This is only a trillion times smarter than trying to operate the phone with your hands while driving.
Honda
Not every car or motorcycle upgrade needs to be a big event full of fanfare. Sometimes, small adjustments in quality of life help a lot. For owners of Honda Africa Twin, this week’s announcement definitely makes life easier without being some kind of land-dividing occasion.
Honda announced this week that it will add Android Auto compatibility to the Africa Twin. This update covers the 2020 CRF1100L Africa Twin variants and newer, including the standard Africa Twin and Adventure Sports ES. Best of all, passengers don’t even have to drag themselves to the dealership to make this happen; instead, owners simply go to the Honda website, where they can learn how to put the update on a USB flash drive and use it to update the bike on their own. Honda said a passenger volume control function will also be added as part of the software update.
Now available on Gold Wing, Android Auto brings the second half of the smartphone mirroring equation to Honda’s incredibly cool adventure bike. Connect a compatible Android phone and the infotainment screen will change to an Android-based experience that more closely mirrors how the phone works, bringing things like the functionality of the app to the front and center. If you’ve used Apple CarPlay, that’s basically it, but, you know, with the taste of Google.
Even without Android Auto, there’s a lot to like about the latest generation of Honda’s Africa Twin. A new 1,084 cc parallel twin engine adds displacement and produces about 101 horsepower and 77 foot-pounds of torque. It is available with a six-speed dual clutch or a six-speed manual transmission. After some time with aEditor Kyle Hyatt called it a “fantastic, practical, comfortable and affordable adventure bike” with prices starting at $ 14,399 before dealer fees for the basic model with manual.