Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. has announced the commencement of bookings for 2018 Africa Twin in India. The bookings are open for 50 customers as it will be available in limited number of units. For booking enquiries, customers can contact or visit Honda’s exclusive sales & service Wing World outlets located across 22 cities in India. Lucky customers will get a chance to witness their favourite riders live at MotoGP.
The motorcycle was first showcased at the 2018 Auto Expo. For 2018, the new Africa Twin gets Throttle by Wire (TBW) which expands the choices available to the rider to manage engine output, and rear wheel traction. The new Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC) system features 7 Levels – from Level 1 for aggressive riding off-road to Level 7 for maximum sense of security on slippery, wet tarmac. The HSTC can be completely turned OFF. The addition of a lithium-ion battery contributes to a 2.3kg overall weight saving.
The motorcycle continues to use a 999.11 cc parallel-twin engine which is tuned to produce maximum power of 89PS @ 7500 rpm and 93.1 Nm of peak torque @ 6000 rpm. The Africa Twin retains Honda’s unique Dual Clutch Transmission technology – an automated clutch and shift operation system. Stopping power is provided by 310mm ‘wave’ style, twin floating front discs with Nissin 4-pot radial calipers upfront and a 256mm ‘wave’ style rear disc with a 1-pot caliper.
In Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT), three modes of operation are available. The riding modes are comprised of different levels of Power (P) and Engine Braking (EB). The riding modes include:
- Automatic D mode is ideal for city and highway riding, and achieves optimum fuel efficiency
- Automatic S mode offers three levels of sportier riding as the ECU lets the engine rev a little higher before shifting up, and shifts down sooner when decelerating for extra engine braking
- The MT mode gives full manual control, allowing the rider to shift gear with the left handlebar trigger control buttons
There are also 3 levels of power and engine Braking available which offer pre-set combinations of each parameter, suitable to different riding environments and scenarios: TOUR, URBAN, GRAVEL. A fourth mode – USER – allows the rider to set and save his or her preferred combination of power, engine braking and HSTC levels. Both riding mode and level of HSTC can be changed at any time using the controls on the left hand switchgear
In either D or S mode, DCT offers immediate manual intervention if required – the rider simply selects the required gear using the up and down shift triggers on the left handlebar. At an appropriate time DCT reverts back to automatic mode, depending on throttle angle, vehicle speed and gear position.
The motorcycle gets a rally style negative LCD instrument display. The LCD instrument console displays:
- Riding Modes
- Speedometer
- Tachometer
- Fuel Gauge
- Gear position
- HSTC
- ABS Indicator
- Odometer
- Trip Meter
- Clock
Suspension duties are performed by Showa 45mm cartridge-type inverted (Upside Down) telescopic fork with dial-style preload adjuster and DF adjustment upfront, with 230mm stroke. At the rear is a monoblock cast aluminium swing arm with Pro-Link with gas-charged damper, hydraulic dial-style preload adjuster and rebound damping adjustment, featuring 220 mm rear wheel travel.
The new 2018 Africa Twin has been priced at INR 13.23 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) and will be available in GP Red colour scheme.
