I won't go as far as to say Honda is boring, but if it discontinues the CBR600RR, I will.
The fact the automaker is still producing a pure supersport, while Yamaha has the "Dark Side" in the MT range and Kawasaki is doing God knows what with superchargers keeps it within reach of its Japanese competition. But out of seemingly nowhere, Honda has played the uno reverse card and made the rest of the Japanese OEMs look like they're lagging.
Enter the world's first V3 motorcycle engine with an electrical turbocharger, which it calls a compressor.
The manufacturer just unveiled a 75-degree V3 engine, which is meant for large displacement motorcycles. But the powerplant remains slim and compact. And that's not even the best part.
This unit features an electrical compressor, which can control the compression of the air intake, regardless of the engine's rpm—a world first. Practically, this means that more torque can be found at lower rpm. This raises the question of whether Honda is about to use the V3 to push aside the MT-09 as a wheelie-focused hooligan machine.
I have to admit that every year a manufacturer didn't introduce an inline-three cylinder motorcycle to its lineup, I was disappointed with that company. I just thought that's where it's at—MT-09 SP, Street Triples, etc, are so much fun. But never did I envision a brand potentially changing the game with a V3, especially not Honda.
This is a direct quote from the press release, "Honda’s motorcycle business aims to provide products that meet the needs of various customers by offering a wide range of products from commuters to FUN models."
That's right, folks, "fun" in all caps. But it's not just crazy, silly fun—it's Honda smart.
The use of an electrical compressor means the engine doesn't need an intercooler and stays relatively compact. My mind is racing, thinking of all the platforms that could use this engine. Could we finally get an upper-middleweight ripper from Honda or, more likely, a whole new range of motorcycles powered by this new platform?
Even the red cylinder heads are enough to birth excited, hazy memories of H23A VTECs of old. Let us know what you think of Honda's latest creation in the comments. Are you as excited as I am?
