Updates for 2024 have been released for all Africa Twin models, bringing a range of cosmetic, mechanical, and performance enhancements.
Updates to the iconic Honda Africa Twin will be available for 2024, affecting both the CRF1100L and the more advanced Adventure Sports version. The design, functionality, performance, and technology are the primary areas of change for the upcoming year.
With two bikes (as well as several sub-models) receiving upgrades on this one, we’ll start by concentrating on the changes that impact every model before delving deeper into the specifics of each upgraded vehicle.
2024 Honda Africa Twin updates – applicable to both versions
Although the new bike’s changes mainly focus on front fairing, they also aim to improve long-distance comfort and facilitate the integration of the five-position changeable screen while maintaining the bike’s iconic Africa Twin appearance.
This year, the 1084cc engine has also been updated. It now produces 112Nm (82.6 lb-ft) of torque, thanks to exhaust, combustion, and intake modifications that enhance low- and mid-range performance by 7%. Peak power for the Adventure Sports and CRF1100L is still 75kW or 100.5bhp, the same as before.
Honda also adjusted the motorcycles’ DCT system to enhance the system’s rideability and feel while coordinating the DCT shifting schedules with the improved torque delivery. The shifting schedules have been adjusted to allow for quicker downshifts and to detect when the bike is cornering more accurately, attempting to avoid the mid-turn shifts that specific older DCT systems may have been prone to. Honda has also made an effort to enhance the naturalness of the first throttle opening that occurs when the DCT system activates, giving the impression that the bike is being driven with a standard manual clutch and transmission.
With the DCT models, adjustments have also been made to the upshifts from first to second gear to achieve a more natural clutch feel through enhancements to the hydraulic control system.
Additionally, neither bike has the option to install tubeless tires, which makes patching mid-trail punctures simpler. Both machines’ frames, subframes, and swingarms—which draw inspiration from the CRF450R—remain unchanged in 2024.
2024 Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin updates
The Honda Africa Twin, lighter, smaller, and more geared toward off-road riding, is now offered with Showa manually adjustable suspension at both ends. Additionally, this is a first for the smaller Africa Twin models; it can be equipped with a trick Showa Electronically Equipped Ride Adjustment (EERA) kit, which allows for on-the-fly damping adjustments when riding both off-road and on.
The system detects the bike’s speed from the ECU, attitude from the IMU, and fork behavior via the stroke sensor. The suspension stroke of the new EERA-equipped motorcycle is the same as that of the manually adjusted machine (230mm front/220mm rear). Honda claims that the new bike with the EERA package can change the suspension in as few as 15 milliseconds based on calculations.
With the CRF1100L Africa Twin, the EERA offers five different suspension settings to choose from:
Mid, between soft and firm, allows for flexible handling in various circumstances. When using the Urban riding mode, it is automatically chosen.
Hard provides the firmest damping, stability, and responsiveness for touring with two people or more. It’s chosen automatically when cycling in Tour mode.
Soft has the lowest damping force and provides a safe, pleasant ride on unreliable roads. Gravel riding mode is automatically picked for it.
Off-road features more robust rear shock damping and progressively increasing fork damping about stroke speed for the best off-road performance. It is set to the Off-road riding mode automatically.
Additionally, a User mode gives the rider 24 stages to fine-tune the suspension.
With a wheelbase of 1575mm, a rake, a trail of 27.5°/113mm, and ground clearance of 250mm, the manually adjustable suspension bike and the EERA version share similar specs. The motorcycle with the manually adjustable suspension will weigh 231 kg when wet, whereas the bike with the electronically adjusted suspension will weigh 233 kg. The manually adjusted suspension bike (242 kg) and the electronically adjusted suspension bike (244 kg) of the CRF1100L Africa Twin DCT variants weigh the same.
2024 Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin Adventure Sports updates
The new Adventure Sports has a substantial chassis modification whereby it is now available with a 19-inch front wheel instead of the previous model’s more off-road-focused 21-inch front. For the first time, the Adventure Sports version of the bike is the official option for road touring and less intense adventure riding since the front tire is more comprehensive (110/80-19 as opposed to 90/90-21 previously).
The Adventure Sports’ suspension has also been improved to accommodate the larger wheels; the flagship model now offers a little less stroke. For better on-road handling, the bike’s previous 230mm of front and 220mm of rear travel decreased to 210mm of the act and 200mm of rear.
The new Africa Twin Adventure Sports’ upper fairing and side panels and its five-position changeable screen should increase long-distance comfort and weather protection for riders who want to go on tours in any weather.
Instead of being optional, Showa Electronically Equipped Ride Adjustment (EERA) will be standard on the Africa Twin Adventure Sports version starting in 2024. The Adventure Sports has the same range of suspension settings as the smaller Africa Twin model: Mid, Hard, Soft, Off-road, and User base. With a wheelbase of 1550mm, rake and trail of 27.5°/106mm, and ground clearance of 220mm—30mm less than the CRF1100L Africa Twin—the new, more road-biased Africa Twin Adventure Sports is impressive. The bike with manual transmission weighs 243 kg when wet, whereas the DCT bike weighs 253 kg.
