Houston, we have a date! After countless speculation surrounding the Honda flagship adventurer, the company has finally confirmed that the all-new CRF1100L is coming at the end of the month. It looks like we now know what bike Honda is planning to show at this year’s AIMExpo. Are you ready? Because we definitely are.
New Africa, New Adventure:
Back in July, Honda released the “True Adventure” teaser video that made it very obvious that all the rumors about a new Africa Twin coming for 2020 were true. The firm has now followed up with yet another teaser, this time crushing any doubts that a new generation of its top ADV is on its way. The teaser gives us our first (official) peek at the new Africa—headlights only—with a September 23 date. This means we’ll get to see the new model before the end of the month
The video shows a new headlight design with new auxiliary lights seemingly integrated into the fairing. A redesigned logo appears on the screen, before splitting into two, one of which adds the outline of the African continent to its design, which leads us to believe there could be two versions of the model.
Between patents, renders, certifications, we already have an idea of what the new CRF1100L will look like. Recently leaked files also confirmed our suspicion that the twin engine is increasing in displacement, from 998cc to 1084. Since earlier this year, there’s been talk of the Africa getting a new engine for 2020 to meet the upcoming Euro5 (and eventually Euro6) emissions regulations.
Also part of this year’s Africa Twin mystique is the rumor that the upsized model is expected to be followed by an 850 version to compete in the blooming mid-range ADV segment. That remains to be confirmed, however.
Mark your calendars for September 23, the new 2020 Honda Africa Twin is coming!