Future Honda electric motorcycles and scooters might feature an alarm to warn pedestrians unaware of the approaching quiet vehicle.
Japanese company has secured a patent through the Indian patent office for the device.
Honda’s compact alarm device fits under the seat with speakers on the front of the bike.
It features an audio processor that sounds the alert and controls the sound level depending on the time and the level of surrounding environmental noise.
We imagine it would be similar to the beeping tone on some vans and trucks when they are in reverse to warn pedestrians.
Most electric motorcycle and scooters make no more noise than a bicycle, so pedestrians could step out in front of them, causing a collision.
While it may be a safety device for both the rider and pedestrian, it could make traffic noise even more annoying than it is now.
Honda patents
This latest patent from Honda continues its blitzkrieg of patent applications.
Honda patent for variable riding position
This is one of many patents Honda has lodged in the past year and we are not sure how many of these they will put into production.
This new patent join the following from Honda over the past year:
RDRS affects chassis control, electronic brake control and powertrain technology, basically providing a safer, more enjoyable riding experience for just $500 more than last year.
What makes it “Special” is the big 114-cube Milwaukee Eight engine with a whopping 163Nm of torque.
Despite all that thump, there is no clunk on start-up. In fact, it is a refined mill married to a finessed transmission where neutral is no longer difficult to find.
What also makes it Special is the step up in rider-aid technology.
Their RDRS features cornering-enhanced traction control, cornering ABS, linked brakes, tyre pressure monitors,a slipper clutch (Drag-torque Slip Control System) to prevent rear-wheel lock-ups on aggressive downshifts and even assistance to prevent you rolling backward on hill starts!
The suite of rider controls combine to provide more confidence, especially in wet or slippery road conditions.
But they don’t get in the way of your enjoyment.
In fact, you don’t really know they are there until you need them.
On a couple of my exploratory rides through the Sunshine Coast hinterland, I ended up on dirt roads and was glad to feel the engine falter as the back wheel lost traction.
It’s a soft intervention that allows a little bit of wheel spin, but not out of control.
If the conditions get extra slippery or the roads are wet, simply toggle the left switch block traction control (TC) button to bring up the blue cloud and rain symbol on the dashboard. This totally eliminates any wheel spin.
Step up to cornering aids
I also accidentally discovered the joys of Harley’s step up to cornering-enhanced linked braking and traction controls on the tight and twisty Bellthorpe Range Rd.
I came around a blind corner a little too eagerly only to find a peacock strutting its stuff across the gravelly road.
My right foot was not perched ready over the rear brake to tuck the bike into a tighter line, so I grabbed the front brake, instead.
Normally this would stand the bike up and point me directly at the peacock. But because the brakes are linked and “enhanced” for cornering, it allowed me to steer around the strutting bird.
The sprinkling of gravel also activated the Cornering Enhanced Antilock Braking System (C-ABS).
While no amount of electronic rider aids is a replacement for a step up in skill levels, it does save your bacon when a bit of inattention and bad luck could otherwise have dire results.
As for the Vehicle Hold Control (VHC), it’s actually quite handy at the traffic lights.
All you do is add a bit of extra brake lever pressure when you come to a stop and it will hold the bike and allow you to relax at the lights without having to hang on to the brakes.
It lets go as soon as you let out the clutch or activate the throttle for a smooth and faultless hillstart. That’s reassuring when you are on a steep incline with a full load and a pillion!
Infotainment
I’m not a big fan of built-in infotainment systems where the music is inaudible at anything over 80km/h.
However, the integrated BOOM! Box GTS infotainment system on this bike works well.
I love the fact that the bike asks you if you would like to guided to the nearest service station if you are low on fuel or tyre pressure.
It has a TFT display with edge-to-edge Gorilla Glass that is touch sensitive, even with gloves and in the wet.
You can also control all functions from the two handlebar toggle switches.
For an extra $300 (approx) you can fit a wireless interface module that adds Apple CarPlay for access to some of your iPhone apps.
Or you can press the speech button to activate Siri and tell the system what to do.
HD OneConnect app
Next year, Aussie buyers will also have access to Harley’s subscription-based OneConnect app that alerts the owner to tampering or theft and provides real-time tracking.
Handling
Suspension was updated the previous year.
It comes with Showa Dual-Bending Valve forks with bigger pistons for improved damping that takes away that “jackhammer” affect through the grips while retaining a sharp and light steering feel.
At the back, Harley moved from air shocks to emulsion shocks with 15-30% more preload adjustment using a single hand-adjustable knob behind the left pannier.
Ride quality is firm, but not harsh.
However, the rear shock is a bit short for bumpy roads and heavy loads, although I never got it to bottom out.
Aero
The first hint of summer arrived just in time for my test.
It’s always going to be hot sitting on top of massive V-twin behind a “barn door” fairing.
However, Harley has advanced the ignition, dropped the rear header down from the exhaust port and moved the catalytic converter rearwards to make it cooler for the rider.
It still gets hot in slow traffic and your pillion’s right leg cops a lot of the hot air that has been moved backwards.
Unfortunately, even the short sporty windscreen blocks a lot of cooling air.
Yet it also creates a bit of turbulence around the top of my helmet.
I’m 183cm, so shorter riders might find it ok. You can also buy taller screens.
I added a windscreen extension which reduced the turbulence but also diverted cooling air.
Conclusion
This torque monster delivers plenty of raw grunt, but with finesse.
It will also provide a step up in comfort and safety on long trips, thanks to its suite of hi-tech rider aids.
PRICING 5
VIVID BLACK $A39,250 ($NZ42,250)
ENGINE
ENGINE2Milwaukee-Eight™ 114
BORE102 mm
STROKE114 mm
DISPLACEMENT1,868 cc
COMPRESSION RATIO10.5:1
FUEL SYSTEMElectronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI)
EXHAUSTBlack, 2-1-2 dual exhaust with tapered mufflers
DIMENSIONS
LENGTH2,425 mm
SEAT HEIGHT, UNLADEN690 mm
GROUND CLEARANCE125 mm
RAKE (STEERING HEAD) (DEG)26
TRAIL173 mm
WHEELBASE1,625 mm
TYRES, FRONT SPECIFICATION130/60B19 61H
TYRES, REAR SPECIFICATION180/55B18 80H
FUEL CAPACITY22.7 l
OIL CAPACITY (W/FILTER)4.9 l
WEIGHT, AS SHIPPED359 kg
WEIGHT, IN RUNNING ORDER375 kg
LUGGAGE CAPACITY -VOLUME0.071 m3
PERFORMANCE
ENGINE TORQUE TESTING METHODEC 134/2014
ENGINE TORQUE3163 Nm
ENGINE TORQUE (RPM)3,000
LEAN ANGLE, RIGHT (DEG.)32
LEAN ANGLE, LEFT (DEG.)31
DRIVETRAIN
PRIMARY DRIVEChain, 34/46 ratio
GEAR RATIOS (OVERALL) 1ST9.593
GEAR RATIOS (OVERALL) 2ND6.65
GEAR RATIOS (OVERALL) 3RD4.938
GEAR RATIOS (OVERALL) 4TH4
GEAR RATIOS (OVERALL) 5TH3.407
GEAR RATIOS (OVERALL) 6TH2.875
CHASSIS
WHEELS, FRONT TYPE6Gloss Black Prodigy
WHEELS, REAR TYPEGloss Black Prodigy
BRAKES, CALIPER TYPE32 mm, 4-piston fixed front and rear
GAUGESGauges styled to complement each vehicle. Display features odometer, trip A, trip B, range to empty and gear indicator; and larger tell-tale indicators.
INFOTAINMENT
INFOTAINMENT SYSTEMBoom!™ Box GTS
TYPEFull Colour TFT
WATTS PER CHANNEL25
SPEAKERS2
SPEAKER SIZE6.5 inch BOOM standard
HEADSET SPECIFICATIONS (IF EQUIPPED)16-64 ohms
FMStandard
SD CARD, FLASH DRIVE AND MP3 – VIA USB CONNECTIONSupported
LANGUAGESEnglish (US/UK), German, Spanish(Mexico/Spain), French (Canada/France), Italian, Portuguese(Portugal/Brazil), Russian, Czech, Polish, Dutch, Turkish, Japanese
HANDS-FREE MOBILE PHONE – VIA BLUETOOTHStandard
VOICE RECOGNITION LANGUAGES: PHONE FUNCTIONS ONLYEnglish (US/UK), German, Spanish(Mexico/Spain), French (Canada/France), Italian, Portuguese(Portugal/Brazil), Russian, Czech, Polish, Dutch, Turkish, Japanese
VOICE RECOGNITION LANGUAGES: TUNER/MEDIA/NAVIGATIONEnglish (US/UK), German, Spanish(Mexico/Spain), French (Canada/France), Italian, Portuguese(Portugal/Brazil), Russian, Czech, Polish, Dutch, Turkish, Japanese
VEHICLE INFORMATION SCREEN (AIR TEMPERATURE, OIL PRESSURE AND EITMS)Standard
TEXT-TO-SPEECH (TTS) LANGUAGESEnglish (US/UK), German, Spanish(Mexico/Spain), French (Canada/France), Italian, Portuguese(Portugal/Brazil), Russian, Czech, Polish, Dutch, Turkish, Japanese
Honda continues its blitzkrieg of patent applications with a head-display windscreen that is also touch sensitive.
The patent illustrations show both an Africa Twin and CBR1000RR Fireblade.
Head-up display of vital information such as speed and navigation has been in cars for several years and is now coming to many “smart” motorcycle helmets.
This is the first time a motorcycle company has considered it for their windscreens.
It features a projector that displays information on the windscreen.
For those who think this is a distraction, it isn’t. It works just fine in cars where you sit behind the windscreen and look through the information which is directly in line with where you view the road ahead.
Africa Twin with head-up display touch screen
It would be fine on bikes with large screens such as Honda’s Africa Twin and their touring Goldwing.
However, on a Fireblade with a short screen, you would often be sitting up and not looking through the screen. We are not sure how it would work there, although it does seem to have a projector on the tank. Perhaps that is for the touch function.
Fireblade with tank-mounted projector
Touch screen
The touch technology in the windscreen also seems a bit strange on a motorcycle.
On most bikes, it’s a bit of a reach to the screen and it’s also quite a distraction to have to take one hand off the bars and reach that far forward.
Yet they have patented for a capacitive touchscreen layer in the windscreen.
Honda patents
Honda patent for variable riding position
This is one of many patents Honda has lodged in the past year and we are not sure how many of these they will put into production.
This new patent join the following from Honda over the past year:
Both new updated models have more aggressive, angular styling with twin LED headlights.
All Street Triples now have more than 60 accessories, including new scrolling LED indicators and luggage with quick-release mounts.
Street Triple RS
Street Triple RS performance improvements come from Triumph’s work with the Moto2TM team that supplies engines to all the Moto2 teams.
Power is now 90kW and torque 79Nm with 9% more of both right where it’s needed in the mid-range.
Triumph also claims it has a more responsive throttle, “freer-flowing” muffler and a smooth gearbox with slip and assist clutch for clutchless up and down shifts.
They have also improved the five riding modes: Road, Rain, Sport, Track, and Rider configurable.
The TFT instruments have new graphics and MyTriumph connectivity with GoPro interaction, satnav and phone/music operation.
As usual, the Street Triple RS has all the exotic components such as fully adjustable Ohlins suspension, Brembo M50 brakes and Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP V3 tyres.
It also comes with a carbon fibre exhaust and interchangeable seat cowl and pillion seat.
Street Triple S
To retain its LAMS compliance the 660cc triple engine has 39.7kW of peak power with 61Nm peak torque at 6000rpm.
Styling updates include position lights, angular bodywork and restyled mirrors with increased adjustability.
Even though it’s a LAMS bike, it features twin front brakes, Brembo single rear brake, Showa suspension and all-weather Pirelli Diablo Rosso III tyres.
It comes with two riding modes (Road and Rain) which adjust the throttle response and traction control settings, selectable via the LCD instruments.
Ducati fans want to know if the company taking over its own Australian and New Zealand imports and distribution from NF Importers in April 2020 will lead to cheaper bikes.
Our industry sources say Ducati price cuts are not likely, especially given the current falling dollar.
Instead, they say the advantage for riders is that brands going the subsidiary route will offer better service, better parts supply and a “cleaner corporate message”.
So who’s next? Triumph? MV Agusta? Royal Enfield?
Our industry sources say all these manufacturers must be watching closely to see how the Ducati model works.
After all, the biggest margins are made at the distribution level so there is a lot for them to gain.
And what they want most is control.
Factory imports
Of the major brands, all Japanese are distributed here by the manufacturers, as well as BMW, Harley-Davidson and Indian.
The biggest takeover of Australian distribution was when Harley-Davidson grabbed the reins in the early 2000s.
Harley was selling well before the factory took the market over so the only advantage has been market coordination and corporate profile.
They certainly didn’t offer massive discounts. In fact, they held the profit margins high for dealers and have only recently offered discounts on slow sellers in this current sales slump.
NF Importers
NF Importers has distributed Ducati for 55 years and done a pretty good job.
Managing director Warren Fraser says they have put 55,000 Ducatis into Aussie and Kiwi garages since 1964.
In fact, Australia has the biggest per-capita ownership of Ducatis outside Italy.
The company, and particularly CEO Warren Lees, developed a great working relationship with the factory.
Warren was even able to twist Ducati’s arm to produce a 659 Monster just for Australia and New Zealand to suit our learner-approved motorcycle scheme.
Ducati’s learner-approved Monster 659
The writing was perhaps on the wall for NF Importers when Warren retired a year ago.
The new Australian Ducati subsidiary will be led by Sergi Canovas, who has been the company’s managing director in India for the past three years.
He introduced the brand to the sub-continent and sales rocketed more than 20% in the first year.
Ducati also developed several new dealerships in India, including the world’s largest Ducati store in New Delhi.
MV Agusta’s new Russian boss has promised new “premium and medium-capacity” bikes under a five-year business plan financed by his family.
The company has not mentioned what the new models will be, but they have confirmed they will start production of 300 limited edition models of the Brutale 1000 Serie Oro and Superveloce 800 Serie Oro.
Since the 675cc/800cc triples in 2012, there have been no all-new models, only limited-edition versions.
Timur set up the Nevada Burning Man festival and is the son of oil tycoon Rashid Sardarov who was mentioned in the Panama Papers and has links to Russian mafia lawyers.
The five-year plan is entirely financed by the Sardarov family.
Previous CEO Giovanni Castiglioni will “maintain an advisory role”, an MV Agusta press release says, ending the Castiglioni family’s control of the company.
They will be developed and produced by MV Agusta and marketed by MV Agusta and Loncin’s upmarket brand VOGE.
However, we doubt these are the “medium-capacity” bikes to which they refer.
It will be interesting to see if there really are “new models” or just more limited edition variants.
Current models are more than five years old.
The five-year plan also aims to reach sales volume of more than 25,000 motorcycles with “strong investment in the global distribution network, focused primarily on Europe, Asia and the USA” over the next three years.
There is no mention of a plan to fix notoriously slow parts deliveries.
Massimo Bordi, 62, who developed the four-valve Desmo engine that made Ducati famous and designed and engineered the Ducati 851, moves from GM to executive vice-chairman.
“Over the next five years, MV Agusta’s attention will be focused on developing the sales and service network, while investing in product development and maintaining its efforts in digitalisation and technological innovation,” says Timur.
“We are committed to deliver the best products and continue to be a benchmark in motorcycle industry in quality, design and technology. Finally MV Agusta has all the tools to do so.”
Alessandro, who is a designer at exotic car company Pagani Automobili, says his “desire would be to work for Ducati”.
After reading that Ducati wants to make an electric motorcycle, I thought the Monster project could be ideal,” the Panigale 959 rider says.
“Monster is the Ducati icon, so it could be a new beginning. I hope Ducati can see my idea and be inspired by it.”
An electric Monster also makes a lot of sense as most electric motorcycling in the near future is expected to be short distance and commuting, because of the limited range and long recharge times.
“Given the rumour of a Ducati interest in making an electric motorcycle, I wanted to imagine how this could appear if it became a reality,” Alessandro says.
Noticeably, he has retained chain drive, but it must be one gear as there is no clutch.
Electric Ducati Monster
Here is Alessandro’s video and his electric concept in his own words:
Mixing the vintage style of the Cafe Racer, the beauty of the Ducati brand and the architecture of an electric motorcycle, I designed the Ducati Monster Electric Concept.
Aesthetically appealing; to give the sensation of speed, most of the volumes fall on the front.
This means that the tank is very low and almost invades the front wheel and the rear has no tail, so as to give greater optical lightness and make the tire appear even larger.
This presents the typical trellis frame fixed no longer to the engine but to the battery which, placed inside a carbon cover, becomes structural.
The tank, of considerable size, no longer has the traditional fuel reserve function. This becomes a convenient trunk to store the helmet and various objects. In addition, the “fake” tank is composed of two easily interchangeable side covers to update the style.
The bike, with the combination of materials such as ABS, brushed aluminum and carbon, creates distinct “zones” that at the same time form part of the same assembly.
The meticulous research of the details (like the components milled from full with angles of 45 ° and brushed) must give the perception of “premium”. A luxury that is now present in cars but not in motorcycles.
The cycling odds are more like a sport bike than a naked one, to make the most of a powertrain with lots of torque.
Ducati amps up
At a student event in Spain this year, the Ducati boss told the crowd: “The future is electric, we’re not far from starting series production.”
It’s no news that Ducati has been considering an electric model since about 2017 when a Ducati executive revealed they had electric plans for a motorcycle and a scooter by 2021.
In the same year, VW Group Chairman Matthias Mueller upped the ante saying Ducati would have an electric motorcycle “by 2020”.
BMW Motorrad has applied for trademarks for the model names M 1000 RR, M 1000 XR and M 1300 GS which hints at performance versions, possibly with superchargers.
Their car division has been using the M model code for performance models for years.
They have more power, better suspension and brakes, plus styling differences, usually including their motorsport division logos and colours.
The same could be coming to their motorcycles.
So the M 1000 RR and XR could be performance versions of their S 1000 RR and S 1000 XR.
However, the unusual name here is the M 1300 GS.
Is it a bigger-capacity performance version of their boxer-powered R 1250 GS which has only recently increased engine capacity from the R 1200 GS?
Or will it be a GS version of their K 1300 four-cylinder models that they retired a few years ago?
Will M mean superchargers?
While these trademark applications hint at performance updates with some cosmetic changes, BMW could also be considering supercharged versions.
Supercharging and turbocharging could be the future as motorcycle manufacturers such as Kawasaki and Suzuki have also applied for patents.
Forced induction makes sense as it allows the manufacturers to get the same power from smaller-capacity engines and still meet tougher emissions regulations.
More spy photos have emerged for the upcoming Challenger bagger from Indian Motorcycle believed to be powered by a liquid-cooled 1770cc engine called the Powerplus.
We are not allowed to tell you where the blurry photos came from, but the bike looks like a “challenger” to the Harley-Davidson Road Glide.
Like the Road Glide, it appears to have a big, frame-mounted fairing.
While it may look bulbous and ugly, a frame-mounted fairing has less weave effect on the bike’s stability at high speed.
Earlier this year, a video from the company dealer conference in the USA emerged showing the Powerplus engine.
The video was taken down, but is still available on Motorcycle.com.
The worst-kept secret in motorcycling has been confirmed with Honda unveiling the full tech specs for the bigger, narrower and higher-tech Africa Twin CRF1100L at the AIMExpo motorcycle show in Ohio, USA.
Of course, the biggest news is that the engine has gone from 998cc to a longer-stroke 1084cc with power up from 70kW to 75kW. All details that had already been tipped.
Yet weight has dropped from 243kg to 226kg and 236kg for the ducal-clutch transmission (DCT) model.
It’s largely thanks to a lighter engine and gearbox and a slimmer and lighter frame, subframe and swingarm inspired by the CRF450.
With the extra tech and power, we expect a price rise, but there is no word yet on pricing or availability.
They currently cost about $A17,499 for the standard and $A19,999 for the DCT (plus on-road costs).
Bigger engine
The bigger Euro5-compliant engine will now make it more competitive with the BMW, Ducati, KTM and Triumph adventurers.
It not only has 6% more power, but also 7% more torque at 105Nm.
Stroke has been lengthened from 75.1mm to 81.5mm but the bore remains the same at 92mm.
Honda has made the CRF1100L 2.5 lighter (2.2kg in the DCT version) with aluminium cylinder sleeves and redesigned engine casings.
It features a larger 43mm throttle body, smoother air intake profile, new ECU and more direct fuel injection to improve efficiency.
Exhaust gas flow is controlled in a similar way to the CBR1000RR for a better note.
Better tech
To compete with the current crop of big adventurers, Honda has added a raft of electronic rider aids to the CRF1100L.
It’s all thanks to a six-axis inertial measurement unit-managed.
Rider aids include optimised off-road “torque control” (basically traction control that manages power and engine braking), three-level wheelie control, two customised riding modes and now four default riding modes.
The new mode is “off-road”.
It also has an LED headlight, automatic indicator cancel and a USB port.
The new touchscreen instrument panel has Bluetooth audio and Apple Carplay which only works when your phone is plugged in, not via Bluetooth.
That means the screen will show your phone’s satnav and call details as well as some apps such as Spotify.
Cosmetics are slightly changed, but the suspension and wheels are the same.
Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin specs
ENGINE
Type
SOHC liquid-cooled 4-stroke 8-valve parallel twin with 270° crank and Uni-cam
Displacement
1084cc
Bore & Stroke
92mm x 81.5mm
Compression Ratio
10.1:1
Max. Power Output
75kW at 7,500rpm
Max. Torque
105Nm at 6,250rpm
Noise Level
73dB
Oil Capacity
4.8/4.3 (5.2/4.7 DCT)
FUEL SYSTEM
Carburation
PGM-FI
Fuel Tank Capacity
18.8L
CO2 Emissions
112g/km MT
110g/km DCT
Fuel Consumption
4.9L/100km (20.4km/L) MT
4.8L/100km (20.8km/L) DCT
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Starter
Electric
Battery Capacity
12V-6Ah Li-ion battery (20hr)
ACG Output
0.49 kW/5,000rpm
DRIVETRAIN
Clutch Type
Wet, multiplate with coil springs, aluminium cam assist and slipper clutch
DCT – 2 wet multiplate clutches with coil springs
Transmission Type
6 speed manual (6 speed DCT)
FRAME
Type
Semi double cradle
CHASSIS
Dimensions (L´W´H)
2330mm x 960mm x 1395mm
Wheelbase
1575mm
Caster Angle
27.5°
Trail
113mm
Seat Height
850/870mm (low seat option 825mm, high seat option 895mm)
Ground Clearance
250mm
Kerb Weight
226kg (DCT 236kg)
SUSPENSION
Type Front
Showa 45mm cartridge-type inverted telescopic fork with dial-style preload adjuster and DF adjustments, 230mm stroke
Type Rear
Monoblock aluminium swing arm with Pro-Link with Showa gas-charged damper, hydraulic dial-style preload adjuster and rebound damping adjustments, 220 mm rear wheel travel
WHEELS
Type Front
21M/C x 2.15 wire spoke with aluminium rim
Type Rear
18M/C x 4.00 wire spoke with aluminium rim
Rim Size Front
21″
Rim Size Rear
18″
Tyres Front
90/90-21M/C 54H (tube type)
(Bridgestone Battlax Adventurecross Tourer/
AX41T Metzler Karoo Street)
Tyres Rear
150/70R18M/C 70H (tube type)
(Bridgestone Battlax Adventurecross Tourer/
AX41T Metzler Karoo Street)
BRAKES
ABS System Type
2 channel with IMU Selectable ABS MODE with on-road and off-road setting
Type Front
310mm dual wave floating hydraulic disc with aluminium hub and radial fit 4-piston calipers and sintered metal pads
Type Rear
256mm wave hydraulic disc with single piston caliper and sintered metal pads. 2-channel with rear ABS OFF mode.
INSTRUMENTS & ELECTRICS
Instruments
LCD Meter, TFT 6.5inch touch panel multi information display
Security System
Immobiliser, security alarm (optional)
Headlight
LED
Taillight
LED
Electrics
Daytime running lights, Bluetooth audio and Apple Carplay, USB socket, auto turn signal cancel, cruise control, emergency stop signal, IMU, HSTC, wheelie control
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