Honda Africa Twin launch delayed to 2017

Adventure tourer enthusiasts in India will have to wait for almost one more year before they can get their hands on the new Honda Africa Twin. In a discussion with ZigWheels, YS Guleria, senior VP, HMSI shared that the new motorcycle will be makes its India debut by mid-2017. The Honda Africa Twin was first showcased at the 2016 Auto Expo and it was announced that the bike will be brought via the CKD route to India. The delay in launch can be credited to the fact that Honda has to train its workforce for assembling the bikes in India and a separate CKD assembly line for the adventure motorcycle. Another bit of disappointing news is that Honda will be able to localise only five per cent of the components of the Africa Twin in India which means the pricing of the bike will be on the higher side. The Honda CBR650F is the only other performance Honda motorcycle to be assembled in India. Also the India-spec Africa Twin will only be offered with the optional DCT dual-clutch automatic transmission and not the standard 6-speed manual gearbox.  

Interestingly, the company plans to launch the six-speed DCT variant in India and not the manual six-speed one. The bike is powered by a 998cc parallel-twin motor compared to the 52 degree V-twins on the older XRV bikes. It makes 95PS of max power at 7,500rpm and 98Nm of peak torque at 6,000rpm.With its 1000cc engine configuration the Africa Twin could form a segment of its own with Suzuki’s V-Strom being the only direct competitor while other rivals include the Triumph Tiger and the Ducati Multistrada Enduro. In addition the adventure bike will also come with ABS and a three stage traction control as a part of an electronics package. Both the systems can be turned off completely though the ABS can only be fully deactivated for the rear wheel only. The front suspension is 45mm fully adjustable forks with 230mm of travel and the rear monoshock is fully adjustable as well for damping, rebound and preload and features a travel of 220mm. The bike will also come with a height adjustable seat with the standard height being 870mm. However, high and low seating options are also available to suit all seat height requirements. The Honda Africa Twin is expected to be priced around Rs 14 to15 lakh ex-showroom in India.