2016 Honda Africa Twin specs and picture leaked

Full specifications alongwith the first full hi-res picture of the production-ready new 2016 Honda Africa Twin CRF1000L have leaked early.

The details reportedly appeared on Honda’s Portuguese website and were taken off shortly after. But not before users of the Africa Twin Forum picked up the hi-res picture as well as the spec sheet.

Of particular interest to the global adventure motorcycling community is how much power the new Africa Twin makes and how much it weighs.  According to the spec sheet, the Honda Africa Twin CRF1000L will be powered by a liquid-cooled, four-stroke, 8 valve 998cc parallel twin engine, which will make just over 95PS @ 7500rpm and maximum torque of 98Nm @ 6,000rpm.

The new CRF1000L will go up against the likes of BMWR1200GS, the KTM 1190 Adventure, Yamaha Super Tenere, Ducati Multistrada and the Triumph Tiger Explorer.

What is noteworthy is that the 2016 Africa Twin will be equipped with an optional dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT), which has been specifically developed and optimised for off-road use.

Honda has sold over 35,000 DCT-equipped motorcycles in Europe since it was first introduced in 2010 and in 2015 more people (about 53 per cent of the total) have chosen the DCT over a standard manual transmission on models where it is featured as an option.

The 2016 Honda Africa Twin will come in three variants – standard, ABS and one with DCT. And they weigh 228kg, 232kg and 242kg respectively; not very lightweight for solo adventure travel, but weight is on par with big bore adventure bikes. The Honda however is lighter than the KTM 1190 Adventure R as well as the BMW R1200 GS Adventure. The DCT version is though 9 kg heavier than the 1190 Adventure.

The ABS and DCT versions will also get the three level HSTC system (Honda Selectable Torque Control). The gearbox is a six-speed manual transmission with the six-speed  DCT with driving modes for on-road and off-road use.

Wheels are 21-inch wire spoke aluminium at the front and 18-inch wire spoke aluminium at the rear, suitable for off-road use. Braking system consists of four piston callipers at the front on twin 310mm floating discs and two piston callipers on a single 256mm rear disc. The DCT version also features a parking brake system.

Get latest updates on
the automobile community

Login Now

The original Africa Twin, or Honda XRV750, was launched in December 1989 and based on the NXR750, which won the Paris-Dakar rally four times in the late ‘80s. The XRV750 Africa Twin was in production till 2003 and was, in fact, the successor to the even earlier XRV650 Africa Twin.

The original XRV650 Africa Twin was produced by Honda Racing Corporation in 1988 and 1989, and together with its successor the XRV750, are, in a way synonymous with adventure motorcycling as it is known today. The Africa Twin remains a much sought after adventure bike renowned the world over for its dual-sport capability and it has become the benchmark for adventure touring.