Honda Africa Twin Review | Elves, Unicorns and Braai

As my South African hosts walk me through the parking lot to introduce me to the new Africa Twins, I feel excited and nervous at the same time, as if I were meeting a celebrity that I have watched from afar for years and, of course, they know nothing of me.

Aesthetically, the Africa Twin looks the part, the futuristic older brother to the NXR750, vociferously making its rally pedigree apparent with a racer-like high faring, integrated air ducting, and signature “twin ring” LED headlights that seem to exude a certain smug confidence that leaves no doubt that this is a Honda. The low-slung two-into-one exhaust is acoustically tuned to audibly match the bold CRF styling with a primal growl and pulsing beat derived from the 270-degree crankshaft and offset ring intervals.

The Africa Twin seems to be the perfect steed to explore the vast magnificence and topography of the Great Karoo. It is a semi-arid landscape that, to this North American, appears to be a land that time has forgotten, populated with such wild beasts and formidable monolithic rocky outcroppings. A dinosaur would not look out of place lumbering across the distant horizon.

Carving my way from the Aquila Private Game Reserve through sinewy tarmac roads, the Africa Twin feels stable and well-balanced fore-to-aft, with a neutral riding position and exceptional wind protection. The 21-inch front wheel is clearly optimized for off-road performance, but negotiating chicanes at freeway speeds feels natural with only medium inputs needed at the handlebar.

Light mist and drizzly rain provide the backdrop to one of the most famous stretches of road in South Africa—Bainskloof- pas. Constructed with convict labor and completed in 1853, the narrow passage hugs the steep sides of the Boland Mountains and crests nearly 2000 feet as it connects the Western Cape to the wild interior. It provides a blissful motorcycling experience, as long as one keeps clear of the hay bale-sized stones that act as a primitive guardrail to the expansive chasm below.

With 94 horsepower at my beck and call, I command the 998cc parallel twin to pull aggressively through the apex of the corners. The Africa Twin neither overpowers the chassis nor underwhelms the rider, but provisions power to the specifications necessary for a spirited ride. Moreover, the Unicam engine configuration is borrowed from Honda’s CRF-R motocross lineup, and produces a short, compact power plant that leverages a single cam to actuate intake valves directly and exhaust valves via rocker arms, creating a lower center of gravity that results in mass centralization and balanced handling.

Descending down to the valley below, the pavement dries and I back off the traction control from T3 to T1 to allow for sliding the rear wheel and short power wheelies, although the 21-inch front wheel provides subtle reminders that hooliganism is better saved for off-piste maneuvers.

Touring through the towns and villages of the interior presents a stark contrast in socioeconomic conditions to the wealth of the coastal communities—a reminder of the oppressive government of the not-so-distant past. Yet, the smiles and hospitality from the locals, whether chatting it up at the filling station or sharing a slab biltong—cured meat jerky—at a roadside stand, engender a spirit of hope and the belief for a brighter future.

The dirt jeep roads that connect through this desert landscape are a dusty reminder of the terrain found in the southwestern United States, and it is immediately clear that the Africa Twin is eager to live up to its legacy. Now mounted with Continental Twinduro TKC 80 knobby tires for the dirt, the Africa Twin’s feeling is one of complete stability and confidence, which is very surprising for a bike that tips the scales at 511 pounds.

Twisty hard-packed re roads beckon acceleration, and at high speeds, hitting rocks, roots, ruts and other obstacles is unavoidable. However, the Honda Twin soaks up the undulations without deflection or chassis disruption.

Adding two clicks of additional spring preload to the Showa cartridge forks reduced the fork dive while decelerating on the tarmac, and the setting works just as well in off-road conditions to keep the bike riding higher in the stroke. As the Africa Twin encourages both wheelies and jumping with modest airtime off-road, this setting has multiple advantages.

The ABS brakes work very well off-road, and can be left engaged in nearly all situations. When desired, ABS can also be switched off to slide the rear wheel to cut tight corners before accelerating through the exit of the turn.

Thoroughly impressed by the manual-transmission version of the Africa Twin, I skeptically throw a leg over the auto-clutch DCT model with bated expectations, and was completely blown away! It is a little less sporty on the street, by virtue of the fact that there’s not a lot that the rider needs to do, which can be a welcome reprieve for a commuter fighting city traffic.

The hard-pack jeep trail eventually ascends and transforms into jagged rocks and cobbles. I am a bit worried that the DCT will fall short, but to my surprise, this is where the DCT transmission really shines. Even though it is 23 pounds heavier than its Africa Twin sibling, the feeling of additional weight is negligible, and beyond the occasional grab for the non-existent clutch lever, the experience is very much the same, except that I’m free to concentrate my focus on the terrain, and point-and-shoot using the throttle and brakes.