India-bound 2020 Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin to get a manual gearbox option as well

Team OD Updated: January 03, 2020, 03:34 PM IST

2020 Hond CRF1100L Africa Twin that broke cover in October 2019 will succeed the current model on sale in India. The new adventure motorcycle is expected to go on sale in India post Q1-2020 i.e April.

When the new CRF1100L Africa Twin will be launched in India, the motorcycle will come with a choice of two gearbox options - a six-speed manual and a dual-clutch automatic transmission, as opposed to the only a dual-clutch option on the current model on sale in India.

For the 2020 model year, the CRF1100L Africa Twin gets a revised and lighter chassis with electronic suit assisted by a six-axis IMU (inertia management unit). The features include lean-sensitive traction control, cornering ABS and wheelie control. Also, what's new is Off-road mode in addition to Tour, Urban and Gravel riding modes, apart from two User modes that allow individual customisation. The newer chassis uses a lighter swingarm based on the Honda CRF450R dirt motorcycle

The Adventure Sports trim gets a larger 24.8-litre fuel tank and also gets a larger fairing and tall windscreen which is now adjustable. The seat height is adjustable too and the Adventure Sports trim also comes equipped with heated grips and a charging socket as standard now.

The engine gets its bit of revisions too, Honda has increased the stroke by a little over 5mm to hike displacement to 1084cc (from 998cc). As a result, peak power is up to 102PS from 95PS earlier while peak torque produced now stands at 105Nm, up from 99Nm.

When launched, the new Honda CRF1100F Africa Twin will be positioned beside the current Triumph Tiger on sale in India and the Ducati Multistrada 950 and the BMW 850 GS Adventure.