Honda’s newest model built on its Africa Twin adventure bike platform, the NT1100 sports tourer, is expected to arrive in Australian showrooms in the second quarter of next year.
While local pricing has yet to be locked in, Honda has confirmed it will offer the NT1100 in two colour schemes, and with the choice of a conventional six-speed manual gearbox, or a dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT).
The Honda NT1100 will go on sale around the same time as the new Suzuki GSX-S1000GT sports tourer, that will be offered from $19,090 in March, with both positioned to rival the likes of the Kawasaki Ninja 1000SX, and more premium models like the BMW R 1250 RS and KTM 1290 Super Duke GT.
The NT1100 follows the CMX1100 cruiser as the third model to be built on Honda’s versatile Africa Twin adventure bike platform, with the latest model configured for long-distance riding.
Billed as a ‘straightforward touring motorcycle’, the Honda NT1100 features an upright stance with a five-stage adjustable windscreen, wide rider and pillion seats, and long-haul comforts like cruise control and heated seats fitted as standard.
On the tech front, the Honda NT1100 uses a 6.5-inch TFT dash with smartphone mirroring, full LED lighting and self-cancelling indicators.
Three pre-set rider modes adjust engine mapping and traction control parameters, as well as shifting behaviour in the case of the automatic DCT variant.
Honda engineers have swapped out the off-road-focussed suspension of the Africa Twin for more road-oriented 45mm Showa forks and a hydraulically adjustable Showa rear shock.
This has helped drop its seat height down to 820mm, compared to the Africa Twin’s 850mm stance, although it is slightly heavier at 238 kilograms (+12kg). Notably, the NT1100 holds more fuel thanks to its new 20.4-litre tank.
Powering the bike is a familiar 1084cc parallel twin engine matched with ride-by-wire electronics, however, it is unclear if outputs vary from the Africa Twin’s 75kW/105Nm tune.
For reference, the similarly specified Suzuki GSX-S1000GT sports tourer is motivated by a 112kW/106Nm 999cc inline four-cylinder engine.
The latest Honda Africa Twin recently went on sale in Australia priced from $20,299 plus on-road costs, with the newest iteration gaining new graphics and minor ergonomic adjustments.
Spencer has a keen eye for hard news, and does some of his best living on deadline day. He loves more than anything to travel on his motorcycle, and is adamant that Melbourne Bitter is a world-class lager. He also knows how to operate the big computery thing in the office. By night, Spencer plays guitar with Melbourne punk outfit LOUTS.
I see Suzuki RE5 exhausts….. odd!
Heated grips sounds great, decent tank range and DCT…