Ever since the 2020 Honda Africa Twin was unveiled to the world in 2019, we’ve had our ears open about its arrival in India. Earlier this year, it was reported that the new Africa Twin would be coming to our country in April 2020 but we didn’t have official confirmation or date. However, now it seems that there’s a slight change of plans and we won’t have to wait until the next fiscal because Honda has announced that it is going to launch the 2020 Africa Twin in India on 5 March.
Honda has added a host of new features in the Africa Twin with its lifecycle makeover. To begin with, there’s a new and bigger 1,084 cc parallel-twin, liquid-cooled engine that produces 7% more power (101 PS) and 6% more torque (105 Nm) when compared to the old engine. Unlike before, this time Honda would provide both MT and DCT variants in India.
The Honda Africa Twin also gets revised electronics. It now features a 6-axis IMU, Ride by Wire and Honda Selectable Torque Control. Other features include cruise control, cornering ABS, rear lift control, wheelie control and emergency stop signals. We also have 6 riding modes - Tour, Urban, Gravel, Off-road and two user modes. All of this can be controlled via the new 6.5-inch TFT touchscreen display which supports Apple CarPlay connectivity.
When it comes to performance, the standard variant of the 2020 Africa Twin has been made more off-road biased whereas the Adventure Sports variant is designed to be a comfortable tourer. Honda has slapped in a new frame with aluminium sub-frame and a new and lighter aluminium swingarm. Overall, the new bike is around 4 kg lighter than the outgoing model and thus, has a 10% increase in the power-to-weight ratio which results in improved performance.
2020 Honda Africa Twin Key Features
Apart from the aforementioned details about the new Africa Twin, the following are some of its key features:
- Rally-style bodywork
- Slimmer fuel tank
- 40 mm narrower seat - adjustable between 850 mm or 870 mm
- Compact handguards and sump guard
- Larger 24.8-litre fuel tank
- 5-stage adjustable windscreen
- Standard-fit heated grips
- Showa Electronically Equipped Ride Adjustment (optional)
Internationally, the 2020 Africa Twin is available in Grand Prix Red and Matte Ballistic Black Metallic colour combinations for the standard version and Pearl Glare White Tricolour and Darkness Black Metallic paint schemes for the Adventure Sports version. Let’s see what we get here in India.
Also Read: India-bound 2020 Honda CBR 650R officially revealed
Also, considering the addition of all the new features, it is certain that the price of the 2020 Honda Africa Twin would be higher than that of the outgoing model, which retails at INR 13,50,000 (ex-showroom, PAN India).
