Tourer motorcycles that can munch miles with ease are currently being sort of overshadowed by Adventure motorcycles that can take on rough terrains with finesse. But there still exists a sect of motorcyclists who don’t want to off the road at all but desire maximum comfort from their motorcycles. To appeal to those riders, Honda has launched the NT1100 for the global markets.
If we had to describe it in just one phrase, this would be it – it’s the lovechild of Honda’s two legendary motorcycles: the CRF1100L Africa Twin and the Gold Wing. The NT1100 is primarily developed to bridge the gap between the 750 touring range and the flagship Honda Gold Wing.
Specs and features
Powering the affairs in the NT1100 is the Africa Twin derived 1,048cc 8-valve parallel-twin motor that puts down 102PS at 7,500rpm of maximum power and a max torque of 104Nm at 6,250rpm. Honda has tinkered around with its engine to offer a more relaxed riding experience. The NT1100 can be had with both DCT as well as manual transmission options. It gets three riding modes – Urban, Rain, Tour, along with two User-defined modes – User 1 and User 2. The bike also gets three levels of Honda Selectable Torque Control (traction control), and another three levels of wheelie control to play with.
What makes the NT1100 a lot more road-biased than its far more adventurous sibling is its low seat height and the steering geometry has been sharpened as well. The 2022 Honda NT1100 uses the CRF1100L Africa Twin’s steel, semi-double cradle frame with a bolt-on aluminium subframe. The suspension setup includes 43 mm Showa USD forks at the front and a Showa mono-shock at the rear. The braking setup includes 310 mm twin discs with radially-mounted calipers upfront and a single 256 mm disc at the back.
It also gets a 6.5-inch TFT touch screen that offers Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Bluetooth connectivity option. The NT1100 should come out as an amazing tourer with its five-way height and angle adjustable screen, cruise control, slim panniers and heated grips.
We already have the Africa Twin here and it won’t be surprising if Honda decides to bring the NT1100 here as well, sometime next year.