2017 Honda Africa Twin (DCT) Review 

I bought an africa twin this week and it was the first time I could compare one of your reviews with the actual product. I think you've got it spot on.

Took my ZZR1400 in for a service and loaned a Crosstourer DCT, laughed at first but ended up doing a px and buying one. Love it. Best kept secret the Crosstourer DCT.

The Africa Twin's seat does have two seat heights, the lower drops the position by 30mm. I'm 5ft 5, I simply put the standard seat in the lower setting and that's good for me. Also did the dealer explain to you the difference between the Drive (D) and Sport (S) modes. The 'flappy paddles' give an instant gear change - similar to a quick shifter. A much taller 'touring' screen is available from Honda, however, your favourite MRA screen's are available. For an off road experience, contact the Honda Adventure Centre. Alternatively from selecting the 'N' button, you can simply drop the side stand which selects neutral and kills the engine. The 'parking brake' is for when you'd conventionally leave the bike in gear, say on a hill or a ferry. Also I've found it useful in car parks when wayward shopping trolleys may knock the bike over.

The DCT gearbox on these bikes is so good. I didn't think I'd take to it, but after a day or so, it left me wondering why more manufacturers aren't offering auto box alternatives on all their bikes. A real breakthrough in ease of use, & as you mention; it focuses your attention more on simply riding.

Great review, after watching this, went and had a test ride on a 67 plate AT DCT, absolutely loved it and part/ex’d my Speed Triple, I’m in my 50’s and the DCT suited me so much more (but also loved my Speed Triple!) I thought it may not be powerful enough but the torque is amazing. Easily the best, most relaxing and smoothest bike I’ve ever ridden, but also so much usable power. So comfortable, it made my Triumph feel like it had no suspension! Love all your reviews - hey kids!

Thanks for doing such a great review! I've got the manual version in Dakar Rally Red (which I totally enjoy), but would like to try the DCT - interesting technology. I'm glad to see Honda getting some well deserved credit from you and others for creating such an outstanding and innovative motorcycle.

hi tmf after watching your review last week I test rode one of these today (without the dct) and was that impressed I went a bought one. ex demonstrator 1200 mile on the clock in the tricolour. chopped in my 2014 bmw r1200gs te , pick it up on Friday, great review by the way keep up the good work

Absolutely a dream bike for me. Wouldn't take the DCT option however, but I can see the appeal of it. Brilliant bike, great video

Great review. I have the non- DCT version. Have put a couple of thousand miles in 2 months. Absolutely rock solid bike. The touring screen makes a big difference when going on the motorway. I ride to Oxford and back each week a couple of times and this bike feels solid. Hardly feel any tiredness at the end of a couple of 100 miles in usual M25 \ M4 traffic. It is a heavy bike for short people - I am 5'7" but with the low seat I can plant my feet flat on the ground. In short, it is a very good bike for about 60% of the cost of most other Adventurers out there. The fuelling is absolutely great as well. Single tank gives me 200+ miles easily and I haven't yet had to get into danger zone on any of my trips. I did add crash protection bars as you will invariably drop this bike due to its weight. So SWMotech bars are an essential. Overall fabulous bike and gives you a lot of confidence for long rides.

Great review. I can't wait for the 2018 model review. It has many new updates. RBW ride by wire, suspension upgrade front and back. Larger tank and many more.

Quite simply the best bike first ride/reviews on RU-vid... love your videos gave me my love for bikes bk after a loss in confidence due to crashing twice

took a test ride on 2017 manual one today. In love with the bike, traded in my 2017 CRF250L today and putting deposit for AT. Unbelievable how light such a big bike handles, engine is smooth and damn linear, breaks 2 finger, solid built quality, solid mechanical suspention. No gizmos just simple machine and this is what I need going on a trip to Kazahstan or Mongolia. Loved overall simplicity of the bike. Sound is added value! First new bike ridden by me in a while where I dont think of changing stock exhaust. 2018 AT here I come for you!

I had a sneaking suspicion you'd love it. I don't know if you recall me saying i actually pound for pound prefer mine to my GS'S. Just so you know the standard seat has 2 height settings built in, when you clip the seat back on there are 2 clip settings, yours was in the highest, I'm a 32 inside leg and run mine on the low setting making it so very much more comfortable. Great review as always.

You must get tired of me saying this but....another very interesting and informative review. I know a ton of work goes into these reviews with all the planning behind the scenes that no one ever sees so thanks again!

Yet another great review. Ive recently bought the Crosstourer DCT after owning the manual for 3 years. Im blown away by how good it is. I had my concerns that it would take something from the riding experience but it seems to add to the enjoyment. Stick it in D and cruise about, or flick it up and down yourself if you want to play a bit. It centainly changes gear better and faster than i ever could. Rode for the first time in heavy traffic today and exactly as you said, it made it so easy and left you only with having to concentrate on what was going on around you.

Another practical, real-world impression. You've quickly become my go-to reviewer as I look to get back on two wheels and shop the market. Please do keep it up!

After a lot research I'm going to buy the DCT, because 4 to 6 moths on the road to South America, (on and a lot off-road) the less clutch I do, less my tendinitis will complain : )

I just found your channel and am really enjoying your reviews. I am not riding yet but going for training next month to get my licence. split between the cbf500f and cbr500r for my first bike, for commuting and a bit of weekend fun, just going on looks because as of yet I have only rode a Chinese 50cc. The Africa twin will definitely be in my garage one day, money permitting. keep up the good work buddy, you are building a great resource for bikers and wanna be bikers there, cheers.

Great review again TMF, this bike is lovely too. I tested the normal version and I found it had quite some turbulence on the highway. After riding this bike I thought, "you don't really need 160 hp" for a great travelling bike and "you can live without all these modern electronics" and let's face it, at the end you pay for that.This is really sufficient for some decent travelling. And for the price.... much less than a GS or KTM.

Nice review mate. Enjoying your videos.

Glad to see your giving your leg measurement now mate helps no end cheers 🍻

Good to see more sunny days on the trips out, thanks for the review.

It is really nice to stand up on the pegs and absorb the big bumps and move around to increase circulation.

Was never that keen on the looks but saw it in the flesh today and loved it. I'm 5ft 7" and the lower seat height was great, better for me than my dr650. Probably my next bike and would be perfect for my arthritic hands 😂

Cracking review as always , I think I'm a bit long in the tooth to adapt to a clutchless bike , the last auto bike I had was a Honda Melody 29 years ago when I was 16 , but I might have a sit on one at the Manchester bike show tomorrow and who knows ? It's certainly a lot of bike and £5k cheaper than a R1200 GS .... food for thought .

Hi TMF. Glad you've done that one eventually. It won bike of the year in Bike magazine last year & they though it was quite special so I'm not surprised that you liked it. I love the automatic gear change concept ...had it on a couple of my cars..wonderful in town. I'm off to ride one of these down my local Honda shop in Albi after Easter and am really looking forward to it! Cheers for now!

Another great review Mr flyer ..keep up the good work

Think im gonna get one of these. This bike can do it all

gorgeous in black. I started working at my local Triumph dealer couple weeks back and was able to take the new '17 Tiger Explorer XCA out for a spin. VERY nicely updated from the 15 models.

Long time watcher, first time commenter. As always really good, real world review . Thank you.

Great review. Very enjoyable. Brilliant bike. Lovely detail. I Put 70,000km’s on the older model. And this review makes the possibility of buying a good used one realistic.

Good review buddy, I haven't tried the DCT yet but I would like to. I have the Batzen screen risers on my AT, that makes the wind screen adjustable and they work great ! 👍🏻

Quite a fascinating review because it offers something so novel as the DCT. An enjoyable ride watching this video, I didn't expect to be that interested and ended up impressed.

Thank you so much TMF. A great review as always and you've managed to convince me to ditch my old 2014 BMW R1200GS and go for one of these. Cheers

The forums recommend buying fork seals that block most of the wind coming from the forks behind your screen . A lot of riders of the AT claimed the fork seals blocking the wind solved the vibration issue on the helmet.

Finally!!! Exceptional review as always.

Again a very eloquently delivered pro review.It would be ice to get Dirt Riding comments but we will leave that for another day,thks from JHB.

Crumble loves his Africa Twin. I much prefer this colour to the white with red. Changing the oil in my bike tomorrow, almost biking weather here again.

Tried the DCT version last week and I agree, it's brilliant....

Thanks MF. I enjoy all your reviews very much and am gradually working through past videos. You helped inspire me to buy an Africa Twin DCT to replace my Ninja 400! I think it will suit my style of riding in Japan. I love to explore and like the versatility of this bike.

Good review Mr Flyer, the black suits the Honda well

good honest review and funny to see u appeared surprised by the AT... Imo many people "overlook" the avarage hondas and disgard them as boring or little exciting which is a shame and there loss i feel. the majority buys a r1200gs or big ktm and if i hear about the bills they receive for maintenance and the repairs they encounter i am shocked. just buy an AT and ride...no defects or high bills it just works....and for a lot less... just think of it,honda comes up with an auto tranny allroad and it just works flawless from day one. nu fuss or problems... now i would love to see ktm or bmw build something like that and watch how many recalls they have to do to make it work ok if they manage at all. Hell,bmw has been building shaft drive bikes ever since the second world war and still they they fail on a regular basis. apparently they still havent figured out how to build them to last....sad really imo... anyway...great review and keep up the good work... i recently discovered your channel and your doing a cracking job sir....i just subbed...:) ps; i ride a 2016 blade and rode the new one recently and would luv to hear your opinion on it...

just another excelent review, cheers from Costa Rica! Big fan of the channel!

The fruit loop but thoroughly nice guy that is the Crumble would approve. In black with the gold forks and bronze engine I think it's the best looking adventure bike out there. Took a manual one out for 24hrs last year. Devon to Liverpool and back was an absolute breeze. If I was going global this bike, or the Tenere would do it. They aren't too big like some adv bikes. That gear box seems set up superbly. I'd have one tomorrow. The Honda doesn't have that image problem you could argue GS and their riders have. Latte anyone?! Thanks sir, I'm glad you liked it. The Crumble chose well.

Hey buddy, Good to see the AT reviewed by you! Just had my new one delivered on Tuesday and I'm loving it, went for the manual as I'm a bit old school, I agree with the screen and I'm about to fit a small Touratech smoke screen to see if it helps! Looking forward a long ride on it to the lakes in may, have a few vids on my channel about the bike. Cheers, GMAN

I knew from other Reviews that the new Africa Twin is a great bike, didn't expect you to be so gobsmacked by it though!

great review as always, I'm certainly sold on the adventure type of bike, comfort, weather protection, grunt and handling.

Test rode one last January. Freezing temperatures and rain on Snake Pass. So confidence inspiring. Actually got the back end out at one point. Would have been on my arse if it was not for the traction control. Great bike! 👍

Excellent vid. Very professional. Great stuff!

I have the manual version rally red it's my second bike just passed my skills test I have only been riding motorcycles a month but I absolutely love it and can't believe it's actually mine, It's perfect for my early mid life crisis..crisis what criss I guess. Loved my 2014 crf 250L as well for the short time I have owned it. 6ft 265lbs myself with maybe a 32 or 30 In seem but I flat foot the ground with a bit of knee bend effortlessly on lowest seat setting though I imagine I can flat foot at highest settings as well. Also using just the standard suspension settings.

hey there! you are doing great reviews. I love your comments about the bikes. keep up the good work sir.

As ever a great review , did you almost make it home on the test ride !! I was born and brought up in beaconsfield and know the area really well . I moved away some years ago but it's great to see so many familiar places . And remembering riding down those very roads so many time . I look forward to many more top videos from TMF .👍

Nice review as always. I have the tri colour manual version. I agree about the screen, Honda sell a touring version, which is taller, but I think the MRA with flip is the one I will get. Just a few corrections, the back wheel is 18", and Honda sell 3 seats a low/std. and high, all have 2 positions. Just a tip for any prospective buyers, buy the optional main stand. You cannot lift the back up with a rear lift stand as protutions make the bike lean to one side, and there are no bobbin points. P.S. the bike is great two up.

I love to see you do a review on the big vfr 1200 dct tourer

Had a go on one of these at the Bike Show at the NEC. Manual and paddles are really for off road according to the instructor I had. Great fun on the off road course at the NEC and I had it in manual.

oh and as always a sensible real world review as always

Another awesome video, I love listening to your voice. Thanks for riding it standing up. I rode this through Europe at the end of summer last year and loved the AT. Coming back to Europe this year and giving the 1290 Super Adventure a go for a month. I have to mention, the standard seat can be put on in two positions, low and high. Don't need a different seat. And Honda has a taller touring screen as well, which should solve the wind problem. Only downside of this bike for me is, it does not have cruise control.

Another great review. 👍 It must be great getting to ride so many different bikes.

No ride modes MF, just traction control and ABS. My Africa Twin is even more basic, no ABS or TC. Great review, many owners experiencing the hi speed wind blast, especially on peaked helmets.

I'd absolutely love a DCT equipped bike.... However there isn't a Honda bike that suits my needs. The NC750 isn't torquey enough for two up work. The Africa Twin is tool offroad (tubed tyres) and lack of cruise control and chain drive is a deal breaker. That leaves the Cross Tourer but for a bike that costs the same as a GS it's very under spec'd, again no cruise and no LED headlight, looks a bit dated too. All I can do for now is wait! A NC1000X with the AT motor would be great. So glad you were impressed with the DCT, personally I find changing gear a pain in traffic. With the DCT you still have manual control should you desire.

I always look forward to your excellent reviews! Your review of the Africa Twin, which is advertised & sold as an adventure motorcycle, seemed like only a half of a review? Cruising up & down the paved roads and telling us about the attributes of the DCT told only half the story of this motorcycle. Even some 1st impressions of the Africa Twin off road on a trail would have given us some insight into what this adventure motorcycle is capable of. A rough parking lot is not off road. Anyways keep up the great reviews and I remain Subscribed!

I think I asked you to try the Africa Twin after all the rave reviews last year. Fab review as always. After seeing your KTM 1090 review I think I would prefer the more aggressive styling. The DCT seems weird.

Hi Missenden flyer, excellent review as always, looking forward to your CRF250 Rally review.Hope you can get a good amount of time on it, so us who are thinking of buying, can get a good understanding of its capabilities.

Good review. I enjoy your vids. CRF 250l owner myself. I also have an nc700x. Keep up the good vids.

Good bike eh? Kind of comes into its own when you take it off road. It becomes a true all rounder. Thanks for posting my friend!

Hello TMF! Greetings from Greece. I have to say you have a lot of dedication to motorbikes man ! Really commited to them ! :) I am a 5'6'' pretty fit dude and after your extended reviews on adventures and sport tourers i am stuck between AT , Versys 1000 and Tracer900 . First choice the Africa but maybe one or two extra cylinders offer more power and smoothness on your ride! :/ Don't know , driveability, maneuverability(due to being short) , tracer boasts 50 kilos less than others,wowww :O , comfort and relaxed riding position are my main factors to choose one but still cannot decide. Any suggestions and justification would be welcomed !!! Keep Reviewing TMF

You seem to have missed the S (sport) modes on the gearbox. Press the D/S button again and you go into sport modes and it changes up a bit later. No rider modes as it doesn't have a ride-by-wire throttle

My dream bike...

Excellent reviews as always

another great review...It is a fantastic looking machine and by far the best colour ive seen....

Good one TMF, I've always loved the Africa Twin. Although I think the good old red blue and white takes some beating in my opinion. Ps I'm missing your little intro.

I own the manual version (2016 model) and can say this bike has plenty of power to have fun on both on and off road. I thought it would feel lacking coming off a street triple but it is every bit as enjoyable and 100 times more comfortable. I find that this bike is so effortless and smooth I don't realize until I look at the speedo that I am going too fast. The speed just sneaks up on you. Also the statement "there is a lowered seat model available" is incorrect unless there was a change to the 2017 model. The seat actually has two seat height positions. Yours was in the high position. You can tell by looking where the seat meets the tank and where it meets the rear passenger seat.

Ah man, all the videos I watch of the big ADV bikes. We Indians have been deprived of good motoring. Cars and Bikes were either cheap commuters, or the imported stuff, if at all it was imported, was slapped with a massive import duty. Many manufacturers are setting up plants in India to either produce locally, to give local pricing, or to assemble the bike, imported as a CDK, cheaper, but still has that import duty. We got our first indigenous bike that calls it self a adventure tourer, the Royal Enfield Himalayan. Apparently Europe is getting the Euro 4 spec version. I would love to see your take on it since you've ridden several big ADV bikes, as well as owning the GS. Cheers!

Very nice review, inspiring for the daylong test ride I've been invited by Honda to conduct quite soon. Will be interesting to see if it's the DCT version and what color. The grey/black was intriguing while the red, white & blue scheme is cool too.

Awesome bike and well done Honda.

Thanks mate...... great review and solid heads up about this motor.... ride well fella...

Great review as usual, developing an affinity for the thing. Puig do a fab touring screen for it too. And looks to have more than enough power. Thanks for posting.

Great review as always! I love the Africa Twin, it is my dream bike although I would get the manual version for sure. Looks like you are having fantastic weather in the UK!

brilliant review as always.

Great review, would love a ride on one in the next couple of months. Would like to try both variants. Will you be riding the 1200 crosstourer? Another bike that has taken my interest. Keep up the great work.

This the future of motorbike engines

Excellent review as always! I have a question for you....If you had saved your hard earnings and had 12K to spend on a bike. Would you buy a brand new Africa Twin or a 2014/2015 GS??? I am very much in the market at the moment and would love your opinion!! I am swaying towards the GS at the moment, all be it a used one! Congrats on 30K subs by the way, keep up the brilliant work.

Nice review. I've had my AT for about 8 months and 5k miles now. Fantastic all rounder bike, IMO. Punches above its 95bhp as well. Regarding the DCT gearbox manual mode, you're right in that usually there's no need for it. However, the one time when it's invaluable is when you are queueing for an overtake: Say cruising at 50mph ready to gun it. If you hold her in 3rd using manual mode, she's ready for the off, whereas if you stay in D-mode, it can shift up to sixth just when you don't want it to. To be fair to the bike, there's no way any gearbox can know that you're in a queue to overtake, so this is the ideal time to use manual. Then once you have popped past a few cars, just a tap back into auto and you're away. Personally I find S1 mode great for round town as the D mode is quite keen to shift up and save fuel. This ok above 40mph but below that I'd say it shifts a little early, especially at low speeds. Whern touring at medium speeds, D mode is just lovely. If I'm with mates or making progress, again S1 brings a bit more life and hangs onto gears. Personally I find little use for S2 and S3. I enjoy the reviews, keep it up :-)

Great video as always fella,I've got a manual version of this bike as for the reasons you have already mentioned,I too like the involvement of changing gears. I'm 34 and always remember the old XRV750 when I was a little lad and just remember staring up at the size of them when they went past,this new version makes me feel like a 7 year old lad,and I had to have one when the launch was announced that the Africa Twin was coming back. I also test rode a Yamaha Super Ten,GSA, but for me it was still the Africa Twin which I liked. Saying that the Super Ten had the electric suspension which was very good and easy to use and the GSA well lets say was like a small boat and made filtering a little tricky but still a great bike just let down slightly by the mega price. I personally don't think the GSA is £6-7k's better than the Honda or Yam I feel like there demanding a premium for the name to an extent.

Nice mate, I think some people will use manual mode to get up the revs to have a play now and again. People who like to race about will go for full manual or a different bike I guess.

I for one would want to have manual gearbox control in certain situations, eg long downhill in the rain and offroad downhill so you can rely on a constant amount of engine braking and not be in the wrong (high) gear and on the brakes too much. Good review as ever, cheers.

You can get stock talk wind screen. Also after market. I just stand up and the buffering goes away

Looking forward to this one :)

The DCT is the only reason i'd swap from my 'Trail' converted Yamaha Tracer 900. Currently i'm nearly FORTY(40KG) kilo lighter,same seat height,roughly same tank capacity,but a stonker of a motor which is 20hp more,but 10.5NM less torque,but feels electric compared to a twin.Tracer also has a centre stand,which is a must loaded,and fully converted was over £2000 cheaper,but you can buy a new A/T DCT for under £10k in December.Only other benefit i can see is ground clearance,but the Tracer is 175mm shorter in length. As i drive a Volvo FH540 and a car which are both auto,probably my next step,driving/riding shouldn't be taxing. I'd probably go down the Africa Queens/MST Rally route if i ever change,we'd need to strip a helluva weight off though...too heavy!

Hello again TMF, I've been wondering when you were going to get round to the AT. I took delivery of my fully blinged Tricolour DCT a couple of weeks ago. Just completed 150 miles. What an amazing machine! Think this might be a keeper. I'm still running her in so haven't really pushed in sport mode yet, but I can tell she's got a lot to offer. Did you manage to toggle through the sport settings? Thanks again for all your hard work. Really appreciated.

Nice mate, I vacillate between this, the GSA and the triumph tiger explorer, all have their pluses, all have their negatives, still unsure which I will go for, if the AT had a shaft drive then that would decide it. Waiting for the second generation.

Hi TMF, Nice vlog on something out of the ordinary, always wondered what it would be like to ride a DCT !! I suppose technology just gets better & better. Just out of interest what make of glove are you using on your ride with the Africa Twin !!

Great video again tmf great viewing. The dsg gearbox on my Leon fr is amazingly smooth much like Honda. But unlike nearly all your commenters the Africa twin does nothing for me, and I can't wait to get out on bmw s1000xr tomorrow.

Hello Sir. I just purchased a 2016 Honda Forza 300cc Maxi-scooter. It's not DCT but it is twist and go. It has only 2200 km on it. Dct and twist and go is the future as the clutch goes by the boards just like it has in the cars. I love the Forza and I am hoping you will do a review of the 2019 Forza 300. Thanks for another great video.....Sal : )

Hey MIssenden can I make a request? Can you review older 2nd hand bikes? I ask because nearly all the bikes you review are really, really expensive and I will never be able to afford them, so while they're good to watch as a review its not actually of much use to a lot of us. If you were to review older bikes like the tiger 955i or the r1150r that would be nice.

Great review, I wanted to test ride one these but there are no local Honda dealers

This is a fair review of the bike but more so the DCT gearbox it is the future

good review long turm review woild be interesting, I'm due for another hand OP in december this could be a way around my clutch problem. thx for sharing RSM8

How about an offroad review at the Honda Offroad training course in Wales? Then you can test both versions :)

Good Evening TMF a nice bike The dual clutch system seems to work well a Good Review Thank You for the Video.