HONDA

The "Super Africa Twin"

The weather forecast was around zero degrees and we would be riding on some roads near the Sierra Nevada which would have snow. On arrival in Granada we were waiting outside the hotel reception, a beautiful Adventure Sports, as if to welcome us and confirm who our companion would be in the next two days.
We were able to immediately confirm the beautiful result obtained in this color combination, alluding to the 30th anniversary of the iconic XRV 650, with its blank frame and two-tone tricolor painting of blue and red on a white background, where it stood out in the tank the graphics related to the celebration of that anniversary.


At once we also noticed his height on the ground, leaving us somewhat concerned about maneuvers at low speed and in situations where the balance would require some standing support. The 920mm height of the flat bench could however be set to a lower position of 900mm, still high compared to the 870 / 850mm of its standard version.
Another detail that immediately jumped out of sight was that of its LCD information panel which, unlike the normal 2017 version that was divided into two sections, is now a single panel with excellent visibility and that concentrates all the information. In addition to the available test bike, which included two versions of Africa Twin Adventure Sports, the normal and the DCT box, also versions of Africa Twin 2018, we could see that all versions integrate this year the same panel Single LCD information.





The advantage, in addition to being aesthetically more appealing, was revealed on the second day when we rode Off Road on dusty paths where whenever it was necessary to clean the LCD panel, it was sufficient to only fit a sleeve from top to bottom so that it would again have the necessary good reading.
The day after the arrival was the first contact with Adventure Sports and the organizers, as well as elements of the Honda Europe itself, were also members of the local Concessionary who, knowing their region, had prepared us "two days of adventure" according to they communicated to us ... that is, it would not only be a test but an unforgettable experience what they had prepared us for the next few days.

With the promise of an unforgettable adventure we started the first day with the formal presentation of the new model where some characteristics that referenced and differentiate the new Adventure Sports from the normal version.

The Ride-by-Wire acceleration system has now been incorporated into the Africa Twin of 2018 ensuring smoother and more controlled engine power delivery. Thanks to Ride-by-Wire Africa Twin now also integrates 4 power delivery modes, Tour, Urban, Gravel, these three preconfigured modes in turn also condition the engine braking and control. and the fourth "User" mode where we can customize all the parameters.
In the normal version of Adventure Sports there is the possibility of opting to include the system "Quick Shift" that allows the change of speeds without using a clutch, and the system also has an automatic accelerator "Blip" that facilitates the box changes.


In the version with automatic box DCT also there was an evolution in relation to the box DCT of 2017 being that this new version guarantees a greater smoothness in the delivery of power mainly to the low rotation. This reality allows a greater control of the motorcycle especially in maneuvers at low speed because the previous version had an effect of accelerator type "on-off" that caused some unexpected imbalances to those who were not really accustomed.

First Contact

We rode in a DCT version to face the 190 Kms of road that had prepared us with varied situations, from motorway to mountain routes and some still on roads lined with snow and temperatures near zero degrees. The first one we did was to precisely lower the seat to the bottom position because the height of Adventure Sports, despite my 1.80m, did not make us comfortable or quiet.
But as soon as we started with it, we noticed a noticeable evolution in the smoothness of the DCT box, we were perfectly comfortable thanks to the greater control of the motorcycle at low speed and low speed, among the cars in the city of Granada, but also by the sense of balance we feel thanks to a perfect distribution of masses.

The driving position is perfectly natural and very comfortable, with the top and the highest steering wheel that even allows a standing position without too much weight on the front wheel, and the bench, flat in its original design and narrow at the level of the knees, quite comfortable without presenting the typical rigidity of the most all-terrain bikes, thus guaranteeing extra comfort in long runs.
Regarding autonomy, this is one of the aspects where Aventure Sports differs from the normal version of the Africa Twin, since its 24.2 liters fuel tank has practically 5 liters more than the normal version, according to the manufacturer. about 500 km, ie a consumption of about 5 liters to 100 km in normal driving.

In fast road progress we note the greater wind protection provided by the new front glass which is about 8 cm higher than the normal version but unfortunately does not allow adjustments. For my stature was perfect but I imagine that for pilots of different statures it would be advisable to include the option of your adjustment.The sound of the Adventure Sports engine is now "extended" thanks to a new, shorter exhaust pan and inside it has only 2 sections, instead of the 3 of the previous version. The pleasure in the acceleration of Adventure Sports is therefore accompanied by a more serious and sonorous snoring, characteristic of the two cylinders in line. The DCT box on the road proves to be a wonder providing extra comfort in driving. The low-speed Adventure Sports torque allows you to rotate with few changes in the gearbox, and these are made with great ease at the touch of a button, both on the left handlebar, using the thumb to reduce and the speed indicator.

The level of comfort of Adventure Sports is notorious thanks mainly to the excellent performance of the reversed Showa suspensions of 45mm, which have a 20mm of course compared to the normal Africa Twin. Only in the most violent braking did they show any excessive sag, especially since they were also designed to provide more aggressive off-road driving. Anyway, the braking provided by the Nissin four-piston calipers and the two 310mm discs on the front wheel is quite progressive and always controllable and dosable, biting more vigorously whenever necessary but without the feeling of lack of control, also thanks to an ABS intervention.

In terms of lighting Adventure Sports is fully equipped with LED technology lights, with two powerful headlights and aesthetically appealing and the blinkers have the particularity not only of turning themselves off but also in abrupt braking turn their backs as a warning signal to those who circle back. thus increasing the safety of both drivers.
We ended the first day with the feeling that Adventure Sports really lives up to the slogan of the brand that refers to "Go Anywhere" or "go anywhere", a reality for which we really emphasize the comfort and softness that Adventure Sports together with its autonomy.

Off Road Behavior
The second day was reserved to give us an off road experience through the Canyons and Ramblas of the Province of Granada, which is why the technicians who accompanied us dedicated themselves at the end of the day to change the road tires with tire tires, thus guaranteeing more capacity to Adventure Sports to face the more rugged and always off road course that had been planned and that had been carefully selected.Due to my experience in the off-road I opted for this time with the normal 6-speed clutch and clutch version, in this case slippery, and the version that was made available was the additional option of the "quick shift" system which proved to be very useful especially in areas more techniques where you had to move box fast without having to use the clutch.The off-road course they had booked had everything, areas of streams, gravel areas, other sand areas, parts of desert and paths between grove, roads and more technical zones too, a challenge to test Adventure Sports and above all our dexterity with it. I confess that my only concern was not to fall with the beautiful Africa Twin Adventure Sports and to be able to wreak havoc on it. I really wanted to get to the end with the whole bike and that was another challenge that I put myself. Admittedly, Adventure Sports immediately proved that it was a true all-terrain bike that despite its size and weight of 243 kg, 11 kg more than the normal version, almost behaved like an Enduro bike thanks above all to their wonderful suspensions and some help from their electronics.

In the diversity of routes and situations of floor Adventure Sports has provided us with a real day of the whole terrain with passages through incredible places and to demonstrate an enormous polyvalence and ability to overcome all type of obstacles with the lightness of a motorcycle with another more endurance profile.

During the off-road course and after trying out various options, I ended up using the formula 1-2-3, that is, instead of using the Gravel G mode, especially suited to off-road, I chose to use "USER" the delivery of Power 1, in this case maximum, the Engine Brake in 2 providing some engine brake and the Traction control in 3 to ensure greater traction without removing my own sensitivity in the throttle.

The new Africa Twin CRF1000 has enjoyed tremendous commercial success since it was launched in 2016, with more than 50,000 units sold worldwide and although it is not the most powerful and off-road vehicle such as some of its competitors, has shown a balance and polyvalence according to its strategic positioning of easy-to-fly motorcycle that allows us to reach anywhere. The new Adventure Sports version comes to establish and provide a level above in the ability for off-road and in the ability to make long journeys on the road, whether they are off road, with enormous comfort and autonomy.

MOTOR

DIAM x COURSE (mm)
92.0 x 75.1 mm
CILINDRADA (cm3)
998 cm³
ENGINE TYPE
Parallel twin-cylinder engine, 8-valve, 4-stroke, 270 ° crankshaft,
Unicam, liquid cooling
MAXIMUM POWER
70 kW / 7,500 rpm (95/1 / EC)
MAXIMUM BINARY
99 N · m / 6,000 rpm (95/1 / EC)
START UP
Electrical

Pedro Rocha, direto de Portugal