Autoblog

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The original Honda Gold Wing was a standard-style motorcycle. Honda has pretty much abandoned the high-output naked bike market lately with their 919 attempting and failing to hold the fort. Might Honda be looking to capture back a piece of that market? Take a look at the EV06 concept bike that Honda is set to show off next month in Tokyo. We love the looks of this bike, and think that the six -cylinder 1800-plus-cc engine looks way better in this naked bike application then it ever did in the Rune. While the similar engine in the Honda Gold Wing allows for adequate performance, in a smaller and lighter bike such as this it would truly be awe-inspiring. The fact that this bike is being shown in the first place should not be surprising considering that Suzuki has already announced its super-powerful Hayabusa-inspired B King, which comes with the former's 1340 cc four-cylinder engine, along with rumors that Kawasaki is considering offering a naked bike using the engine from the ZX-14. Honda does not have a large capacity four-pot engine to convert for naked bike use, but as this bike shows, it does have a monstrous and torque-rich six-cylinder just begging for duty in the same category. Honda should follow Aprilia's lead and not detune the engine or "tune it for torque". While some of the four-cylinder engines from Japan Inc. tend to be a bit "peaky", with this horizontally-opposed six, torque should not be a problem.

Honda -- please offer this bike for sale in the U.S.! Make sure to keep the styling intact, including the snarling headlight and very well integrated radiator. Touches like the single-sided swingarm, USD fork and dual front disks would be nice too. Follow Suzuki's lead and keep the styling mildly controversial and you've got a winner on your hands.

[Source: Wired's Autopia]

Gallery: Honda EVO6 Concept Motorcycle