What’s Honda Bringing To EICMA?

[advrider]

Germany’s INTERMOT show is in the rear view mirror now, and while we saw some new bikes released before and after the show, the only OEM to make a big splash at the show itself was Kawasaki. Kawi dropped its ’23 releases at the Cologne show, and made more noise than anyone else.

Oh yeah, and there was that Honda Hornet CB750. Honda’s new 270-degree parallel twin, with four-valve heads, leaves us asking: Was that it for next season, or is Big Red planning a really big EICMA show, on the November 6 week in Milan?

There are no guarantees either way, but it sure seems like this could be a big year for the company. For the past few months, we’ve seen some serious plans teased and spy shots of other projects, including:

New Transalp This is all but confirmed. Honda’s filed the paperwork to protect the name, and has filed numerous patents for the bike, which should have the same engine and many other parts as the new Hornet. If we don’t see a new Transalp, or at least a prototype, I’ll be incredibly shocked. I’d also expect other machines based on this 750 twin.

New CL500/CL300 scramblers If it doesn’t happen at the 2022 show, then it will be at the 2023 show. This is just a matter of time; Honda patented the design years ago, and demand would be through the roof, if the looks and price were right.

New electric scooter Honda’s all-in on electric mobility, and is one of the driving forces behind the new multi-national, multi-manufacturer consortium developing swappable battery technology for scooters. Chances are that anything Honda brings in will be low-powered and aimed at the commuting/delivery market. However, it seems likely that we’ll see some progress here.

New radar-powered safety electronics Several other OEMs have radar-powered adaptive cruise control and other safety systems on their flagship touring bikes. So why doesn’t Honda? Good question, but patents tell us that Honda’s been working on this for a long time. Expect to see this tech introduced for the Africa Twin, and maybe the Gold Wing.

New flex fuel models This is a bit of a long shot, but back in September, at Honda’s big press conference about the company’s future, the execs said they weren’t giving up on internal combustion, but that there would be more flex fuel models coming. Actually, those flex fuel models already exist, but some of the most popular models are in overseas markets. Will those bikes come to North America and Europe? That would make sense.

Vezi sursa