Honda NT1100 - How to Turn the Africa Twin into a Sport-Tourer

As expected, Big Red showed us a return the sport-touring ways, debuting the 2022 Honda NT1100 street bike for the European market.

Based off the Honda Africa Twin 1100 platform, the Honda NT1100 in many ways is the popular adventure bike, just with 17″ wheels and restyled bodywork.

The critical figures are very, very similar, with 101hp (75 kW) of peak power is on tap from the 1,087cc parallel-twin engine, a dual-clutch transmission (DCT) is optional, the dash features a 6.5″ TFT touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and the wet weight is 524 lbs (547 lbs with the DCT installed).

Where the Honda NT1100 makes its distinction is rooted in its application as a pavement-beating touring bike that is ready for two-up rides, long-distance journeys, and the travel-fast philosophy.

The seat height is 32″ – 2″ lower than the Africa Twin – and considerably more attention has been given to wrapping the bodywork around the rider, for more comfort and wind protection on the highway.

As one would expect, cruise control is standard. Honda is also making its “slim” panniers a standard item on the NT1100, though the top box will have to be an after-sales item.

Like on the Africa Twin, there are three preset riding modes, with two more user-adjustable ones available. All five modes let you change the traction control and wheelie control, while the modes differ primarily in how they augment the throttle map and engine braking.

There is no word yet on availability and pricing in the United States (though we would expect the bike to be announced in the coming weeks), with today’s news coming from Honda Motor Europe.

In the UK, the Honda NT1100 goes for £11,999 MSRP (£12,999 for the DCT model), which is just over 1,000 pounds sterling cheaper than the Africa Twin 1100 in that market.

That should peg US pricing at below $14,000, possibly even as low as $13,000 for the non-DCT model.

If that is the case, Honda could have a strong contender in the sport-touring market – giving the recently debuted Suzuki GSX-S1000GT+ a run for its money.