Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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HONDA CRF1000L AFRICA TWIN FIRST RIDE P86 but you do feel the extra 20-plus pounds of the DCT bike. It's not a huge deal but you do notice it. All of the electronic info is strategically placed in the AT's well-thought-out instrument pan- el and is easy to read, except when it's dusty out. There are four sunken viewing planes and they do a great job of collecting dirt and dust, making it difficult to read and hard to clean. You're constantly wiping off each one of the planes whereas a single clear piece of plastic cover- ing the entire instrument panel would probably work better—one swipe and you're all good. This and Hill Detection were pretty much my only gripes with the Af- rica Twin. Well, I would also like to see heated grips as standard equipment. GOODIES Honda already has plenty of accessories available for the Africa Twin, such as side bags and top case, tall windscreen, low seat, heated grips, center stand and a light/crash bar. Honda has also teamed up with Spidi, Alpinestars, Arai Helmets and Klim to produce some cool riding gear designed specifically for the Africa Twin that will be sold at Honda dealerships (Klim products will be sold through both authorized Klim and Honda dealers). AND? I very much enjoyed riding the Africa Twin, both the manual and DCT versions. The bike is extremely comfortable, which is great for long days in the saddle, and, overall, is just plain easy to ride, even in the dirt once you get used to it. Power is exciting (except in Conventional mode) yet un-intimidating in any mode, but what probably impressed me most was it's suspension, both on and off the road. Honda did a great job making a big bike handle well on both the dirt and pavement, which isn't easy to do. Yes, it's been a long wait for the Africa Twin but at least it was worth it. CN SUSPENSION SETTINGS FORK: COMPRESSION – 5 clicks out from max hard (stock is 8 clicks out) REBOUND – 1 ½ turns out from max hard (stock is 2 ¼ turns) PRELOAD – 8 (DCT) turns in from max soft (stock is 5 turns) SHOCK: COMPRESSION – 12 clicks out from max hard (stock is 14 clicks out) REBOUND – 7 clicks out from max hard (stock is 11 clicks out) PRELOAD – Stock 2 1 0 6 H O N D A C R F 1 0 0 0 L A F R I C A T W I N ENGINE TYPE: ........... Liquid-cooled, 4-stroke, 8-valve, parallel twin, with 270° crank VALVTRAIN: ...........................................Unicam DISPLACEMENT: .....................................999cc BORE X STROKE:...................... 92.0 x 75.1mm CLUTCH: .......................... Wet, multiplate with coils springs, aluminum cam assist and slipper clutch; (DCT: 2 wet multiple clutches with coil spring) TRANSMISSION: ......Constant-mesh 6-speed; (DCT: 6-speed) FINAL DRIVE: .................... O-ring sealed chain TORQUE CONTROL: .......... 3-level adjustability plus off FRAME: ...Steel semi-double-cradle type with steel rear subframe FRONT SUSPENSION: ................Showa 45mm cartridge-type inverted telescopic fork, fully adjustable REAR SUSPENSION: .............. Monoblock cast aluminum swingarm with Pro-Link shock, fully adjustable FRONT WHEEL TRAVEL: ............................. 9 in. REAR WHEEL TRAVEL: ............................ 8.4 in. WHEELS: ..... Wire spoke with aluminum rims FRONT RIM: .................................. 21 x 2.15 in. REAR RIM: .......................................18 x 4.0 in. FRONT TIRE: ..............90/90-21 in. tube type, Dunlop Trailmax D610 REAR TIRE: ................150/70-18 in. tube type, Dunlop Trailmax D610 FRONT BRAKE: .....310mm dual wave floating discs w/4-piston calipers, Nissin (ABS) REAR BRAKE: ............256mm wave disc with 1-piston caliper, Nissin (ABS) ABS SYSTEM: .... 2-channel with rear ABS off switch WHEELBASE: ........................................62.0 in. SEAT HEIGHT: .......34.3 in. standard/33.5 in. low position GROUND CLEARANCE: ............................ 9.8 in. CURB WEIGHT: ......511 lbs (manual), 534 lbs. (DCT) TURNING RADIUS: ...................................8.5 ft. FUEL CAPACITY: ................................... 4.9 gal. COLORS: ........ Red/White/Black Dakar Rally; Silver MSRP: ....$12,999 (manual)/$13,699 (DCT) S P E C I F I C A T I O N S GEAR ID'D HELMET: ARAI XD4 JACKET: KLIM LATITUDE PANTS: KLIM LATITUDE GLOVES: KLIM INDUCTION SHORT BOOTS: TCX TOURING ADVENTURE/X-DESERT BACKPACK: KLIM KREW PACK