REVIEW | Honda Africa Twin - CRF1100 Adventure Sports ES
Let's be honest; it's not really the season for motorcycling. The days are short, the climate is cold, and if we're going to place bets on weather forecasts, only a fool would bet against the chance of rain. Here in the UK, if we’re lucky, we're limited to around 7 months of a riding season. From early October through to late March, only the very keen (or very daft) riders habitually don the gear and head out on two wheels to brave the elements.
For the purpose of the job, I am (for a couple of weeks at a time) one of those brave/daft folks at this time of year, but thanks to some exceptionally brilliant winter kit from RST, including the Pro Series Ranger jacket, trousers, boots and gloves I braved the elements on a bike that's equally set for the challenge, the 2024 Honda CRF1100 Africa Twin.
ADV Shopping: Spoilt for Choice
In the past couple of years, I've tested a substantial selection of adventure bikes, including the BMW R 1250 GS, the Ducati Multistrada V4 S, the Triumph Tiger 1200 GT Pro and both variants of the Ducati Desert X (Rally and standard). The Adventure Bike Market is busier than it's ever been, with almost every major manufacturer throwing their hat into the ring.
'Africa Twin' is a brand in its own right, thanks to Dakar Rally escapades in the late 1980s. Since 1988, the model has captured the imagination of riders worldwide, many of whom have embarked on quests of dirt, mud and unpathed adventures... and many more who have liked the idea of the rough stuff but stuck firmly to the tarmac.
1988 Paris-Dakar winning NXR750 ridden by Edy Orioli
A Brief History of the Africa Twin
The first Africa Twin rolled into Honda dealerships in May 1988 in the form of the XRV650 RD-03 and was an instant hit, although the UK would have to wait a couple of years before getting in on the action.
The second-gen Africa Twin arrived in 1990 as the XRV750T RD-04. The RD-04 had a refreshed design, improved chassis, and a new liquid-cooled 742cc engine. The brakes were upgraded, too, with new twin discs on the front wheel.
The third-gen Africa Twin arrived in 1993 as the XRV750 P-S RD-07 with another engine upgrade. The new 750cc 4-stroke engine provided more power, and the design got a refresh, too. Further upgrades came along in 1996 for the RD-07A with more power, a redesigned front fairing and a new screen to enhance wind protection.
In the year 2000, the final variant of the 90s Africa Twin was unveiled with a further design refresh, but in 2003, it all came to an end, and for 13 years, Honda would leave the Africa Twin in history books.
2019 CRF1000L
In 2016, Honda revealed the CRF1000L, a new adventure bike with a familiar iconic name - the Africa Twin was officially back.
Onlookers would be forgiven for thinking that, at a glance, the Africa Twin hasn't changed much since 2016, but the reality is that it has.
Developments to the chassis, tech and eventually engine in 2020, upping the model name to CRF1100, have resulted in the Africa Twin remaining one of the most popular adventure bikes on the market today.
The latest Africa Twin
The 2024 model I had on test was the CRF1100 Africa Twin Adventure Sports ES DCT - quite the character count for just one bike - but to offer an overview, CRF1100 signifies the model and the 1098cc engine, 'Africa Twin' is the model name, and Adventure Sports ES is the trim level. DCT refers to the gearbox, which is a dual-clutch transmission, or, if we're generalising it just like in a car, signifies it as 'automatic' with a manual override.
Prices and options
Being at the top of the ranks for standard equipment, the Adventure Sports ES is also at the higher end of the price list. The 2024 model (as tested) has a starting price of £17,599, and at the time of writing (Feb 2025), both the '24 and '25 models are available to purchase. The 2025 model is a smidge more expensive at £17,649, but the only difference between the two model years is some updated graphics on the TFT screen. With optional extras and some kit packages, prices can quickly be pushed into the early twenties.
Discovering and Learning DCT
Remarkably, this would be my first time experiencing a Dual Clutch Transmission on a motorcycle, and the press office team gave me a very helpful run-through before releasing me onto the road for the first time. The principle is very similar to the DCT systems found in cars. On the right side of the handlebars is a cluster of buttons to engage Drive/Sport, Neutral and Automatic/Manual. When stationary with the engine running, ‘drive’ can be selected, and a reassuring clunk - similar to clicking a manual bike into gear with the clutch in - can be felt and heard. The difference to most automatic cars is that there is no forward rolling when the gear is selected. The bike will happily idle with 'drive' selected but won't engage a clutch or start rolling until revs are introduced.
The system is immediately intuitive, and within 10 minutes of riding, it all feels like second nature, with the only quirk being some muscle memory within my left foot, which was looking for a downshift when approaching a junction or stop. There is no gear selector at the foot, although for £385, an optional DCT foot lever can be fitted by the factory.
Manual override is an option, with gears selected by triggers on the left bar. Click back with your index finger for up, and click forward with your thumb to go down the gears. The system is intuitive, smooth, and very clever. The bike will instinctively short shift in road modes to benefit fuel economy, so for the characterful revs, riders will want to opt for sport mode or a full manual override.
A lever that holds the rear parking brake is in place of a clutch, which prevents the bike from rolling on hills when parked. You would be forgiven for thinking there may be a risk of instinctively grabbing the parking brake lever and accidentally locking up the rear wheel whilst moving. Fortunately, the lever sits just far enough out of reach of even the most extended fingers, and I didn't come close to making the mistake even once.
Weight and handling
Once I'd got my head around the gearbox and acclimatised with the brakes, I was ready to see what the CRF1100 could do. The bike is remarkably agile despite its 253-kilo weight and offers the handling characteristics of a bike half its weight. Even on my first ride - a 1.5-hour ride from the east to west midlands- I felt completely in tune with the bike's characteristics.
An instant bond
Occasionally, in this job, I get to experience a vehicle that seems to just click with my driving or riding style, and the Africa Twin did precisely that. I found the new model to be one of the most intuitive bikes I've ridden in the past few years, akin to the Ducati Desert X, which I fell head over heels in love with just a year beforehand. The parallel twin-cylinder 1098cc engine is sublime and, even with the standard exhaust system, sounds excellent with a rip, bark and rumble accompanying playful roads. The brakes also feel sharp and precise, with Nissin callipers doing the job through the front lever and rear peddle. The bike is also paired with some excellent rubber; the Bridgestone Battlax tyres fitted to the front and rear provide superb grip on the cold roads and a surprising bite when venturing onto the rough stuff - despite the non-knobbly finish.
At 6'1/186 cm, I also found that the Africa Twin fit me like a familiar pair of socks, but for both taller and shorter riders, the seat height can be adjusted, and an optional lower seat can be specified if needed.
On the Adventure Sports ES, you're also given some trick suspension components as standard with 45mm SHOWA telescopic inverted forks up front, which can be electronically adjusted for compression damping. At the rear, a monoblock aluminium swingarm is paired with a SHOWA damper, which is also electronically adjusted for quick and easy riding and environment adaptations. Even in the standard road modes, the suspension compliance feels ideal. At 90kg, I'm often in a tricky middle ground for standard suspension setups, but on the CRF1100, it felt like the bike had been tailor-made for me.
Rider Modes
The CRF1100 offers four pre-set rider modes: Tour, Urban, Gravel, and Off-Road, plus two customisable user modes, which have individual settings for specific conditions or environments. Changing rider modes is quick and straightforward, with buttons on the left handlebar. The TFT screen shows the levels of traction control and suspension settings for each setting. I was happiest in tour mode when riding on the road - for me, it offered the perfect blend of comfort, compliance and performance. For some occasional fun, sport mode rewarded a bit more grunt, but with ambient temperatures of no higher than 6 degrees C on my test ride days, I was happy at a more sedate pace.
Mountainous Adventuring
Thanks to the bond I'd secured with the bike, I was keen to put the Africa Twin through its paces with some proper miles. The Welsh Brecon Beacons are only around 90 minutes from my Warwickshire front door, so, despite bitterly cold temperatures, I wrapped up in my RST riding gear and made my way to some of my favourite roads across the border.
On the Welsh mountain passes, the Africa Twin found its true home. The high riding position allows for advantageous viewpoints over traffic ahead and sits high enough to take in some breathtaking scenery. I frequently switched from tarmac to gravel and occasionally onto the mud to seek new routes and vantage points.
The CRF1100 rips through its rev range with a characterful reward from the exhaust. An optional exhaust upgrade is available from Honda, but I was pretty impressed by the stock sound. The brakes offered a consistent bite, and the DCT gearbox in full manual mode is joyful, too. There was a big part of me that secretly wanted to grumble at the novelty of an ‘automatic’ motorbike, and sure, there were times where I would have preferred the engagement of clicking through the gears with my left foot, yet on the whole, I found myself growing ever fonder of the system. The shifts are instantaneous, and in sport mode, downshifts are rev-matched for smooth transitions and a sublime, rewarding soundtrack.
The cornering grip is excellent even on stretches of roads coated with a thin layer of icy water. As and when it’s needed, the traction control quietly keeps the power delivery in check, and the tyres take care of the rest. Crucially, the CRF1100 does what all the best adventure bikes do best: it feels sporty and encourages you as the rider to push on. I’m confident that the new Africa Twin on mountainous roads could hold pace with its sportier CBR equivalents - the only difference being that on the Africa Twin, you’d be considerably more comfortable than your pal on the Fireblade.
Not even ambient temperatures of 5 degrees C could deter me from the fun of pushing further away from home - but a dark, cold evening soon crept in, and it was time to call it a day on the fun roads in favour of the main roads and head back home and back to reality.
Aero protection
Wind deflection for the vast majority will be sufficient, but if you're over 6' tall like me, you may want to invest in an optional clip-on deflector or an aftermarket taller screen. Up to 60mph, I found the screen in the lower position to be most manageable at the expense of some wind noise in my Arai Tour-X5. At motorway speeds, the wind can get tiresome, but as is often the case in this department, this is a flaw with my own genetics rather than the bike.
Lighting - Room for improvement
On my cold and dark return home from Wales, I discovered two of the Africa Twins’ downsides, both of which are in the lighting department. The headlights look positively aggressive, but they could be (and should be) much better when lighting the road ahead at night. Even with the high beam selected, I wasn't left with the most tremendous confidence on darker, unlit back lanes, and my other non-illuminated frustration was around the instrument clusters, none of which are backlit at night. I'm sure with some familiar riding, button positions would be memorable, but on the dark rides I experienced with the bike, I often unintentionally fumbled through menu settings while trying to find my indicators or rider modes.
A bike for all roads and all riders
After two weeks on the Africa Twin, it's clear why so many can be seen on the road. It's a bike for all environments and occasions. It looks great, rides brilliantly and carries the reassuring build quality as standard that will see these bikes chosen over some of the longstanding adventure bike favourites on long-distance adventures around the world. For the riders considering an adventure bike, the CRF1100 Africa Twin simply has to be on the short list.
words John Marcar
photography Henry Faulkner-Smith
Honda Archive Images provided by Honda Press UK
