P120
RIDE REVIEW I 2025 HONDA NT1100 DCT
delivery but also want the Rain
mode's reduced engine braking,
you can have it. Tour's full power
and Urban's engine brake? All
yours.
But the part I was most
interested in is the dual-clutch
transmission. I remember riding
the very first DCT-equipped mo
-
torcycle back in 2010, when the
VFR1200 was introduced.
At that
early stage, there were very few
riders willing to take up the DCT
as a full-time option, but that's
changed significantly over the
years, with Honda telling us
that the spread is now about
70 to 30 in favor of the DCT
when it's been offered as an
extra on the Africa Twin—
that part properly stumped
me.
In case you're wondering (I
was), just how the DCT works
is as follows: the system
utilizes two clutches—one
for first, third and fifth gears, and
the other for second, fourth and
sixth. Each clutch has its own
electro-hydraulic circuit, with one
mainshaft nested inside the other
for compact packaging.
crowns. The engine retains Hon
-
da's compact SOHC Unicam setup
with lightweight
aluminum sleeves,
and the 270° crank spacing retains
the Africa Twin's low drone sound
and feel.
Crankcases are horizontally
split, with the water pump inte
-
grated into the clutch casing. A
semi-dry
sump system keeps en-
gine height low, while twin balance
shafts
help neutralize vibrations.
The throttle-by-wire (I will call
it ride-by-wire until the day I die, I
swear) system features three pre
-
set riding modes: Urban, Rain and
Tour,
which cover both throttle
response and engine braking.
Two user modes in the ECU al
-
low you to set any combination of
the
preset modes, so if you want
Urban's middle setting for power
(Top) That seat is
a really good one
from Honda. Not too
soft, not too hard,
and offers good
all-day comfort.
(Bottom) If you're
buying an NT, you've
got to have those
side cases. Worth
every penny.
The dash has the ability to
run Apple CarPlay and
Android Auto for phone
mirroring and everything
that comes with it.
