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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1536002
P120 RIDE REVIEW I 2025 HONDA AFRICA TWIN ADVENTURE SPORTS ES DCT ease-of-use into durable manual trans- mission systems. Honda says approxi- mately half of all global Africa Twin owners have DCT. We're guessing that ratio is higher in Europe. DCT is essentially an electroni- cally controlled hydraulic clutch system that operates two overlap- ping clutches simultaneously—one clutch manages startup, first, third and fifth gears, while the second handles second, fourth and sixth gears. During operation, the system pre-selects the upcoming gear for shifting through the disengaged clutch. Then, the clutches switch roles, and power is transferred. The shifts are remarkably smooth and surprisingly direct and enjoyable. You can control DCT in a few differ - ent ways based on your preference. There are three modes: Drive, Sport and Manual. Drive is straightforward and somewhat boring, which is as intended. It's like a car. Sport becomes more exciting with higher rev levels between shifts and quicker downshifts when decelerating. This creates a sporty feel, and you can customize the Sport mode with three levels for even more sportiness. Manual moves the gear-decision-making to your hands via triggers on the controls. You de - termine when to shift, and it listens— when appropriate. You can also use the manual up/down triggers in Drive and Sport modes to "drop a gear," for instance. After the manual shift, the system will revert to auto mode. Some cool tech integration to remember here: all this DCT business is optimized by the on-board IMU, measuring things like vehicle speed, throttle position and gear position, to ensure an errant downshift doesn't up - set the chassis. It also detects incline and will change its shifting brain a bit on steeper hills. (Top) Great wind protection from the larger fairing, fuel tank and windshield on the Adventure Sports trim keeps you tucked in and slicing through the miles. (Middle) The Honda DCT clutch system adds some bulk and about 25 pounds to the bike. But it works very well for touring, urban assault and commuting. (Bottom) The massive switchgear cluster on the "clutch" side (there is no clutch on a DCT bike!) is a warning—the customizable menus inside the AT's computer require a lot of button-pushing!