Hi All, Honda's kicking the ball into the biggest open goal it can find launching a 77mpg 700cc parallel twin super scooter at the height of fuel price paranoia. But it's not the version that will attract most interest among existing motorcyclists, for whom getting on any kind of step-thru is like volunteering for puberty reversal either way foregoing both their balls and ability to attract a mate. But they'll definitely be given pause by the next two 700s Honda will serve up in November a naked do-it-all (pictured in the MCN link below) and... An new adventure-bike-lite to compete with BMW's F800GS and the Triumph Tiger 800XC... The new Africa Twin? Early November we will know... At the anual EICMA international Motorcycle Exhibition in Milan, Italy. http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/N...s-new-700cc-naked-how-good-is-it-going-to-be/ http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/N...0cc-parallel-twin-family-integra-super-scoot/
wooooooho, looking forward to the next 18,652,346 posts before it arrives Looks interesting so far only 18,652,345 posts to go... Well that does it. It's just a S10 copy then..
Come on, Graham... You start to sound like a BMW owner... There is still hope... I guess this new bike could not only be the real Africa Twin successor, but also replacing the current Honda XL700V Transalp. It will be more adventureaus than that overdone Crosstourer V4; that's for sure. And cheaper - to buy and to run.
at this point, with almost no info... 77mpg (Lets just call that Imperial) would suggest. Lower power AND / OR possibly a full fairing style bike like the scooter so I would be skeptical of that figure on a "blunt" ADV bike. The lower power is not a big deal on an ADV bike as long as it's in the right place but if there is too much Honda plastic around I wouldn't like to drop the thing too much. They have done some pretty efficient bikes as concepts years ago, so will be interesting. Anyway all speculation...
Well be honest, the S10 has plastic all over too ;-) The thing is, the engineers are forced by upcoming European laws to do something about the horrendous bad feul economy of motorbikes, if you look at cars (and politicians don't understand much of aerodynamics) they say, its quite inbelievable a 1200 kg car is as efficcient as a 250 kg motorbike, hauling 4 four people instead of 2. So the new planned Euro 4 thats planned could have also a fuel consumption rule, not only a ppm measure, its still all just planning talks, but it could get bikes with incredable mileage, like the Heron heads did for te MM3,5 in the 70's. So it could be, we not lose power that much, because feul economy is in essence getting *all* power out of the gas. Now feul is getting more and more bike and eco unfriendly with the high percentage of food mixed through it, there will be a huge gain if they tune the bikes better to eating maizefeul (though i find it ridiculous, to mix falkuable food through our gas, but thats more something for another forum...)
I did wonder what the 3rd bike to use this engine would be. It makes sense if it's a D/S type bike. Perhaps a rival for the wee strom?
@ Paul... Honda already has an Vstrom competitor. In fact, the Vstrom was released in first place to compete with... The Honda Transalp XL650V (current model: XL700V).<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o> <o></o> I'm still a bit puzzled about the engine capacity (700cc) where the competition chooses for 800cc... But then, the new '2012 Vstrom is still a 650cc and doing great. <o></o> <o></o> For that reason (and the STRONG complains from the public that Honda is neglecting their own XRV/XLV/XR heritage) I tent to believe that this new bike will replace both the '2008 XL700V Transalp (which is a real good bike on aspects of build quality, comfort, etc) and the XRV750 Africa Twin which was taken out of production in (I believe) 2003. <o></o>
That would make a lot of people happy. Question is, will it be a Versys clone, or a hardcore AT successor? I guess we'll know at Milan..
Every year since the AT was retired from production somebody says that Honda will relaunch it. And then things like the Varadero or the CrossWhateveritis come into the scene:huh Come on!! It is another motorcycle magazine joke I will believe in a new Africa Twin only the day that I can test ride it and compare it with my former RD04
Do I want a modern Honda twin dual spot? YES! Do I want 77mpg? YES! Do I want a modern Africa Twin? HELL YES!! Do I think it is gonna happen...let alone happen here in the US?.... nope Prove me wrong Honda. Prove me wrong.
Go back to the beginning of the Super Tenere thread. Same thing said. There's a 2012 sitting in my garage 30' from where I'm typing this. If it arrives here you can thank Yamaha (WR250R, XT1200Z) and Suzuki (2012 Wee Strom) for launching new DS bikes in the middle of a recession to kick things off. AK Greg
Ahm..... Well - first of all roadster version looks EXACTLY like big Hornet with different motor. Why - God and hopeless market research department of Honda Europe knows. Second - it's MCN, for God sake! It's people, who promised every dream bike on planet - usually it turned out to be something entirely different. Don't hold you breath....
Well... It ISN"T a joke. Here's the official Honda press release on the new engine: http://world.honda.com/news/2011/2110926Fuel-efficient-700cc-Engine/index.html Guys on the other side of the Atlantic... Just cross your thumbs. Look at the success of both the F800GS and Triumph 800 tripples... Honda would be blind to leave that part of the World out of the order books... But then, they have done it over and over again... But you guys got / ended up with the PC800...
OK, I am off to garage to continue to paint plastics on my 1992 Suzuki DR800 and to charge battery in my 1997 VTR1000F God Save the old and trusty honest bikes! They will need MUCH more than fuel economy to beat their own Hornets 600 and 1000.
there is only mention of 3 new vehicles for this motor. 2 are known, the maxi scooter and the naked bike...but there is NO mention the 3rd will be a ADV bike. this is just pure speculation (of a new AT) nothing more nothing less. sure we want to see a bad-ass 700 twin with long suspension using the latest motocross technologies, spoked wheels, large tanks etc..but it's all speculation you are putting forth. don't act like it's anything more, unless you are truly an insider who works for Honda r&d. honda has not hit any home runs with new bikes in a long time so i don't think anyone is holding their breath.
+ MILLIONS!!! We all got excited last time Honda did this - so we all trekked off to EICMA and what did we get................a nice tshirt in a glass case, and about the most conceptual load of V4 bollocks ever shown........and we ended up with the 'Cross Dresser'.......I mean...DEAR LORD!!! And just because it gives me an excuse to post photos - I got tired of waiting for Honda to update the Africa Twin, so I made my own