Watch: Honda Africa Twin CRF1000L2 Adventure Sports Tested
We share our thoughts after getting extended seat time on the CRF1000L2.
After getting our first ride on the 2018 Honda Africa Twin CRF1000L2 Adventure Sports at the press launch event, we were eager to get some extended seat time on the new model. Honda made significant changes to the Africa Twin to create the Adventure Sports, so we wanted to get a more in-depth feeling for its capabilities, in more challenging terrain, to determine if the improvements made it a better all-around adventure machine.
The Africa Twin Adventure Sports fits the mold of a true overlander with increased touring range, a longer-travel suspension, along with more off-road protection and comfort than the standard AT. It’s prepped to take you on longer adventures in remote areas, yet all that extra equipment adds a significant amount of weight and bulk that could affect performance on the trail. To find out if the CRF1000L2 takes the Africa Twin to the next level, we took it on several of our adventures and gave it a proper flogging over a variety of terrain.
In this video, we give a rundown of the major differences between the standard Africa Twin and the Adventure Sports model. We describe major improvements the new model offers, and features Honda still needs to address. In addition, the analysis covers how the Adventure Sports version of the Africa Twin gives riders advantages and disadvantages on the trail, and ways you can customize it to better suit your needs.
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Great review guys! Honest and spot on.
Thanks for your feedback!
I own a 2018 Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports. The bike is way too heavy and a pig in the dirt. Period.
I own the same bike and took it on a cross country ride from Oregon to DC. Half slab and half dirt. The bike is awesome! Yes, a bit heavy for slow speed single track, but still a capable bike….(if you know how to ride) Of course there a few improvements they could have tackled..cruise, lower cg, center stand etc. But overall I am happy to own one. BTW: The “crash bar” as mentioned in the video is not correct. Honda does not describe it as a crash bar. Their official description is light bar. And of course all the above is my opinion. Your mileage will vary! 🙂
Awesome bike for sure! And yes, Honda’s lawyers like to call them ‘Light Bars’ but we call them ‘Crash Bars’ because that’s the term most people are familiar with. Thanks for your comments!
Thanks for replying. For clarity, in spite of what people are familiar with, the crash bar description is misleading because it implies they will protect the bike in a crash, and they will not. Those bars are very flimsy and would not hold up in anything less than a trip over. The lawyers made that distinction for a reason, and that distinction should have been made in the video. My apologies, and of course everyone has an opinion. But for the sake of clarity and continuity of knowledge, the distinction is important. Keep up the good work, and thanks again for replying.
Perhaps we should call them ‘Tip Over Bars’ then. LOL! They are actually fairly sturdy for stock and have good coverage. We’ve tested them on several occasions in typical off-road falls. But a good set of aftermarket ‘crash bars’ are always preferred for serious off-road use. Thanks for the feedback Michael. We’ll consider your thoughts for next time.
Good review. It seems like Honda really listened to their customer feedback. I’ve ridden with others on long trips with the 1st gen of the AT, and this new version seems to address all the issues: bigger tank, longer travel suspension, crash bars, better skid plate. I can be sympathetic to some weight gain for this since any serious off-road rider will end up adding this aftermarket otherwise.