2023 Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports ES [Specs, Features, Photos]

The CRF1100L Africa Twin sports one of the best engines ever in an adventure bike. The parallel-twin design is narrow, and delivers torque everywhere from idle to redline. You’ll have more grunt down low, and cruise easy on the open road.
PARALLEL-TWIN ENGINE LAYOUT

The Africa Twin’s parallel-twin engine layout makes the bike shorter front-to-back. That means the front wheel can tuck in closer to the engine, shortening wheelbase and making the bike more nimble off road and on pavement.
TWIN INTAKES

The Africa Twin uses a unique twin air-intake design with two vertical filtration elements. All that clean air helps the engine deliver excellent performance, even under prolonged operation in dusty conditions.
UNICAM ENGINE DESIGN

Honda exclusive Unicam® engine design helps us give the Africa Twin a compact cylinder head for optimal engine placement. But the engine also benefits from superior performance, thanks to the entire cylinder-head layout. It’s the best of both worlds!
COMPACT DUAL-CATALYZER EXHAUST

Using the same muffler-valve technology as our CBR1000RR Superbike, the Africa Twins’ exhaust silencer helps lower emissions while highlighting ridability and power output.

Here’s one of the worst-kept secrets in the motorcycling world—Honda Africa Twins make great long-distance touring bikes. To that end, we’ve equipped our Africa Twin models with cruise control, just like our Gold Wings. Your next adventure really starts a couple of hundred miles away? No problem!
SIX-SPEED AUTOMATIC DCT TRANSMISSION

Available on the Africa Twin DCT and Africa Twin Adventure Sports ES DCT, this is the transmission of the future. Inside, it’s as tough as a conventional manual, with steel gears throughout. You can let it shift for you, or paddle shifters in the manual mode give you full control. Four settings (Drive, Sport 1, 2, and 3) let you pick what’s right for your riding conditions.
THROTTLE BY WIRE

Our throttle-by-wire system greatly expands the Africa Twin’s versatility. First, you get seven levels of Honda Selectable Torque Control. Second, you can choose from four power delivery modes: Tour, Urban, Gravel, and a fourth that’s user-programmable. First used on our RC213V-S, throttle-by-wire is an excellent example of how Honda’s technology works for you.
270-DEGREE-PHASE CRANK

Most twins use a 180-degree crank. By phasing the Africa Twin’s at 270 degrees, you get a unique power delivery that’s easy to modulate, especially in terrain where traction is challenging.
SELECTABLE ABS

Our Africa Twin models offer two ABS modes: on-road and off-road. A third setting lets you turn the rear ABS off altogether for riding in the dirt.
CORNERING ANTI-LOCK BRAKES

The Africa Twin’s Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) comes standard integrated with a 6-axis IMU, it knows when you’re leaned over, and compensates accordingly.
DRY-SUMP ENGINE

For a big adventure bike like the Africa Twin, a dry-sump engine design is the only way to go. The more compact sump increases ground clearance and eliminates the vulnerability of a conventional wet sump.
LOW CENTER OF GRAVITY, COMPACT MASS

By locating heavy components like the battery as close to the bike’s center of gravity as possible, and using a compact engine, the Africa Twin provides a superior platform for excellent handling.
WATER PUMP

Can you see the Africa Twin’s water pump? Trick question! It’s tucked behind the right side cover, out of harm’s way. There are no vulnerable hoses leading to it either, a weakness on some bikes. Driven by the balancer shaft, in case of a tip-over or in rocky sections, it’s one less thing to worry about.
LIGHTWEIGHT LITHIUM-ION BATTERY

Conventional batteries are notoriously heavy—that’s why we gave the Africa Twin a high-tech, lightweight lithium-ion battery. Compared with a similar lead-acid battery, it holds a charge approximately four times longer, and its shelf life is 1.6 times longer. Plus, it’s way lighter.

The Africa Twin doesn’t just look like an adventure bike—it’s the real deal. Exhibit A: Check out its long-travel front suspension. The inverted Showa fork is fully adjustable with huge 45mm tubes and 9.1 inches of travel—the most front-end travel in the 1000cc off-road class.
ELECTRONICALLY CONTROLLED SUSPENSION

The Africa Twin Adventure Sports ES and Adventure Sports ES DCT are equipped with SHOWA EERA® (Electronically Equipped Ride Adjustment) electronically controlled suspension. You can choose between five suspension damper settings: hard, medium, soft, and off-road, as well as a customizable “user” setting. It’s easy to switch between them, too, so you can choose one for the highway and another when the going gets rougher.
STEEL FRAME

This second generation of Africa Twin features a frame that is almost four pounds lighter than our earlier bikes. And while it may be lighter, we fine-tuned it by making the steering head more resistant to twist.
SEMI-DOUBLE-CRADLE-FRAME

The Africa Twin’s semi-double-cradle frame layout has been proven in countless Honda dirtbikes. In principle it’s similar to the design we use on our CRF450R Rally factory Dakar racebike—a machine that’s designed to perform in the challenging Dakar rally and similar events.
ELECTRIC PRELOAD ADJUSTER

Changing your shock’s preload is a snap. Choose from one of four settings: solo, solo with luggage, two-up, and two-up with luggage. It’s all done electrically, so forget about wrenching on some hard-to-access shock collar.
FOUR-PISTON CALIPERS

Up front, the Africa Twin features twin four-piston brake calipers for powerful braking performance. The radial-mount design also helps make them stiffer, increasing brake feel and control.
43-DEGREE STEERING LOCK

With 43 degrees of steering lock both left and right, the Africa Twin provides excellent maneuverability on tight trails. This is one of the reasons the Africa Twin feels so much more nimble than many of the other bigger adventure bikes out there.
REFINED SWINGARM

The Africa Twin’s swingarm is light and strong, because it uses technology developed on our CRF450R motocrosser.
HOLLOW AXLE SHAFTS

The Africa Twin uses large-diameter hollow steel axles front and rear. They’re super strong, durable, but also light: a combination which describes just about everything associated with this bike.
Honda SELECTABLE TORQUE CONTROL

The Africa Twin’s throttle-by-wire system lets us offer Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC). You can dial in exactly the kind of power delivery you want for the conditions at hand. Honda Selectable Torque Control features seven settings for a wide range of conditions, from pavement to fast, loose fire roads to challenging singletrack. You can also turn it off. New engine settings for 2022 make a great feature even better.
WHEELIE CONTROL

Front and rear wheel-speed sensors working with the Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC) let you dial in three levels of wheelie control. There’s also an “off” position—you’re the wheelie control here.
RIDING MODES

Both manual-transmission and DCT models offer six riding modes: Tour, Urban, Gravel, Off-Road, User 1 and User 2. The last two let you customize the system to your individual preference.
REAR SUSPENSION

Not only is the Africa Twin’s rising-rate Pro-Link® rear suspension fully adjustable, it offers a 220mm stroke for 8.7 inches of rear-wheel travel. Even better, there’s a special remote preload adjuster—you just turn a convenient knob, and you can compensate for varying loads like a passenger or full panniers.
TIRES AND WHEELS

Real adventure bikes use spoked wheels because they better survive the dings and hits of off-road riding. All Africa Twin models feature a 21-inch front and an 18-inch rear for superior performance, especially when it comes to off-road riding.
TUBELESS TIRES

Standard on our Adventure Sports ES models. Tubeless tires run cooler, and there’s a great selection of adventure-bike rubber available today. Get a flat? Flat tire repairs are a lot easier too.

Apple CarPlay™* seamlessly integrates your compatible iPhone®* into your new Africa Twin, and Android Auto™ does the same for your Android phone. That means you can use your devices to access maps, music, and other services easily. You’ll have access to weather, playlists and telephone numbers while aboard. Available Bluetooth®**-enabled wireless headsets let you communicate more easily than ever. And best of all, with more apps available every day, your bike’s technology and convenience remain on the cutting edge.

*Apple CarPlay and iPhone are trademarks of Apple Inc.
**For using Apple CarPlay, connection to a commercially available Bluetooth headset is necessary. See owner’s manual for Bluetooth headset requirements.
TFT TOUCHSCREEN DISPLAY

The Africa Twins feature a 6.5-inch touch-panel LCD multi-information dash display. You can choose between three displays, too, depending on how much information you want to see at once. New for 2022, we’ve made the screen easier to read under a wide variety of riding conditions.
SIX-SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION

The Africa Twin features a conventional six-speed manual gearbox with a handlebar-mounted clutch lever. It’s a proven, tough design that’s a little bit lighter, too. Available on Africa Twin and Africa Twin ES models
OPTIONAL ALUMINUM LUGGAGE

Our optional three-piece hard luggage is sure to be one of your favorite accessories. All three bags feature weather-resistant liners, and the top box is big enough to hold a full-face helmet. And all three boxes use the same locking key, too.
LARGE FUEL TANKS

Our Africa Twin and Africa Twin DCT feature 18.8-liter (5.0-gallon) fuel tanks, while our two Adventure Sports ES models increase that capacity to 24-liters (6.3 gallons), enough for super-sized adventures.

Fitting a tall handlebar helps open up the cockpit, and works in concert with the seat and windscreen to give you a more comfortable rider’s triangle for those long days in the saddle.
TAPERED ALUMINUM HANDLEBAR

Another example of fitting premium equipment to the Africa Twin wherever we can, the aluminum handlebar is lighter than a steel unit. The design tapers from a thinner diameter under your grips to a thicker section at the top clamp, and is fine-tuned for optimal flex and rigidity.
NARROW SEAT

We made special efforts to keep the Africa Twin’s seat narrow. That makes it easier to move around on the bike, and also makes it easier to get a foot on the ground at stoplights or in parking lots.
NARROW REAR SUBFRAME

Two things here: First, the aluminum subframe is removable, to aid in servicing and repairs. Second, we narrowed it by 40mm over our original design. That helps the whole bike feel narrower and more nimble—a big plus in challenging terrain.
RALLY-TYPE FAIRING

Long-distance riders know there’s no substitute for a real fairing, which is why we spent so many hours getting the Africa Twin’s just right. It gives you a great balance between wind- and weather protection, without being too bulky or top-heavy for serious off-road riding.
BIAXIAL COUNTERBALANCE

By using counterbalancing elements on two axes, Honda’s engineers can cancel out both primary and coupling vibrations from the engine. The result is that we can mount the engine solidly for superior strength and handling, yet you still get an extraordinarily smooth, vibration-free ride.
ATHLETIC RIDING POSITION

Adventure riding is an active sport, and that means you need to be able to move around on your bike naturally and athletically. The Africa Twin is extremely narrow where you sit, and the peg-bar-seat triangle lets you move up and forward and far back as well, to enhance handling, especially under demanding trail conditions.