Know Before You Go, Honda Introduces Africa Twin Technology Simulator

It seems like it wasn't that long ago when motorcycles were
fairly rudimentary vehicles with two wheels, a frame, engine,
brakes, throttle and a kick starter. Eventually the kick starters
went away and carbs were replaced with less finicky electronically
controlled fuel systems. Now we have motorcycles with a mess of
switches, modes, and displays.
While many riders love and appreciate the evolving and new technology that's being incorporated into motorcycles, it can get a bit overwhelming and in some instances turn a fun and relaxing activity into a frustrating one. Honda's newly updated Africa Twins comes to mind. The 2020 iterations are everything a motorcycle enthusiast could want, lighter, more powerful, and more enjoyable to ride.
That more enjoyable to ride part is due to the fact the new
Africa Twins have a host of new electronics that can be
tailored to suit your riding style or terrain. Outfitted with a
six-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) the machines now have new
rider aids such as wheelie control, cornering ABS, rear-lift
control, DCT cornering detection and cornering lights.
Of course in order to truly enjoy the ride you have to know what
all these features do and figure out how to use them all or turn
certain characteristics on/off or up/down. This can take time, and
continually looking at the new 6.5-inch thin-film transistor (TFT)
color touchscreen while riding and fiddling with the different
functions isn't exactly ideal. Therefore, to help new riders or
those thinking about getting onto a 2020 Africa Twin become more
familiar with the various riding modes and how to make adjustments
to the different settings Honda has created a virtual simulator
within its website.
The simulator mostly focuses on the left handlebar switch housing where the various ride modes are selected and the sub menus can be tailored. You use your mouse to scroll over the various toggles and buttons on the switch housing or you can scroll over to the TFT display and click around on the left side of the screen to manipulate the controls as if you were using your finger tip. You'll notice that a dialog box will pop up in the lower right hand corner of your screen, this gives you the option to view the technical information which provides a brief overview of how each ride mode and the various sub menus affect the bike's behavior.
Depending on which Africa Twin you have some additional features/adjustments may be available, for example the Adventure Sports ES comes with intelligent Showa Electronically Equipped Ride Adjustment suspension (EERAâ¢) and heated grips.
It doesn't take long to get accustomed to the process of selecting and tuning/changing the bike's electronics. Once you're familiar with how everything works comes the fun part, actually getting on a 2020 Africa Twin and experimenting with the different ride modes and sub settings and dialing everything in to suit your needs.