New look for 2022 Africa Twin along with DCT refinements

2022 Honda Africa Twin & Africa Twin Adventure Sports

Honda have taken the covers off the 2022 Africa Twin, with the standard variant now featuring a rear carrier rack as standard and now presented in new colours and graphics.

The Adventure Sports variant receives some additional updates, with the DCT equipped versions benefiting from further refinements to the Dual-Clutch Transmission settings, a shorter adjustable five-position screen and new ‘Cracked Terrain’ graphics. On the top of the line DCT ES version, Showa Electronically Equipped Ride Adjustment is also standard.

Honda’s exclusive six-speed DCT system runs three modes, with MT offering full manual control, D for automatic city and highway riding for fuel efficiency, while S is designed for sporty riding, with the ECU holding gears longer between up-shifts, as well as down-shifting more aggressively for extra engine braking.

The changes for 2022 have seen first and second gear settings tailored to smoother low-speed handling, with a focus on very low speeds and standing starts.

The Showa Electronically Equipped Ride Adjustment or Showa EERA meanwhile, offers tailored damping front and rear, with spring pre-load to suit load and riding conditions. This can be controlled via four settings, for different riding conditions.

Soft offers low damping force and a focus on smoothness, with Hard running the highest damping force. Mid is an all-round setting, while Off-Road raises fork damping forces as stroke speed rises, while also running higher damping settings on the rear shock.

The rear shock can also have the spring pre-load adjusted electronically while stationary, with setups for solo riding, solo with luggage, two-up riding and two up with luggage. For those who like to dial their system in specifically to their own needs, there’s also a User option which allows fine tuning of damping front and rear with 24-points of rear spring preload.

The updates join the existing Africa Twin’s liquid-cooled 1084 cc SOHC eight-valve parallel-twin, backed by a Bosch six-axis IMU, which is integrated into the four power modes, three levels of engine braking, seven-level Honda Selectable Torque Control, and cornering ABS, with an off-road setting. Plus three levels of wheelie control and rear lift control. These are accessed via four preset riding modes – Tour, Urban, Gravel and Off-Road, with two modifiable modes.

Peak power is claimed at 75 kW, with 105Nm peak torque. The engine was significantly updated previously in the 2020 model year along with a boost in capacity.

A 6.5 inch TFT touchscreen is also features, with multi-information display, USB and BT connectivity as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Fuel capacity on the standard Africa Twin is 18.8 L, while on the Adventure Sports variants that increases to 24.8 L, with seat height across all models 870 mm, with a 850 mm low setting available.

The frame is a steel semi-double cradle frame, also redesigned in 2020, mated to a aluminium sub-frame, with CRF450R-style swingarm also in aluminium. Showa provide 45 mm forks across all models, with that upgraded to the Showa EERA on the top model, with a Showa monoshock, also upgraded to an EERA unit on the ES version.

Wheels are a 21 x 2.15 wire-spoke front and 18 x 4.00 wire-spoke rear, both with aluminium rims, while brakes are dual four-piston radial calipers on 310 mm wave rotors on the front and a 256 mm wave rotor with single-piston caliper on the rear.

The entire 2022 Honda Africa Twin range is due to arrive in Q4 of 2021, with the standard Africa Twin to be available for $20,999 MLP, in either Pearl Glare White, Grand Prix Red. The Africa Twin Adventure Sports will be $24,699 MLP in Pearl Glare White or Matte Ballistic Black, while the Adventure Sports DCT arrives from $25,649 MLP in Pearl Glare White, with the top of the line Adventure Sports DCT ES $27,799 MLP and also Pearl Glare White.