The CRF1000L Africa Twin was developed as a new large dual sport motorcycle. After a 12-year absence, this model was developed as a successor to the Africa Twin series originating from the XRV650 Africa Twin, which made its debut in 1988 and became famous. The concept in designing this model was to make it immediately identifiable as an Africa Twin and to convey the trends in latest racing machine technologies. Based on this concept, the styling design embodies functional beauty throughout the vehicle, not only in the overall appearance, but also the details including the fairing, fuel tank, headlights and meters, to highlight the distinct personality of the Africa Twin. Additionally, the revival of the Africa Twin brand is placed at the core of the concept for colors, and each of the color variations provided—Tricolor, CRF450 Rally color and Standard colors—have distinct personalities to strike a balance in carrying on its heritage, demonstrating advancement and responding to customer needs. Through this styling design and color scheme, we have achieved the desired design goal of fusing the classic Africa Twin styling with the styling of racing machines backed by the latest technologies.
Article of Honda R&D Technical Review Vol.28 No.2 (1 - 8)