FIRST RIDE HONDA AFRICA TWIN ADVENTURE SPORTS
Honda’s updated Africa Twin Adventure Sports shifts its focus to the road
HONDA HAS ALWAYS gone its own way with the Africa Twin, never chasing big bhp figures – and that’s been to its credit.
The 1084cc parallel-twin engine may ‘only’ make 101bhp, but it’s never lacking on the road – and with such friendly power it’s a piece of cake to live with. It’s comfy and has always been one of the prettiest adventure bikes with its ’80s Dakar styling.
It’s no surprise the Africa Twin has a loyal following. It’s been in Honda’s top three best-selling motorcycles since its 2016 launch and consistently snaps at the heels of BMW’s big GS in the sales charts.
There are two Africa Twins: the £13,199 (£14,699 with electronic suspension) base model and this more luxuriously ‐equipped, touring-focused £16,299 Adventure Sports (£17,599 with DCT). For 2024 it gets a host of upgrades to brighten your on-road travels. The biggest change is to the chassis. A fatter 19in front wheel replaces the skinny old 21-incher (like a GS), the standard Showa electronic suspension has 20mm less travel and the two-stage seat drops 15mm to 835mm/855mm. An even lower 795mm/815mm seat is available from Honda’s huge range of accessories. It all adds up to an Adventure Sports with more street bike-like steering and poise, and the choice of more road-focused rubber when Bridgestone’s excellent AT41s wear out. It’s also more manageable at low speed, and easier for shorter riders to get their feet down at a standstill and for steadying the weight of a pillion. A 15mm-thicker new seat adds extra comfort and knee room.
As before, the Africa Twin makes a modest 101bhp – and that’s fine. Never once during its launch in Portugal did we wish it had the power of aBMW R1300GS or Ducati Multistrada V4. There’s more than enough oomph for back-road fun or gentle cruising, and it’s delivered beautifully (although sometimes snatchy from a closed throttle) through its various riding modes.
Pictures Zep Gori, Ciro Meggiolaro
But Honda has boosted torque by 7% at 5500rpm. That’s the same increase as when the Africa Twin’s motor grew from 998cc to 1084cc in 2020. And not only is the new version more stable on the tarmac, it drives more urgently out of corners, which is also good news for swift overtakes. That’s despite a 3kg weight increase (now 243kg/253kg DCT
