The Honda Africa Twin turned out to be a highly appreciated model when the bike maker introduced it in India last year, and now Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) is gearing up to introduce the 2018 version soon. Honda dealers will start accepting bookings for the 2018 Honda Africa Twin later this month while deliveries are expected to commence in July this year. The automatic adventure motorcycle managed to impressive quite a few and much like the 2017 version, the updated Africa Twin will be locally assembled in a bid to keep prices competitive.
For the 2018 edition, the Honda Africa Twin gets upgrades including throttle-by-wire, an expanded Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC) system and updated riding modes, namely – Tour, Urban, Gravel and User. The adventure tourer will also come with a seven stage traction control system, while Honda has relocated the instrument cluster on the Africa Twin that allows better view when the rider is standing on the foot pegs. In addition, the 2018 Africa Twin gets upgraded rubber with Bridgestone tyres, as opposed to Dunlops available on the 2017 edition. Other changes include a bi-axial balancer shaft to the engine for optimum refinement, while a lighter lithium-ion battery is standard.
(The Honda Africa Twin is locally assembled in India)
The changes are expected to make the 2018 Honda Africa Twin a slightly spirited performer. While its off-road capabilities remain unquestionable, it was deemed a tad bit under-powered on tarmac. The updated electronics should make for a slightly peppier ride.
That said, the 2018 Honda Africa Twin continues to draw power from the same 998 cc parallel-twin engine that is currently tuned to produce 87 bhp and 92 Nm of peak torque. The motor is paired to a DCT (Dual Clutch Transmission), and is the only automatic ADV in its segment. Honda is likely to continue selling only the DCT version of the Africa Twin in India, and hasn’t announced plans for a manual yet.
The Honda Africa Twin is currently priced at ₹ 13.06 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) and you can expect the 2018 edition to receive a small price hike when it arrives in June. With a strong legacy of the Dakar Rally to its name, the Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin takes on the likes of the Kawasaki Versys 1000, Ducati Multistrada 950 and Triumph Tiger 800 in the segment.
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