twin with some modifications could do it all, and do it all pretty well. The chassis is very well balanced and has clearly been developed with adventure in mind. The Africa Twin for sure offers advantages over #basilbike when munching road miles though, smoother, more comfortable ergonomics, better aerodynamics and less rider fatigue. We all compromise in bike choice at some point or another.

So, considering where this bike sits in the market in terms of spec, capability and price, you soon begin to realize that Honda did a great job in bringing something to market, in a class more or less on its own. If you want a lighter, more agile bike or need over 150bhp for your adventures, then there are bikes out there for you but for a bike that sits in the middle and is capable of doing everything at an acceptable level, this is a good compromise for somebody who doesn’t want two bikes sat in the garage, a great all round bike I'm sure. Without too many bells or whistles, this is simply a modern, middle weight adventure bike that delivers well and lets face it, if it’s reliability and longevity follows suit of all Honda motor vehicles, it’s bound to please its new owners. Most of all, I really enjoyed riding it and that’s a really important point.

Edited July 16, 2016 by BBJ

[warrimurf]

Comments about tubeless tyres.

Anyone who has done off road riding will go for TUBE tyres. Simple reason being if you damage your rims you can continue riding (perhaps) bending a tubeless rim will end the days fun more than likely. Being Thailand based ( mostlyBangkok) road conditions here are pretty harsh and on a number of occasions I have bent my tubeless rims. Tubeless spoked wheels are MUCH stronger than mag or cast wheels and also can be fixed by adjusting spokes or just fitting a new rim. Yes I know you can have tubeless spoked rims but if you look you will see the rim stick out way past the tyre asking to get caught on rocks of kerbs or something. I have already had to replace my Multistrada's wheels once due to road damage.

One reason I want the Honda IS because of the wheels to me it's a major incentive.

I was looking at the BMW version but the wheels and over complex electronics put me off I want reliability and easy maintenance so I can go ride not be visiting the dealer all the time for electronic glitches I've had enough of them.

Shame about the long delivery time.

[Duindam]

Comments about tubeless tyres.

Anyone who has done off road riding will go for TUBE tyres. Simple reason being if you damage your rims you can continue riding (perhaps) bending a tubeless rim will end the days fun more than likely. Being Thailand based ( mostlyBangkok) road conditions here are pretty harsh and on a number of occasions I have bent my tubeless rims. Tubeless spoked wheels are MUCH stronger than mag or cast wheels and also can be fixed by adjusting spokes or just fitting a new rim. Yes I know you can have tubeless spoked rims but if you look you will see the rim stick out way past the tyre asking to get caught on rocks of kerbs or something. I have already had to replace my Multistrada's wheels once due to road damage.

One reason I want the Honda IS because of the wheels to me it's a major incentive.

I was looking at the BMW version but the wheels and over complex electronics put me off I want reliability and easy maintenance so I can go ride not be visiting the dealer all the time for electronic glitches I've had enough of them.

Shame about the long delivery time.

The main reason for the delayed Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin delivery date is because of an earth quake. Not much Honda could have done to prevent it, avoid it or change it. That Honda close the factory is something we should praise as a positive thing, it shows that Honda finds the safety of its workers more import than profits... No shame in that.

[Sure]

Is it here? https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=560850204100387&id=286620771523333

[DILLIGAD]

Is it here? https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=560850204100387&id=286620771523333

Panda Riders say yes. They are advertising engine bars and said they are in Big Wing BKK now but I cannot confirm it.


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[eisfeld]

They have the bike in the showrooms but I'm not sure if they actually delivered any bike to any owner. Bigwing Phuket recently reconfirmed deliveries in October. Did other Bigwings get them earlier?

[BBJ]

Not sure if any members here are planning to buy, but after much deliberation - and originally setting my sights on the DCT which I paid a deposit for and canceled - I reordered a manual version.

 

No deals offered such as insurance or extras.  Center stand 12k option.  Delivery for me is expected Nov-Dec.  I biker mate received his a couple of weeks ago.

[guzzi850m2]

A friend on mine also have a manual trans on order.

 

I could be very tempted to get one, but honestly I don't ride much anymore due to family commitments, so I keep my V650 mk3 for now and I don't go off-road anyway. 

 

If I get one, not sure if getting DCT or not? I think yes as it's supposed to work very well.

[Sure]

BBJ - why did you change your mind about DCT ?

[BBJ]

^I do a fair bit of off road.  In fact, when I commute to work a take the farm track way, so I guess I am sticking with tried and tested manual.  If it holds up as good as my Versys did which I took places some say it shouldn't go I will be happy.  Color option also a factor.  Heard DCT isn't great on slower technical stuff and there has been a few issues reported.

[Sure]

I'm thinking the same, less to go wrong.

 

[eisfeld]

I, like many others, want the DCT but in red or tricolor trim. Honda doesn't currently offer these colors with DCT but the owner/manager of Bigwing Phuket told me if I can get a list of people who'd like to express their (honest) intention to get one with DCT and in those colors, he'd take that list and try to make the case with Honda.

 

Anyone interested, please PM me.

 

I'm booked now for test rides with both DCT and manual for next month. Checked out the bike in the showroom today and it looks great. Fits me well even though it's quite high. With the seat on the lower setting I could just flatfoot it. The accessories are not cheap. Panniers + topbox + engine guard etcwill probably set me back another 60k or so

[BBJ]

There is a Honda Africa Twin app that has 3D photo image..  You can pretend you have one and choose the color you want!

Edited September 12, 2016 by BBJ

[Disting]

Just my thoughts on accessories. Have found from previous experience with Yamaha for super tenere, suzuki for vstroms and Honda for the CB range that the factory accessories are pants. Much better to buy the basic naked model and dress it from other companies. I bought a full option tenere, rode it for 9 months then ditched the yam boxes and bars and fitted out with Givi. Better protection on the bars and boxes in a different league. 

Its worth the extra money over the long term. 

[DILLIGAD]

There is a Honda Africa Twin app that has 3D photo image..  You can pretend you have one and choose the color you want!

More choice than a Thai Honda dealer then. Henry Ford springs to mind!


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