Here’s Why The 2021 Africa Twin Hasn't Got Us Excited

Honda’s big bike operation in India got a big shot in the arm last year with the launch of the CRF1100L Africa Twin, and now, the 2021 model year Africa Twin has just been teased. If you've just bought yourself a 2020 Africa Twin, don't be too dejected, because changes for the new year are to the name, to the price, and..... that's about it. With the launch of the CRF1100L, India received a manual gearbox option beside the DCT for the first time, and this will continue to be the case for the 2021 model year as well.

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The Africa Twin is still available in only the top-spec Adventure Sports trim level, with the base variant that was promised to us last year still absent from the lineup. Honda claims to offer new colour schemes for 2021, but it’s really just a swap. In 2020, the DCT version was offered in black and the manual could be had in Honda’s favoured tricolour of red, blue and white; for 2021, it’s the opposite. The biggest news is the price hike, of course, with the Africa Twin range now starting from Rs 15.96 lakh. The DCT version now sells for Rs 17.50 lakh meaning that it has become dearer by a whopping Rs 1.40 lakh! For all this extra cash, you're getting a bike that's pretty much identical to before, with no upgrades or new features. It seems then, that the 2021 model year launch is nothing more than a glorified price hike for the Africa Twin, much like the "new" 2021 Kawasaki Z650 and Versys 1000 launched last week.