Tokyo Preview: Honda EVO6 Concept bike inspires awe!
Click image for high-res shots
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]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Evotec 1:00PM (9/23/2007)
honda is always conservative,that thing will never go to production.
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Castle 1:39PM (9/23/2007)
Honda did put the niche-vehicle Rune into limited production. Which also uses this Flat-6 variant and had non-conservative styling.
Dan 1:52PM (9/23/2007)
ever heard of the rune?
Linkdead 1:01PM (9/23/2007)
I'm in where do I send my money?
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Preston M 1:08PM (9/23/2007)
Now why can't honda make a nice lightweight rwd coupe or sedan with a variation of one of those straight 6's? (no, i dont want an s2k)
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Preston M 1:09PM (9/23/2007)
Nevermind, not a straight 6... foolish me.
Yago Bal 3:18AM (9/24/2007)
I wish it was a straight-6 too... :)
Blacknimbus 1:13PM (9/23/2007)
Nice to see some motorcycle news.
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fuknut 1:32PM (9/23/2007)
No interior shots?!
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riggs 10:18AM (9/24/2007)
haha
Peter Hansen 1:42PM (9/23/2007)
Very nice! I like the way the manifold runners balance the cylinder exhausts. The radiator is nicely done, the footpegs, bars and seat all look right relative to one another and there's a nice blend of modern and classic in the overall look.
Unfortunately, Honda has a history of building beautiful GW-based concept bikes that never go into production. Here's hoping that this one is the first that does.
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Jeremy Korzeniewski 1:53PM (9/23/2007)
Agreed - Honda does have the guts to bring something like this to production. As Castle correctly pointed out, they did so with the Rune - and that was way further out than this.
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RWD fan 3:03PM (9/23/2007)
Why aren't you also showing the other 2 bikes that were promo'd at the same time, the CB1100R and CB1100F, both of which probably stand a better chance of not only being made, but making it across the pond as well.
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Peter Hansen 3:51PM (9/23/2007)
Ah, the Rune. I would like to point out that I said "beautiful". The Rune hardly qualifies.
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Bun Brown 4:07PM (9/23/2007)
Its not so much naked styling that needs to make a come back as much as a relaxed riding position. Boy racer setback pegs are not comfortable. I hope Honda can understand that.
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Robert 4:39PM (9/23/2007)
I think this concept has a better chance of production then other's due to the mythic status of the CBX. The EVO6's flat six will certainly be compared to the CBX's transverse inline six.
I have two concerns about the EVO6. The bike's radiator is sure to be inadequate at it's current size. It's tucked in the low pressure area behind the wheel without any fairing. More importantly it's got to cost significant $.
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Ian 5:38PM (9/23/2007)
I keep longinmg for the spiritual succesor to the Vincent Black Shadow.
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Mohan 7:35PM (9/23/2007)
Looks and sounds pretty sweet.
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KKop 8:46PM (9/23/2007)
Too bad the design's a ripoff of Suzuki's B-King:
http://www.suzukibking.co.uk/
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Frick 11:38PM (9/23/2007)
except that the B-King is rather ugly... this thing is a work of art.
can't even compare the two....
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