Motorcycles

Honda confirms CRF1000L Africa Twin for 2015

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CRF1000L: Honda has opted for a color scheme and a logo that immediately brings the old XRV750 Africa Twin to mind
The 1000 cc in-line twin engine will debut in the new Africa Twin
The latest CRF450 Rally stood next to the True Adventure prototype at EICMA
The NXR750V won twice the Dakar Rally at the hands of Cyril Neveu in 1986 and 1987, long before escorting the True Adventure prototype at EICMA
CRF1000L: Honda has opted for a color scheme and a logo that immediately brings the old XRV750 Africa Twin to mind
CRF1000L: Honda has opted for a color scheme and a logo that immediately brings the old XRV750 Africa Twin to mind
The muddy prototype shown in EICMA looks to be very close to the actual model
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The legendary Africa Twin is back. Honda has announced that the new adventure model based on the True Adventure prototype shown at EICMA last November will be called CRF1000L Africa Twin, and will be available in dealerships across Europe in late 2015.

In the course of the last seven months Honda has beenvery keen on circulating the occasional teaser, but has yet to disclose acomprehensive technical description of this motorcycle. Apart from acknowledgingits official name, the latest press release includes two new photosand also confirms the option to equip the Africa Twin with a new evolution ofHonda’s Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) – a world first in thissegment.

Judging from the two new teaser images, the production model is very close to the True Adventureprototype, nowadorned with an Africa Twin logo and a red, white and blue color scheme that isso reminiscent of the original model from the late '80s.

CRF1000L: Honda has opted for a color scheme and a logo that immediately brings the old XRV750 Africa Twin to mind

The CRF1000L promises to be an efficient dual purposemachine, powered by a completely new 1000 cc two cylinder engine. An obvioustarget for the new Africa Twin would be the KTM Adventure range, a series of motorcyclesthat built on KTM's success at the Dakar Rally. Now Honda has the chance to collecton its return to the rally world since 2013 and this new adventure model candefinitely benefit from the lessons learned in the sand dunes of South America.Actually Honda can afford some concessions in order to allow for good off-roadcapabilities, given that its lineup also includes the VFR1200X Crosstourer, a choicecatering to the more street-oriented clientele.

So far the press release informs us that the new modelwill be available in Europe in late 2015, no word yet for the US or any othermarket. Stay tuned for updates as soon as more information is released.

Source: Honda

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4 comments
Dan Parker
Yet another interesting bike that's not available in the US.
chidrbmt
The specs. will tell much more of the story . Hard to top KTM. Honda models tend to be porky & boring the last decade.
Ian Cameron
Why the DCT? A mountain of leftover transmissions from the VFR1200 production? Seems somewhat inappropriate for this type of bike and/or the type of person who would buy one...
MarioRJCorbin
Ian - DCT is optional. Chidrbmt - Apparently they are aiming for a weight relative to KTM's Adventure R of 217 kg (478lbs). Dan - Bike will be available in North America in Spring 2016 after it is released this autumn in Europe.
Personally, it's the most interesting looking Honda I have seen in a long time with the exception perhaps of the Honda Fury. I have been toying with the idea of actually getting a dual sport/adventure bike and if Honda does this right, especially where the weight is concerned, I might be tempted to try one out. It certainly is a mean looking bike so far.