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Review Honda CRF 1100 L Africa Twin Adventure Sports '24 (Baujahr 2024)

What can the new Africa Twin do that the old one couldn't?

08.02.2024

Test Honda CRF 1100 L Africa Twin Adventure Sports 2024

Photos: Motorradtest.de

The Africa Twin Adventure Sports vintage 2024 is much more than just a small update. Honda has turned pretty much everything inside out with the new CRF 1100 L. The result is a thoroughbred adventure bike that is perfect for long tours on the road. Volker and Dietmar have taken a spin and describe here what the new Adventure Sports does better than the previous model.

Twice Africa Twin

In 2024, Honda will also put two Africa Twins in the sales halls. The Standard AT is a travel enduro with a 21" front wheel and is intended to appeal more to off-road riders. The Adventure Sports with 19" front wheel tested here is a classic adventure bike for long journeys, which feels comfortable on the road. The spread between the two models is now much clearer than in the previous models.

The differences between the purposes are also reflected in the design of the two Africa Twins. The Adv. Sports has the longer range (500 km!) with its 24.8 litre tank, it has lower travel, lower ground clearance and a more moderate seat height, and it is overall more accessible than the standard AT. Engine, frame and technology are largely identical, but the Adv. Sports now comes in series with the EERA suspension from Showa. In the past, you had to book this electronic suspension, which is still possible with the Standard AT (surcharge: 1,300 euros). With the EERA, all damping and preloads can be adjusted via the cockpit and, if desired, it can also automatically adjust the settings depending on the surface and driving style.

>>> Differences in Specs Standard AT vs. Adventure Sports <<<

Dimensions and seat ergonomics

At Adventure Sports, the driver and co-driver have plenty of space. The seat height can be adjusted between 835 and 855 mm without tools. This means that even smaller people are now "Africa-Twin capable". The new model also doesn't feel as high-heeled as its predecessor. However, it is still quite heavy at 243 kg ready to ride. If you also have the DCT gearbox on board - as with our test machine - you have another 12 kg on top. By the way, the seat has also been revised. It now offers a higher padding surface, so you sit very comfortably without butt pinching even on longer distances.

Plenty of space for driver and passenger.

With a length of 2.30m and a wheelbase of 1.57m, the Africa Twin is a huge motorcycle and already visually it is an extremely stately appearance. The grey-black version costs from 18,490 euros, but we like the white-red-blue paint job (300 euros extra) even better.

Farben

360-degree tour of Africa Twin Adventure Sports 2024

Technology - what it should be able to do

The predecessor was already equipped with a "full hut" category. Of course, that hasn't changed. There is still the two-part display with a large 6.5" color TFT touchscreen including Apple Carplay and Android Auto connection. We tried the last one and we have to admit: It's a very comfortable thing to enter your destination on your mobile phone and then enjoy a huge full-map navigation in the cockpit - unfortunately awesome!

The AT really has it all: lean angle sensors with cornering ABS and 7-way traction control, 4+2 riding modes, cruise control, heated grips, automatically resetting turn signals, etc. The only thing Honda hasn't implemented yet is a radar system, which will probably come with the next model change.

Incidentally, the machine also has cornering lights and an emergency braking system as standard, which automatically activates the hazard warning lights in the event of severe deceleration. BUT: Unfortunately, these many functions do not make it easy to use the AT. It's a shame that Honda continues to stick to a multitude of switches, which unfortunately aren't illuminated either. So: You can't sit on it and drive off, you should allow yourself a certain amount of time to get used to the operation of the machine.

Magnificent of an engine: The in-line twin now delivers 112 Nm of torque - and that at just 5,500 rpm.

This is how it drives itself

The new Africa Twin sounds similar to the old one. Only a little quieter, but also a bit bassier. The Tyrol-friendly idle noise is 92 dbA, but subjectively the AT sounds louder - especially when you step on the gas! You can start the soundcheck in the upper right corner, be sure to set the volume to maximum beforehand!

Before we start, we crank the windshield for a moment. You can adjust this manually without tools and the windshield is actually pretty good. In the raised version, it is quiet under the helmet and you hardly get anything. Placed downwards, there are a few turbulences, but fresh air and even so the wind pressure on the upper body is still very low. Even when driving over 200 km/h on the motorway (yes - it goes faster than the stated 199 km/h, see test video from minute 31:58) you can stand it well on the Adventure-Sports . By the way, this is not only due to the windscreen, but to the entire front fairing, which Honda has also revised aerodynamically for the 24 model.

The engine has also been heavily revised, with 112 Nm of torque at 5,500 rpm. To this end, the compression has been increased, the intake ports have been changed and Honda has also lent a hand to the connecting rods and pistons inside the engine. The reason for this was probably the Euro5+ standard, but fortunately the new AT now has even more pressure at the bottom and in the middle speed range. 7 percent more torque came out of the rejuvenation, not bad.

Our last test drive on the previous model was 3.5 years ago, so unfortunately we can't say whether the new AT really feels stronger than the old one. That doesn't really matter, in any case, the new engine pushes forward a lot, and that actually even at low revs. Since our test bike had the DCT gearbox (which had also been revised again), the acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h without shifting gears turned out to be an impressive action. The AT takes less than 3.5 seconds to do so - and fortunately the wheelie control was activated, otherwise the horse would probably have risen strongly. You can really see the adjustment of the wheelie control in the test video (from minute 22:26) - great feature.

The handling of the Adventure Sports is beyond reproach. The EERA rules in the millisecond range and smooths out everything that gets in the way. In a word, the machine is sovereign! Every meter is a blessing and of course, as is typical for Honda, everything on this bike works as you expect it to. The brakes are powerful and well-modulated and require little manual effort. Thanks to the 19-inch front wheel, the AT can also be manoeuvred through curves better than its predecessor. The tires (Bridgestone Battlax Adventure A41) also fit wonderfully with the road orientation of the Adventure Sports, leaning angles are no problem. For our taste, the 110/80 at the front also fits the character of the Adv. Sports much better than the old 90/90 with 21" - and it simply looks crisper.

We also found the DCT at the AT particularly cool. Admittedly, it still takes a little getting used to for us to ride a bike without a clutch lever, but it works quite wonderfully. If you would like to shift gears in between, simply set the DCT to "M" mode and use the two buttons for shifting up and down - just like on a Formula 1 car or on the console. The DCT costs an extra 1,100 euros, but it is in very good hands on such a travel steamer. It's no wonder that over 65 percent of buyers opt for an Africa Twin with DCT .

The warranty for the CRF 1100 L is two years with no mileage limit. The service is due every 12,000 kilometers. It's strange that Honda is still lagging behind the competition here, especially since the quality and reliability should actually allow for a longer warranty period. Speaking of competition, there are various adventure bikes in the upper mid-range, but none of them are as much in the upper class as the new Honda, in our opinion.

>>> comparison Africa Twin vs. Triumph Tiger 900, Ducati Multistrada V2S, Husqvarna Norden 901, Suzuki V-Strom 1050, BMW F850 GS, KTM 890 Adventure <<<

Result

The new Africa Twin is a strong piece of motorcycle! The Adventure Sports has been trimmed even more for road and is now one of the ultimate adventure bikes for the trip to the North Cape. It is technically fully equipped and, apart from the performance, clearly belongs to the upper class. The only points of criticism are the fiddly operation and the somewhat heavy weight, which many competitors also have to struggle with. Otherwise, a super cool machine with majestic charisma and just as much riding feeling - terrific!

The test bike was once again provided to us by motofun (www.motofun.de) from Kaltenkirchen north of Hamburg. There, Adventure Sports and Standard AT will be available as demonstrators. Test drives there in the Schmalfeld curves are a real pleasure - let's go to motofun and salute the boss Nico!

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