It seems the adjustable front suspension was too soft to handle a bunch of stairs without grounding the engine protector
No doubt, riding your brand new adventure bike off the showroom is a wonderful feeling. The excitement is usually overflowing at that moment and it sometimes lead to not-so-good consequences. Just a few days ago a video had gone viral on social media, where a Kia Carnival had crashed into a wall while it was being taken out of the showroom by the owner.
Something similar has happened again, but the extent of damage is nowhere close. Lucky that this 2020 Honda Africa Twin rider did not end up crashing his motorcycle seconds from taking delivery although he came awfully close to it.
The video shows the motorcycle riding down the showroom steps, a mild exercise for the immensely capable Honda, but it appears the adjustable front forks are configured too soft for the task. As a result, the front suspension compressed too much, thus lowering the ground clearance. Consequently, the bash plate made a solid impact on one of the last steps, breaking it in the process. Luckily, neither the rider nor the motorcycle got hurt (save for the scratched bash plate).
2020 Honda Africa Twin – what’s new?
Honda Africa Twin, having noted much success since launch in 2016 with over 87,000 units sold, has received a mid-life refresh recently. The 2020 Honda Africa Twin promises to be improved in terms of technology and with a more powerful engine as compared to its earlier counterpart.
The new Honda Africa Twin is more off-road based, commands better performance and is loaded with technologies. It is available with manual and Dual Clutch Transmission variants.
The flagship adventure tourer sports LED lighting, a revised 6.5” TFT touchscreen display with Apple CarPlay, an instrument cluster with Bluetooth connectivity and access to functions like navigation, music and incoming calls. It 2020 Africa Twin also receives a larger capacity fuel tank of 24.8 liters and the windscreen is height adjustable. While the earlier model got seat height at a fixed 34.3 inches, the 2020 Africa Twin gets seat height adjustable to as low as 33.4 inches and as high as 35.2 inches.
The 2020 Honda Africa Twin offers 6 riding modes of Tour, Urban, Gravel, Off-road and two user modes. Electronic features include cruise control, cornering ABS, rear lift control, wheelie control and emergency stop signals. There is also a 6 Axis IMU with ride-by-wire and Honda’s selectable torque control.
2020 Honda Africa Twin specifications
The 1,084 cc, twin cylinder, liquid-cooled engine which will be Euro 5 compliant. The motor produces 101 PS power and 105 Nm torque, 7% higher in power and 6% higher in torque as compared to the engine which powered the previous counterpart.
Suspension remains unchanged with Showa 45 mm inverted fork in the front and ProLink Swingarm at the rear. The Africa Twin rides on 21-inch front and 18-inch rear spoke wheels with off-road tyres.
The bike gets a new aluminum sub frame which ensures 4 kg lighter weight while there is a 10 percent increase in power-to-weight ratio thus enhancing performance. The 2020 Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sport available in India can be specified in Pearl Glare White Tricolour and Darkness Black Metallic color options.
The 2020 Honda Africa Twin is priced at INR 15.35 lakh for manual variant and INR 16.10 lakh for the DCT variant (ex-showroom).
