HONDA CRF1000L AFRICA TWIN
FIRST RIDE
P76
cam engines since there are fewer parts.
(In the AT's case, each cylinder fires twin
spark plugs.) Its six-speed transmission also
uses the same shift-cam design as used in
the CRF motocrossers. Unlike the MXers,
though, the AT has a slipper clutch.
Another unique design of the AF's motor
is that the water pump is housed inside the
clutch case. The advantage? Shorter water
passages and reduced weight. The oil tank
is also located inside the crankcase, which
allows for increased ground clearance.
The engine is held in a steel semi-double
cradle frame that has been designed with
mass centralization in mind; for example,
the battery and the ABS unit are packaged
at the rear of the cylinder, helping contribute
to a low center of gravity.
Fully adjustable Showa suspension com-
ponents, offering well over eight inches of
wheel travel, handle suspension duties front
and rear, and the bike rolls on 21-inch (front)
and 18-inch (rear) wheels, just like "real" dirt
bikes do. There are large 310mm wave-style
floating dual Nissin four-piston disc brakes
up front, and a single 265mm disc with a
dual-piston caliper in the back. Both brakes
utilize ABS, of course.
The bike is also fitted with a fixed wind-
screen, hand guards, dual headlights and a
large 4.96-gallon fuel tank.
But the really fun part about the new
Africa Twin is its electronics package and
Honda's Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT)
option. The AT is available with a manual six-
speed transmission or a DCT transmission,
which is already found on many other Honda
street models. It's your choice. In a nutshell,
DCT is basically an automatic transmission;
it can do all of the shifting for you and there
are no clutch or shift levers to mess with.
There is, however, many ways of configur-
ing the DCT actions—mainly shift points—and
you can even set it in manual mode where
you get to decide when to change gears via
"flippers," or "triggers," on the left handlebar.
We're glad Honda
chose to fit the Africa
Twin with a 21-inch
front wheel, which
helps give the bike
better controllability
in the dirt.
