Honda recently launched the 2018 Africa Twin in India with a few technological and mechanical upgrades for this model year. It faces competition from the Ducati Multistrada 950 and BMW F850 GS in the country. We find out how the 2018 Africa Twin fares against its rivals-
Design
The Honda Africa Twin and BMW F850GS are dedicated off-road motorcycles with their 21-inch spoke wheels upfront and dual-purpose tyres. While the Africa Twin uses an 18-inch rear wheel, the F850 is equipped with a smaller 17-inch unit. On the other hand, the Ducati Multistrada 950 is more of a long distance tourer and sports alloy wheels; 19-inch for the front and 17-inch at the rear with road-biased tyres.
While the design of the F850 GS and Africa Twin is sleek, the Multistrada 950 is bulky yet aerodynamic. However, all three bikes get long-travel suspensions, tall windscreens, knuckle guards and fork-protectors that add to their off-road ability.
Engine
The Ducati Multistrada 950, with its 937cc Testastretta liquid-cooled L-twin engine, puts out a maximum power of 113bhp at 9000rpm and maximum torque of 96Nm at 7750 rpm, making it the most powerful among its competitors. The BMW F850GS is powered by an 853cc parallel-twin engine. It churns out 93bhp at 8250rpm and 92Nm of torque at 6250rpm. It is mated to a six-speed transmission.
The Honda Africa Twin is the least powerful of the three bikes. It uses a 998cc parallel-twin engine which produces 86bhp at 7,500rpm and 92Nm of torque at 6,000rpm. This unit is mated to a six-speed dual clutch transmission.
Cycle parts
The Africa Twin rides on Showa 45mm upside-down front forks with a fully adjustable Showa monoshock with rebound and compression settings. Braking power for the Africa Twin comes from 310mm dual discs at the front and a 256mm disc for the rear wheel.
The Multistrada 950, on the other hand, comes equipped with KYB 49mm inverted forks and a rear Sachs mono-shock. The bike uses twin 320mm front discs, the largest among the three, and a 265mm rear disc as braking hardware. Suspension duties on the BMW F850 GS are taken care of by 43mm upside down forks up front and a pre-load adjustable monoshock at the rear. Braking is done by twin 305mm discs upfront and a 265mm single-disc at the rear.
Electronics
The 2018 Africa Twin features now sports a redesigned instrument cluster for better readability while the rider is riding while standing up. It also gets a throttle-by-wire system and seven levels of Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC) system. Level 1 of the system is for aggressive off-road riding,with minimal intrusion from the electronics, while the system is most active on Level 7 and offers more control on slippery tarmac. It also gets switchable ABS; which allows ABS to be switched off for the rear wheel and traction control system. Honda has also equipped the bike with three riding modes- Tour, Urban, and Gravel.
The Multistrada 950 offers four ride modes with throttle-by-wire which adjust ABS and DTC (Ducati Traction Control) along with throttle response - namely the Urban, Touring, Sport, and Enduro. Sport and Touring modes comes with full power. However, power is restricted to 75 horsepower in the Urban and Enduro modes. It also comes equipped with three-stage Bosch ABS and switchable eight-level traction control.
The BMW F850GS gets a 6.5-inch TFT instrument cluster. The bike also gets a cruise control system, quickshifter, traction control, and four riding modes- Road, Rain, Dynamic and Enduro.
Pricing
The Multistrada 950 is the most affordable bike here with a price tag of Rs 12.90 lakhs. The 2018 Honda Africa Twin sits in between priced at Rs 13.23 lakhs. The BMW F850 GS, on the other hand, is the priciest of the lot. It retails at Rs 13.70 lakhs
All prices ex-showroom, Delhi.
