Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin Bike Overview
The Honda Africa Twin is a breath of fresh air in the 1200+cc adventure bike class. You’ll find rough terrain a breeze with its light weight, parallel-twin motor (making it low,) and its improved fuel tank ergonomics. This allows the rider to get their weight forward over the front wheel easily.
This bike isn’t just for rough terrain, though. Wherever you decide to go on this machine will feel easy, with its responsive throttle and 94bhp motor. Criticised by some for its lack of bottom to mid range engagement, it might not have the rush of some other rival bikes but it does still have some exciting power and an impressive torque figure of 68.6ftlb.
You won’t feel uncomfy on this bike. The seat is spacious and ideal for tall riders. The seat is also narrow where it meets the fuel tank, which means your legs aren’t splayed wide like they are on other rival bikes. You’ll feel confident on this bike, with its smooth power and predictable throttle control, you won’t want to get off- especially if you’re off-road which is where this bike really comes into its own.
This bike is a reliable model from Honda, well put together, and cleverly thought out. It’s also a simple one to ride and work out. The all-digital dash shows you your speed and revs clearly, with a lower section showing you information like the traction, gear position, temperature, fuel gauge, and mpg.
You’ll find lots of accessories available for this bike, including luggage, heated grips, taller screen, fog lights, and much more.
Check out the Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin in action…
Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin Bike Spec
- Weight232kg
- Seat height870mm
- Capacity998cc
- EngineParallel twin, four stroke, liquid cooled
Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin Bike Insurance
Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin Bike Gallery
Owner Reviews
Pros
None
Cons
Could be slightly comfier seat. Taller wind shield.
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Thankful I got one
Touch wood. No issues. Bomb proof
Same again. Good brakes. Had to brake hard once. ABS came in. No problem.
Takes well. In the correct gear and speed. Handles great
Being a 1000 cc. Capable of all road speeds. Motorway speeds. Europe another area. Goes well over 120 mph.
I really don’t care about running costs. I love riding bikes. I have three.
Pros
good on road and good off road
Cons
build
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FRANCE FOR 4 DAY WITH PILLION
no problems just some small rust
a *
heavy smooth
very power full enough for me
service cost high 50 mpg
Pros
Rugged good looks. Every time I pass the garage door I want to pop my head in and admire her lines. Love it enough to be going down to one bike as nothing else seems to be getting ridden nowadays.
Cons
Honda luggage is a little flimsy and not entirely waterproof in a deluge, love the reckless system but these boxes are expensive for what they are. Having a timeless tire option would also have been nice.
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Handles far better than you'd expect for an adventure bike. Recently did a 200 miler in the wet, on tarmaced roads with a very quick group and the bike performed admirably. Get it off road and for the height and weight it is simply unbelievably easy to handle.
At 98hp I did worry I might be feeling a lack of power (coming from a CBF1000) but no, she's plenty quick enough and that smooth DCT pull away from a standing start yes you at the top end of legal speed limits in an instant.
Averages about 53mpg using sports mode 1 or 2, which I'm quite happy with when you look at the size and weight of her.
Only had her 2 months so far, let's see how winter treats her.
Coming from a CBF1000 with linked ABS that I never managed to activate, I was shocked to find I (reasonably regularly) feel the rear ABS kick in on the AT. Using front breaks on a show room set suspension is next to pointless as the front end dive is just horrible. Once I'd had a professional suspension set up done, she stops just fine.
Pros
It is a great work horse. Never complains just gets on with the job.
Cons
A little lacking in the technology department. Adventure bikes these days expect to have things like electronic suspension control and ride by wire with cruise control.
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Very smooth ride but the soft suspension on the road two up makes the bike feel heavy.
The performance is adequate. Two up with luggage on hills can seem to tax the engine somewhat.
Very economical to run. I don’t rag mine but at reasonable speeds expect 55 to 60 mpg. Servicing is also reasonable especially compared to say BMW.
Very good build quality. I keep mine clean but after almost 10,000 miles it is still looking sharp.
Good brakes. Progressive if not barn door stopping power
Pros
Great all rounder. fun to ride.
Cons
Should have cruise control.
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Smooth and handles great.
94 HP. doesn't need any more, loads of torque.
Averages 57 mpg. Tax, insurance and maintenance are ok.
Can't fault it.
Does the job.
Pros
Being able to just jump on it and go anywhere, on any roads. It has enough power for solo riding which is what I do most but could do with more when carrying a pillion. Love the engine and its sound, even with the stock exhaust. Build quality is great. It's going to be with me for quite a while which is unusual for me unless they update it with more power. Fantastic!
Cons
A bit more power!
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Rides great, it's a blast one up!
Could do with a bit more power - especially with a pillion
A bit more power!
Wheels being replaced as spokes were corroding after 200 miles - no quibble from Honda
Pros
The Africa Twin is a true all rounder and a worthy replacement for the original. Whether you're ragging it through a twisty section, exploring a green lane or riding down to Africa it does it all very well. The only problem was convincing my wife I still needed the trail bike, the sports tourer and the big trailie…
Cons
I would like to see a bigger horsepower figure but only for bragging rights
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The Africa Twin is very smooth and the power delivery is excellent. It is lightweight compared to other big 'trailies' which makes it a pleasure to ride on or off road.
At around 100bhp it is lower powered than many dual sports bikes but it's light weight mean the power to weight ratio is comparable with the BMW, KTM, Triumph alternatives and its off-road ability leaves them standing.
I would like to see a bigger horsepower figure but only for bragging rights
As with all modern bikes, there is a lot of plastic but it doesn't feel cheap or flimsy. I have done 2000 miles so far and nothing has gone wrong or broken off.
The brakes are excellent. It has ABS like most modern machines. In the end the tyres are what provide the grip. If you use knobbly tyres your braking and cornering wont be as good. I find Michelin Anakee 2 or 3 tyres offer happy medium between road grip and off-road traction.