The first official pictures of the 2015 Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin (above) and the legendary 1990s Honda XRV750 Africa Twin (below). Paris-Dakar Rally Raid types, rejoice!
.jpg)
Paris-Dakar Rally Raid aficionados, who have fond memories of the legendary Honda Africa Twin of the early-1990s, have reason to be happy. Honda/ have announced a successor to the 1990s XRV750 Africa Twin and the new bike – the Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin – should be Honda showrooms by the end of this year.
Launched in December 1989, the original Honda XRV750 Africa Twin was built in homage to the Honda NXR750, which won the Paris-Dakar Rally four times, in the 1980s. The XRV750 was powered by a 742cc V-twin that produced 61bhp and 63Nm of torque. This bike was produced from 1989 to 2003.
“The new CRF1000L Africa Twin remains true to all the attributes and abilities of the XRV750, while adding the benefits of everything Honda has learnt on- and off-road over the last decade, including Team HRC’s return to the Dakar [with the CRF450 Rally] in 2013,” says a press note from Honda. The only technical details that the Japanese company has revealed about the new bike is that it will be equipped with a special iteration of Honda’s dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT), which has been specifically developed and optimised for off-road use.
“The all-new CRF1000L Africa Twin is set to redefine expectations of just what a large-capacity adventure motorcycle can and should be capable of, both on and off-road,” says the Honda press release. You’ve been warned, Aprilia, BMW, Yamaha and Moto Guzzi.