It was developed as a modern interpretation of its predecessors, the XRV 750 and Honda XRV650, based on the NXR-750 which won the Paris-Dakar rally four times in the late 1980s.

The original V-twin Africa Twin was first sold in Europe from 1988 to the final production year of 2003 but was never brought to the United States.

[7] This increases off-road handling by allowing riders to slide further forward into turns without being inhibited by a wide fuel tank with a higher center of gravity.

The prototype was heavily disguised with camouflage and covered in mud so that it did not reveal any specific details about the new motorcycle other than visual details such as a parallel twin engine, dual front disk brakes with ABS, 21 inch front and 18 inch rear tires on wire spoked rims, and the absence of a shift lever, indicating the dual-clutch transmission from other Honda motorcycles such as the VFR1200X and NC700X/NC750X could be an available option.

[11] In 2018, the CRF1000L was updated with additional riding modes, more options for the Honda Selectable Torque Control, improved intake and exhaust tuning, throttle by wire and other refinements.

That was also the year Honda introduced the Africa Twin Adventure Sports variant, which got a bigger gas tank, longer suspension travel (9.9” front / 9.4” rear) and more wind protection in addition to all the other upgrades.

[13] The bike is significantly revised, with a new engine, suspension, frame and swingarm, a brand new instrument display/rider interface, and many other changes.

The DCT transmission received optimized first and second gears for smoother movement from a stop and at low speeds.