Words: Bill Hunter.
I can’t understand why we still have motorcyclists that turn up their noses when it comes to an automatic gearbox found inside a motorcycle chassis, well in South Africa at least. When I arrived at my local bar on this striking new Africa Twin people, at first, went ‘wow’ that’s cool, until I said it has Honda’s automatic DCT transmission. Then the ‘wow’ factor turned into ‘mmm, ok’, even though they ALL drive automatic cars, WTF!
If you’ve never tried it don’t knock it, as the old saying goes, I think? Anyway, I brushed it off and, after many and various expletives, I began to educate ‘them’ on why I’ve always been the biggest aficionado of the DCT, since it first appeared on the VFR1200F in 2009.
Oh yes, since then, 140,000 DCTs in various forms have been sold in Europe alone, not sure about the figures for the rest of the World, but I’d predict they’re equally substantial. The biggest selling variant is obviously the NC700/750. However, since 2023 the Africa Twin Adventure Sport sales were 71% DCT, so suck on that you feeble-minded, disbelieving pub dwellers.
Right, moving on, I still enforce that I’d buy Honda’s DCT Africa Twin over the manual every time and this new Adventure Sport, with the revised DCT gearbox for 2024 (yes I know we’re in 2025) is, without doubt, the best Africa Twin to-date. Not only that, Honda has replaced the (sometimes) unnecessary 21-inch front wheel with a wider and smaller 19-inch loop. Quite simply this has made the Africa Twin handle better, more stable and has lowered the center of gravity. In addition the Africa Twin now has a superb seat so all of this makes this particular bike, without doubt, one of THE best touring ‘adventure’ type bikes on the planet. Sure if you prefer hardcore off-road larking about then some riders say you’ll need all 19-inches but I’m not the biggest fan of taking 250kg into a mud bath, so I probably won’t feel the difference with two-inches less, no giggling please!
The 2024 Africa Twin Adventure Sports doesn’t only benefit from a smaller front wheel though. The engine (with its sweet sounding 270-degree crankshaft layout) has received more power and torque, due to significant engine internal upgrades, like new intake ports, valve timing, crankshaft modifications, exhaust, and a new ECU to mention a few. The 1,084cc, SOHC, Uni-Cam, parallel-twin, with 46mm throttle bodies, now produces 100.5hp @7,500 but, more importantly, a 7% increase in torque to 112Nm@5,500rpm. This figure also arrives earlier than the previous engine where peak torque was 105Nm delivered at 6,250rpm.
The new ECU provides four rider modes; Tour, Urban, Gravel, Off-Road and two User modes where you can adjust the settings to suit yourself, and there seems to be another Gravel option on the display as well! In addition there are three levels of engine braking, seven levels of traction control (HSTC) which can be turned off, and three levels of wheelie control (plus off). ABS has both on-road and off-road settings. All of these options are relayed upon the 6.5-inch touch screen TFT display, which also accepts all the usual media connections, like Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth, Android Auto, and Honda’s RoadSync App, all of which allows for GPS and the like. There’s also cruise control and heated grips with different heat settings, everything you need for a splendid adventurous day out.
Now talking of electronics it has Showa’s notable EERA (Electronically Equipped Ride Adjustment) suspension. This works on both the 45mm forks and the Pro-Link gas charged rear shock. If you like fiddling with suspension settings this bike will certainly accommodate, there are simply hundreds, if not more, permutations. To start with there’re five base damping modes to choose from, soft, mid, hard, off-road and again, User, plus three pre-set rider, rider/pillion, rider/pillion/luggage pre-load options. Once inside ‘User’ you can separately adjust pre-load, compression and rebound damping in 20 variations of each, so you can imagine the combinations to suit your style of riding. Honda has chosen to reduce suspension travel by 20mm on the ’24 bike to combine with the 19-inch front wheel in a quest to lower the stance of the bike, which I like, a lot!
I did mention earlier that the ’24 bike has the new and revised DCT transmission. The two clutches still operate independently, with one in control of 1st, 3rd, and 5th, while the other controls 2nd, 4th and 6th. The 1st to 2nd ratio has been modified for a smoother action and the downshifts are now quicker with less delay. One thing is for sure, you can certainly feel the improvement over the previous model, which was already good to begin with.
To ride the ’24 Africa Twin Adventure Sport DCT is an absolute delight. Even though it makes ‘only’ 100hp it never feels slow, possibly helped by the new and impressive dollop of torque that comes in earlier, and it rips around to 200km/h, either with or without pillion, in a grin-inducing, effortless manner. I always left the DCT in Sport mode too, where it has three levels of when it decides to change, where in level three it’ll rev out higher before shifting. I liked it like that because then I could use the left side switchgear paddle buttons if I didn’t want to impatiently wait for the next high rpm shift.
It’s so much fun in that mode and one can really feel the smoothness of the new seamless gearbox updates, making this bike ideal for wafting around town or going out on a long tour. With the large 24.8-litre tank that could be a long time in the saddle with an estimated 500km range, according to Honda, who says you can perceive around 4.8l/100km, with a little restraint I’d predict.
You can put the transmission into normal drive mode ‘D’ if you prefer, where it’ll change earlier depending on conditions, or manual ‘M’ where you decide using the paddle buttons. One new feature I did enjoy was the way it stays in the gear that you’ve selected whilst cornering to prevent an unwanted jerky reaction, very clever that. This is applied by the new six-axis IMU that detects lean-angle, acceleration and braking forces, also preventing rear wheel lift when braking very hard. While you’re riding very hard you’ll notice how good the new exhaust sounds, its new bass tone is superb, well done on that modification and I for one wouldn’t bother fitting an exasperatingly louder silencer.
Even thought it weighs in at a considerable 253kg (wet) it’s surprisingly agile and, more importantly, more stable, better handling and more confidence-inspiring compared to the 21-inch option. The suspension helps here with impeccable damping control on all types of terrain, and instantly reacts to any setting changes – tremendous, well done Showa/Honda! In fact I can see why new owners here in SA are already opting to buy the 19-inch over the bigger wheel, it just makes for one of the most impressive touring motorcycles I’ve ever ridden, and that says a lot, especially from good ol’ ‘moaning me’. Sure you can venture off road and it’ll easily take you there, but I doubt many new owners of the ‘19-inch’ will go there!
Comfort levels are equally as good as the rest of the bike with the new 15mm thicker seat. You sit 835mm from the floor in the low setting and up to 855mm if you have giraffe legs. The Honda build quality of its flagship Africa Twin shines through when riding and in this Pearl Glare White Tricolor with gold wheels it looks marvelous to say the least (there’s a Matt Ballistic Black Metallic version if you want to look a little on the mean side). The new nose looks better than the ’23 bike with a five–position adjustable screen, which annoyingly takes two hands to adjust and I’m a little startled that Honda’s designers let that through. Oh, and while I’m complaining, the switchgear is still a bit fiddly, has too many buttons, and is confusing to use but, like a new phone, once you’ve been around it for a few days it’s not too bad.
Anyway, to sign off I’d like to say that this new 2024 Adventure Sport DCT is THE best Africa Twin I’ve ridden to-date. Its new touring attributes are exemplary on all counts and the new Showa EERA suspension is quite simply the best electronic suspension I’ve come across, which should cause a few arguments. With a retail price of R353,699 I have no issues on saying it’s excellent value, when taking into account all of this outstanding engineering on offer – an Automatic Marvel for sure.
Images: Ant an’ Fidd’.
Visit: www.honda.co.za to book a highly recommended test ride at your local dealer.
14/03/25.
