The 2024 CRF1100L Adventure Sports is the most road-touring focused Africa Twin to date. But is this the grown-up adventure tourer we’ve all been waiting for, or has Honda ripped the heart and soul from its dune bashing beast?
I travelled to Portugal to find out, and after a day spent testing the bike on the twisting roads of the Algarve I discovered that, by making the Adventure Sports better suited to road touring, Honda has created the best version of its flagship adventure bike yet.
You can read my full in-depth review in the May/June issue of Adventure Bike Rider magazine, which can you buy here. But in the meantime, here are some of my key takeaways.
The road handling is better than ever
The steering is more urgent and the bike turns into bends quicker than on any Africa Twin I’ve ridden before. Alongside this, the riding position pushed me a little further forward than on last year’s bike, in more of a sport touring stance that made carving along snaking roads feel more natural.
We’re not talking sports bike ergonomics or performance here, but the bike felt eager to be ridden fast and I was enjoying every moment.
The Adventure Sports no longer boasts a trail busting 21” front wheel and skinny tyre, but instead comes equipped with a nimbler 19-incher and thicker front rubber. The result is a machine that darts into turns rather than gliding around them.
The DCT version is much improved
The latest incarnation of DCT on the 2024 Adventure Sports is by far the best version yet and would seriously tempt me to buy a bike equipped with it. While still not perfect, the gear changes felt more natural than ever, and there was none of the awkward jerking while manoeuvring in first gear that used to plague bikes equipped with the system.
You can still override the automatic gear changes using the triggers on the left handlebar, but I found myself rarely resorting to this.
It’s better at touring
The 2024 Adventure Sports is in its element covering big distances at speed. On the motorway, the bike felt planted and stable, and the electronic suspension provided a smooth, composed ride.
The bike’s parallel twin engine burbled along lazily with plenty of power in reserve for fast lane overtakes in top gear, and with cruise control, heated grips, Apple Carplay, and a USB charging port on the dash as standard, cruising at speed was a relaxing and comfortable affair.
The saddle of the Adventure Sports is a great place to eat up miles, especially as the seat has been redesigned to offer 15mm worth of extra cushioning which proved comfortable throughout the day. And the 24.8l of fuel onboard should see you looking at a range of between 250 and 300 miles between fill ups depending on how aggressively you ride.
It’s still capable off-road
The 2024 Adventure Sports remains more than capable enough for the type of light trail riding most people will do on an Africa Twin, if you’re comfortable riding such a big bike off road.
The standing position is comfortable and natural, and the excellent electronic suspension soaked up all the lumps, bumps, rocks, and ruts I purposefully aimed for. The engine was a torquey joy at tractoring uphill and a pleasure to blast along at speed, with the throttle response proving spot on in the bike’s Off-Road mode which smoothed out the power delivery.
The EERA electronic suspension is excellent
The Honda ATAS now comes with Showa’s excellent EERA electronic suspension as standard, with Honda no longer offering the Adventure Sports with traditional suspension, and I was hugely impressed with the EERA working away beneath me. The Adventure Sports feels tight and controlled being flung through turns, and there’s a noticeable lack of fork dive under heavy braking, an issue that has plagued traditionally sprung Africa Twin’s for years.
Get the full Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports review
You can read my full in-depth review of the new Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports in May/June 2024 issue of Adventure Bike Rider magazine.
Get your copy today HERE, with free UK postage.
And you’ll be able to test ride the new Honda Africa Twin, along with all the latest adventure and touring bikes at the 2024 ABR Festival, which takes place in the magnificent grounds of the Ragley Hall Estate in Warwickshire on the 28-30 June.
