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2021 Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin MT: My Initial Impressions

18th October 2021, 18:00 by Utkarsh Chaudhary

The 2021 Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin has a gorgeous TFT display. It offers both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity options.

BHPian GoBlue recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Whew, the bike name's a mouthful.

While it has been about 5 months since the delivery, I haven't been able to ride the bike as much as I'd have liked to. Primarily due to the crazy lockdown in April & May, followed by the saga of "restrictions" that plagued the state of Maharashtra after the lockdown was relaxed.

However, approx. 1,500 km of riding has been a wonderful experience. Sharing some pictures accompanied by thoughts.

A gift sent by Bikegear.in. A lovely gesture. Would recommend these folks in case one needs to purchase accessories that need to be imported from abroad.

First long ride to Wai with BHPian TheCelestial (XPulse) & AnandPadhye (Ninja 1000).

While this colour looks muted in pictures, it pops nicely in person. The black + gold combination looks classy. Not a fan of the tri-colour white/blue/red paint scheme. Yes, Mapro Wai uses self-grown cabbages in their sandwiches.

This is the parking technique I prefer. XXL size cover is needed due to the extra tall windscreen. Two chains (with locks) keep the bike safe from curious kids (and occasionally, curious adults).

A ride to the backwaters of Panshet Lake (near Pune) with BHPian The_Skyliner (MS 950S) and TheCelestial (XPulse). Maharashtra is beautiful during the monsoons. There are many places that are easily accessible from Pune and are a 2-3-hour ride away.

Got the front crash guards from Heed and the rear guards/pannier mounts from Touratech USA. The Touratech folks messed up the order and sent the guards without the rear U-bracket. Thanks to Bikegear's diligence in following up with Touratech, the U-shaped bracket arrived after a delay of 1.5 months.

Got the bike detailed/ceramic coated from Detailing Devils, Pune. Would recommend these folks when it comes to detailing, lovely work along with VFM pricing.

The metallic black has silver flakes which look absolutely brilliant in sunlight.

BigWing Mumbai service technicians drove down to my residence to get the first service done. Love this option which they offer. Makes it extremely convenient for Pune owners. Some enthusiastic owners do ride to Mumbai to get the bike serviced, however, one needs to invest an entire day for this "mission", which I am not a fan of.

Old oil out, new oil in.

Soothing to see a nicely cleaned/lubed chain, especially when done by someone else. Gave them my own WD40 (for chain cleaning) and Putoline Tech Chain lube, both of which I'm particular about. Cannot stand random lubes/cleaners being used on my bikes.

Got the Kriega fork seal covers fitted. Apparently, the CRF1000/1100’s front forks have been susceptible to leaking quite early in the ownership if left exposed to elements. Honda is human after all.

A lovely ride to some interior roads surrounding Pune with BHPian HappySmiles (CRF1000L DCT), BHPian Libranof1987 and some other BHPians (their handles elude recollection at the time of writing this post. Sorry, gentlemen).

Another incredible ride to Pune B-roads with BHPian HappySmiles and BHPian GrowlingTiger. His "growling tiger", the 800 XCa has been replaced by a silky smooth V-Strom 650.

A wonderful B-road ride with BHPian TheCelestial and BHPian SurjaOnWheelz (INT 650).

Empty B-roads, perfect for enjoying peaceful rides.

A look at the gorgeous TFT display of the Africa Twin. Seen here: the Apple CarPlay home screen. The background skins are configurable, multiple options of skins/themes are available (3 themes stored in memory display unit memory). There's Android Auto, too, for those who use Android phones.

Google Maps full-screen display. While it’s normal to see this on car infotainment displays, it is a brilliant experience to use it seamlessly on a bike.

Can use any music app that's available as a part of Apple CarPlay and have the music played on Sena (or any other BT compatible communicator). The music can be controlled using buttons on the left side of the handlebar.

Information overload. The gear position indicator and the tachometer are very easy to spot when riding. Honda's effort in UX shows. All the information is legible even when riding under direct sunlight. The TFT has an ambient light sensor that changes the theme from light to dark, along with the brightness itself. Outstanding tech.

When starting early for rides, pitch-dark lighting conditions necessitated the addition of aux lights. Seen here is BHPian Nitrogary's R1200 GS.

An afternoon ride to Veer Dam with BHPian TheCelestial (ZX-10R). Anyone who wants to buy an adventure bike that can keep up with a 200 HP supersport, please pick up a Multistrada V4.