Honda CRF1100L Adventure Sports
It's surprisingly tricky to truly define an adventure motorcycle. While the phrase has become synonymous with long-legged, rugged rides that have a whiff of off-road prowess, everyone actually has their own slightly different opinion about what it is that makes an adventure. Some riders are happy with a long run on some decent roads, and a nice hotel for the night, while others want to have an explore, get up on the pegs and throw up a bivvy bag out in nature.
If you're a manufacturer aiming to sell as many bikes as possible, you've really got to try and appeal to both crowds. That's no easy task. But with its newest Africa Twin Adventure Sports, Honda's done just that.
Back in 2015, Honda reintroduced its iconic Africa Twin. After a decadeand-a-bit hiatus, it was one of the most hotly anticipated adventure motorcycles of the year. With its Dakar Rally-winning heritage and proper off-road credentials, it quickly proved itself as a capable, comfy and reasonably cost-effective choice for adventurers with a penchant for long-legged, big-wheeled pseudotrailies.
Building on that initial success, in 2017 Honda unveiled its new, beefier and even more dirt-focused Africa Twin Adventure Sports, with a bigger tank, even-longer travel suspension, more ground clearance, and a few additional goodies. It went down well, too. And then in 2020, Honda upped the engine capacity to 1100cc (to retain power while meeting tightening emissions regulations), and slightly shuffled the focus for its pair of flagship adventure bikes.
Honda had now decided that the more stripped-back Africa Twin was the one for the dirt - while the Adventure Sports (with its new Showa electronic suspension system) was the big-mile tourer,albeit one with plenty of poise in the dirt still.
Denne historien er fra May 2024-utgaven av Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra May 2024-utgaven av Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Honda CRF1100L ES Africa Twin
Without panniers he was adventuring nowhere - so at least Bertie's got something sorted now
BMW R 12 nineT
Chad gets a track day surprise when BMW's R 12 nineT turns out to be surprisingly fun on track
Test fleet: VOGE 525 DSX
After testing the Voge's abilities on a long ride, it was time to take it to the Cotswolds and see how it would manage on the rougher stuff
Portuguese Perambulations
Nearly over before it had begun, a brief workshop stint allows Spain and Portugal to be explored
Highway to Heaven
Three friends take on the challenge of riding the length of Canada, from Vancouver in the southwest to Inuvik in the north. The road is long, the conditions merciless, and wildfires are tearing through the country. To top it all off, the final leg of the journey is the ultimate test of gravel riding skills, nerves, and courage - it's the legendary Dempster Highway...
Battlaxes at the ready!
We tend to take tyres for granted, never really looking at them in any detail, or at how they work, just hoping that they keep us shiny side up at all times. Even in the wet
Ducati Riding Experience
When I rode the Ducati DesertX to France last year, I did have a bit of an explore on some easy fire roads and gentle green lanes in the wilds of the Médoc area, but was left with the feeling that, had I the experience, the DesertX would have been capable of taking me along some more extreme trails to some even more exciting places. If only there was a way of finding out just how well the Italian adventure bike could cope with some more extreme terrain...
Four pot flyer
Many said that sports bikes, and particularly bikes in the traditional Supersports class that was populated by 600cc inline fours, were dead. Maybe they spoke too soon?...
Eastern adventurer
With an increasing interest in smaller capacity adventure bikes, the market expands with a new entry
First Time Lucky?
It's ironic that the first all-new MV Agusta model to hit the marketplace right after Italy's No.1 trophy brand was acquired by Austrian giant Pierer Mobility, owner of off-road titans KTM, should be the company's first dual-purpose model of the modern era, powered by MV's all-new 931cc three-cylinder engine that's destined to form the basis of a whole series of new models in coming months and years.