The Quickshift
- Honda Europe announces the return of the 2025 CRF1100L Africa Twin
- Paintwork and graphics change for 2025, but everything else remains the same as 2024
- Is the Honda tricolor the best color, yes or no?
Honda Red is a really good color. It’s not too orange, not too blue, it’s nicely balanced.
This is absolutely a personal and completely subjective opinion, like most thoughts on aesthetic appeal. But in my opinion, even the prettiest shade of red (or whatever) can be too much if it isn’t broken up by something else that catches your eye.
This “something different” could be graphics, or alternative colors, or even graphics In alternating colors. But a sea of the same color can be boring, even if it’s your favorite color in the whole world.
At the same time, finding the right balance is not always easy. And yet, over the years, Honda has very often found a perfect multi-coloured balance when it has refreshed its tricolour and stuck it on different motorcycles. Take, for example, Honda Europe’s announcement that the CRF1100L Africa Twin range will return in 2025.
Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin 2025 model range – Europe
Maybe it’s just me, but there’s something comforting about the Honda tricolor. Or maybe it’s just the tricolor schemes of OEMs in general; BMW’s M tricolor is also usually a compelling design on most bikes they put it on. And who has ever found a reason to scream when Ducati prints a tricolor with the Italian flag on one of their bikes? Nobody, that is who.
Under the bodywork, there’s nothing new on the 2025 CRF1100L Africa Twin range in Europe. That’s not particularly surprising, given all the updates it received for 2024. Riders can still choose between DCT or traditional manual transmissions, as well as fully adjustable Showa suspension or the Showa Electronically Equipped Ride Adjustment (EERA) suspension first introduced for the 2024 model year.
And while Honda has certainly offered several variations of the tri-color design for the Africa Twin over the years, the 2025 version conveys a nice sense of movement, reminiscent of mountain peaks and/or exploring new map routes.
Will it look dated in a few years? That’s unclear at the moment, but hopefully it will be revived and look as classic as the RD03 at some point. What do you think? Let us know in the comments!
10 Photos
Honda
