NEW Details! NT1100: The Africa Twin-based sport-tourer
Back in February Cycle World revealed that Honda had filed trademark applications for the name “NT1100,” coinciding with Japanese rumors of a new Africa Twin-based sport-touring bike. Now the firm has been awarded type approval in Europe for two NT1100 models as confirmation that the machines will be on sale within months. Japanese rumors, initially calling the bike “CB1100X,” suggest a road-going machine with a slightly tall stance, rather like BMW’s S 1000 XR or Honda’s own (now discontinued) VFR800X Crossrunner or NC750X. The NT1100 name doesn’t give much away on that front—steering clear of the “X” nomenclature used on Honda’s other road-oriented but adventure bike-inspired models—but the dimensions in the type-approval documents show that it fits the des
With the internal code name SC84 confirmed on the type-approval documents, the NT1100 is a streetbike rather than another adventure model. In Honda’s code terms, “S” refers to engines over 900cc and “C” means a streetbike. The NT1100 is Honda’s 84th such project. The CRF1100L Africa Twin, in contrast, is the SD08, with “D” showing it’s an off-road-capable model.
The approvals show Honda will offer two versions of the bike: the NT1100A and NT1100D, mirroring the Africa Twin lineup. The NT1100A is the base version, with a manual transmission and lower specification, while the NT1100D will use Honda’s DCT semi-auto gearbox and have other changes including a taller screen, suggesting a more touring-oriented position in the range.
There will be two versions of the NT1100; a lower-spec base model and an up-spec DCT version This rendering by AutoBy shows how the extra bodywork might look around the Africa Twin’s 1,084cc mill.The bike’s power comes from the same 1,084cc parallel twin that’s used in the Africa Twin, making an identical 101 hp at 7,500 rpm and 77 pound-feet of torque at 6,250 rpm, but the bike is shorter, narrower, and lower than the Africa Twin, as befits a road-oriented machine in comparison to an adventure bike.
It’s not small however; with a 60.4-inch wheelbase (1.6 inches less than the Africa Twin) but with an overall length of 88.2 inches, it’s around 4 inches shorter than the Africa twin. It’s narrower too, at 34 inches (the Africa Twin is 37.8 inches), and in base form the NT1100 stands 53.5 inches high, though a bigger screen makes the semi-auto NT1100D taller at 60 inches. The numbers put the NT1100D in the same ballpark as the old VFR800X Crossrunner in terms of size (the VFR800X was 86.2 inches long, 34.3 inches wide, and 53.5 inches tall), and in terms of power it’s on a level with that machine as well.
Another rendering suggesting how the base-model NT1100 might look.
The type-approval documents also confirm the NT1100′s weight, putting the simpler NT1100A at 524 pounds wet, while the DCT NT1100D is 547 pounds. Again, those numbers are aligned with the old VFR800X, which weighed in at 533 pounds. The new bike is some 23 pounds heavier than the Africa Twin it borrows its engine from, likely in part due to more extensive bodywork.
Given the fact the NT1100 shares its power unit with the Africa Twin, as well as the DCT transmission in “D” form, it’s likely to also carry over much of the electronics, probably using the same 6.5-inch TFT dash and getting cruise control, multimode traction control, and an IMU.
Honda has previously filed engineering patents for two distinct chassis designs, both clearly intended for a road-oriented model based around the Africa Twin engine. The first was a backbone-style frame, with a single main tube running over the engine and a cradle below it, while the second was a trellis design with cast alloy sections around the swingarm pivot, steel trellis main spars and no engine cradle. The latter more closely matches the design that Japanese sources, including the usually reliable AutoBy magazine (which created the mock-up images used here), believe to be coming.
All the final details are sure to emerge soon, as the fact Honda has filed type-approval paperwork suggests the official unveiling is imminent.
Who knows how many we'll receive from Honda, so pre-order the NT1100 now!
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