We’ve waited long enough it would seem as Honda has finally taken pity on us gear heads and released specs for their new CRF1000L Africa Twin.
With a strong focus on both off-road performance and long-haul rideability, the Africa Twin borrows engineering from several different models within the Honda Line up.
The CRF1000L Africa Twin’s 1000cc parallel twin power plant draws heavily on Honda’s off-road race experience in the form of the CRF250R/450R competition machines, and uses the same four-valve Unicam head design for compact overall dimensions. A lightweight cast camshaft – using the same materials as the CBR1000RR – operates the valve train, and twin spark plugs fire the fuel/air mixture in each combustion chamber.
A 270-degree crankshaft delivers power in a manor that will help the rear tire hunt for traction while on loose surfaces and biaxial primary balance shafts are employed to reduce vibration.
The 998 cc powerplant has been made as short as possible to allow for more ground clearance. The water pump is housed within the clutch casing, and the water and oil pumps are driven by a shared balancer shaft. Also reducing engine size is the lower crankcase design, which stores the oil and houses the pressure-fed pump.
The lightweight six-speed manual gearbox uses the same shift-cam design as found on the CRF250R/450R and is equipped with a slipper clutch.
Honda’s DCT will be available as an option on the CRF1000L Africa Twin, with the use of a common crankcase keeping the width the same as the manual transmission version.
A steel semi double-cradle frame is said to balance stability, agility and strength to cope with all manor of road surfaces while keeping the mass as close to the centre of the bike as possible.
Long-travel Showa inverted forks are fully adjustable and the Showa rear shock has hydraulic spring preload adjustment. Like the CRF450R Rally, the CRF1000L Africa Twin uses a 21-inch spoked wheel up front, wearing a 90/90- 21 tire and an 18-inch spoked wheel in the rear with a 150/70-18 tire.
Dual radial-mount Nissin four-piston brake calipers and 310mm “wave” style floating discs should handle anything a rider can throw at them. Out back is a 256mm “wave” style disc with 2-piston caliper (*ABS). Both ends get sintered metal pads.
Styling is pure Dakar-rally-bike and uses little in the way of plastic bodywork, which is a good thing when it comes time to pay OEM prices for plastic panels after tipping this thing over, which should happen occasionally if you’re having proper fun with it.
For full specs click here and we’ll take you strait to the source.
