The Honda Africa Twin is a line of adventure motorcycles manufactured by Honda. “Africa Twin” was first used in the late 1980s for the XRV650 and XRV750 models, renowned for their off-road and long-distance touring capabilities. In recent years, Honda introduced a new generation of Africa Twin motorcycles to meet the demands of adventure riders.
As of my knowledge cutoff in September 2021, there were two primary models in the Africa Twin lineup:
Honda CRF1000l Africa Twin
1. Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin: This model was introduced in 2016 and was available in two versions: the standard Africa Twin and the Africa Twin Adventure Sports. The standard Africa Twin featured a 998cc parallel-twin engine, while the Adventure Sports variant had a larger 1,084cc engine.
Both versions offered advanced off-road capabilities, including selectable riding modes, adjustable suspension, and Honda’s Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) as an option.
2. Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin: This model was introduced in 2020 and brought several updates and improvements over its predecessor. It featured a larger 1,084cc parallel-twin engine, which provided more power and torque. The CRF1100L Africa Twin also introduced a lighter, more compact design, a redesigned frame, improved electronics, and enhanced off-road performance.
Patents
Manufacturers are facing a challenging situation due to the stricter emission norms. They are exploring new avenues, such as forced induction, to keep the internal combustion engine running. Kawasaki is the only mainstream manufacturer with this technology on their road bikes with the H2 line. However, Honda is also delving into this technology, with a new patent filed for a supercharged Africa Twin engine.
Supercharger
The patent reveals Honda is working on a twin-screw supercharger, like the one used in the Kawasaki H2. While Kawasaki uses the supercharger to make their H2 bikes incredibly fast, Honda will likely use it to improve the mid-range performance of the Africa Twin, which will also help Honda comply with the tightening emissions norms.
The Africa Twin’s engine focuses on usable low and mid-range grunts rather than explosive peak output figures, which is also how most end-users will use the bike. Although these are just patents, Honda has yet to indicate if they will be released anytime soon.
