New parallel Honda 755 cc
Honda is finalizing the development of what looks to be essentially a small Africa Twin engine.
Honda says the engine is brand new, but like the Africa Twin, it’s a tandem twin that rotates a 270-degree crank with four valves per cylinder controlled by a single cam.
At 755 cc, it’s a lot smaller than Currently 1084 cc Africa Twin engine, but the specifications show that this new engine is in a noticeably sportier tune.
That makes sense as it looks like the first model to receive this new engine will be a new naked-bike Honda Hornet, which Japanese sources say will be called the CB750S in its home market.
We also expect it to end up in a more affordable ‘son of Africa Twin’ adventure platformer, somewhat similar to the original XRV650 in the late 1980s and then the XRV750T Africa Twin from the 90s. Well, we hope so anyway… If the rumors coming out of Japan are true then an adventure bike powered by this engine will be named XL750L.
With just over 90 hp at 9500 rpm, this new engine produces almost twice the power of the original XRV650 V-Twin and is only 7 kW less than the latest Africa Twin, despite having less displacement. 329 cc compared to the current CRF1100L.
The peak torque figure quoted for the new engine is 75 Nm at 7250 pm. That’s down to the Africa Twin’s 105 Nm, as one would expect with such a power deficit.
Fuyuki Hosokawa – Head of the Honda 23YM . test project
“The Hornet has always been a very special Honda motorcycle. Exciting, engaging performance is always combined with light, agile handling.
“Before starting this project, we thought long and hard about the kind of performance we wanted to bring to the rider. We knew it was essential to keep the classic Hornet’s ultimate power ‘popular’ and at the same time, as a new generation Hornet for modern times, we wanted the engine to feel torquey. The twist is really strong and the ‘thick’ feeling is low to mid-rpm.
“Our goal has always been to make these as light, handling as possible, to make every ride – even in town – as engaging and fulfilling as possible.
“To get the performance and lightweight handling we wanted, we knew we had to develop an all-new short-stroke twin-cylinder engine, with a 270° crankshaft. This will not only deliver a thrilling ride, but also offer sporty low torque, ideal for urban driving and cornering on wide roads.. “
That’s right Hosokawa San, just make sure you give this new Hornet some proper suspension settings, rather than the damping settings we’ve come to expect from Honda in recent years…
