Honda has announced that Android Auto will be integrated with the current-model Gold Wing. At no additional cost, customers with Android 5.0 or later smartphones and the Android Auto app will be able to seamlessly enjoy application services such as music, phone calls and messaging. When utilizing it while riding a Gold Wing, connection with a Bluetooth headset (sold separately) will also be required. App and communication costs may apply. The method to update software is planned to be available in mid-June, 2020.
Since the Gold Wing GL1000 went on sale in North America in 1975, the Gold Wing series has evolved as Honda’s flagship model for over four decades. In October 2017, the all-new Gold Wing was announced in North America, becoming the world’s first motorcycle with Apple CarPlay integration. Navigation features to enhance the ride experience and application-specific services have been well-received by many customers.
Android Auto is a simple way for customers to use a phone on the motorcycle. With simplified interface, and easy-to-use voice actions, it is designed to minimize distraction so riders can stay focused on the road. Android Auto makes it easy to access favorite music, media and messaging apps while on the motorcycle. With Google Assistant on Android Auto, riders can stay focused, connected and entertained, keeping their eyes on the road and their hands on the handlebar, while using their voice to help with their day.
With Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration coming to more models, Honda plans to bring more comfort and convenience to customers’ motorcycle lifestyles worldwide.
Honda has filed patent designs for a bike that seem to suggest they will build the CB4X concept shown at the EICMA motorcycle show in Milan last November.
New patent drawing
CB4X patent
Not a lot is known about the concept and the patent filing doesn’t reveal any extra details.
It appears to have a mid-capacity engine, possibly an old 600cc engine from the CBR600RR, but down-tuned to meet Euro5 emissions targets.
That is a good way to use old engines. Ducati has successfully done that with its 03cc and 1100cc Scramblers, using old Monster engines.
At EICMA, Honda described the CB4X as blending sports, naked and touring, although it doesn’t look like much of a touring bike to me.
However, it does have an adjustable windscreen.
The CB4X also features a diamond-shaped headlight, daytime running lights, aluminium subframe, sharp tail and 17-inch front wheel.
CB4X design
The bike has been designed by Valerio Aiello and his team of young designers at the Japanese company’s Rome centre for design and research.
Honda’s official EICMA press release said:
The CB4X features flowing, yet compact lines, designed to enhance the contrasting personality of a motorcycle that’s born to use every day on urban routes, and on carving mountain bends or long journeys on the weekend.
The fuel tank hunches forward, like a cobra ready to attack its prey.
The Honda CB4X is an idea dedicated to those riders who live for sports riding – but don’t want to give up the possibility of relaxing, two-up travel experiences whenever or wherever.
Unfortunately, it’s not the six-cylinder CBX that Honda filed patent drawings (below) in 2018 that looks a little like its 1980s six-cylinder CBX with a bubble fairing.
Patent drawings
But don’t get too excited yet about the CB4X or CBX.
As we know, Honda has been busy with a lot of patents for various bikes, engines and innovations in recent years.
They include the recent 850cc parallel twinwhich could be destined for a smaller Africa Twin.
Obviously not all will go into production. It seems more likely Honda is intent on protecting its intellectual property.
Honda has filed a patent in Japan for a new 850cc parallel-twin engine to replace the current NC750 range and possibly also go into a smaller Africa Twin.
In Australia, there is only the NC750X, but there are several other 70cc models overseas.
The new model will not only have a new engine to meet the more stringent Euro 5 emission regulations but also a new chassis.
Parallel twin
A bigger parallel twin means they can meet the emissions targets without having to reduce power output.
The patent drawings also show a dual-clutch transmission, so it should have a semi-automatic gearbox.
Just because the patent drawing shows a naked street bike doesn’t mean anything. Honda wouldn’t want to telegraph its true intentions by showing the engine in an adventure bike.
We think it would be an excellent engine for an Africa Twin.
Honda has filed an application for a patent for an aerodynamic tail that looks a little like those spoilers we see on “sully sic” fast fours and 1970s supercars.
Winglets have been added to the front of MotoGP bikes over the past couple of years to address aerodynamic issues.
Now Honda is looking to add some aerodynamic assistance to the rear of the bike.
Aerodynamic tail
Ducati’s Panigale V4 has a similar aerodynamic trail.
Ducati Panigale V4
However, Honda’s patent features a removable tail-pack, where you can store small items such as your phone or wallet. That seems to indicate it’s not been designed specifically for race use.
It also appears to have movable wings which could be deployed at high speed for stability and under heavy braking to keep the rear wheel on the ground.
They could be deployed automatically or with a manual switch on the handlebar.
Remember UJMs? If you were a motorcyclist in the ’70s, or have a soft spot for bikes from that era, then you remember them well. Honda kicked it off in 1969 with its groundbreaking CB750, the first mass-produced motorcycle with a transverse in-line four-cylinder engine and an overhead camshaft. It was an air-cooled four-stroke with a five-speed transmission, a front disc brake, an electric starter and an upright seating position.
Honda created the formula and other Japanese manufacturers followed it. Kawasaki launched the mighty 903cc Z1 for 1973, Suzuki introduced the GS750 for 1976 and, late to the party but the biggest reveler in the room, Yamaha brought out the XS1100 for 1978. Similarities among these and other Japanese models of varying displacements led “Cycle” magazine, in its November 1976 test of the Kawasaki KZ650, to coin what became a widely used term: “In the hard world of commerce, achievers get imitated and the imitators get imitated. There is developing, after all, a kind of Universal Japanese Motorcycle…conceived in sameness, executed with precision, and produced by the thousands.”
Those UJMs, and the standards of performance and reliability they established, revolutionized the world of motorcycling. Decades later, descendants of those progenitors carry their DNA into the modern era. To see how well the formula holds up in the 21st century, we gathered examples from Honda, Kawasaki and Suzuki for a neo-retro comparo. (As much as we would have loved to include Yamaha for a proper battle of the Big Four, its contemporary XSR900 is powered by an in-line triple that colors too far outside the lines of the UJM formula.)
Honda’s CB1000R, like its granddaddy, has a transverse in-line four, but it’s a more highly evolved one featuring liquid cooling and dual overhead cams with four valves per cylinder — a configuration shared by all three bikes in this comparison. Derived from the pre-2008 CBR1000RR sportbike, the CB’s 998cc engine has been tuned for low- to midrange power and its 6-speed transmission has an assist-and-slipper clutch. Like the others, the CB1000R’s standard equipment includes ABS and traction control, but it’s the only one here with throttle-by-wire and riding modes (Sport, Street, Rain and customizable User), which adjust throttle response, engine braking and traction control.
A round headlight and an exposed engine are about the only styling traits shared by the “Neo-Sports Café” CB1000R and the CB750. Kawasaki’s Z900RS, on the other hand, is a spitting image of its forebear. Round mirrors on long stalks, bullet-shaped analog gauges, a teardrop tank, a bench seat, a sculpted tail and gorgeous Candytone Green paint with yellow stripes are all inspired by the original Z1. Even the flat spokes of its cast wheels are designed to look like spoked wheels of yore. Derived from the Z900 streetfighter, the Kawasaki’s 948cc DOHC in-line four has revised cam profiles, lower compression, a heavier flywheel, a second gear-driven balancer and narrower exhaust headers for a mellower feel, and its stainless steel 4-into-1 exhaust has been tuned to deliver an old-school four-banger growl.
Jenny’s Gear Helmet: Shoei RF-1200 Jacket: AGV Sport Helen Pants: Joe Rocket Alter Ego Boots: Sidi Gavia Gore-Tex Tail Bag: Nelson-Rigg
Suzuki’s entry in this contest is the new-for-2020 Katana, a modern interpretation of the iconic 1981 GSX1100S Katana, which revolutionized motorcycle design by treating the bike as a whole rather than a collection of parts. Originally conceived by Hans Muth and reimagined by Rodolfo Frascoli, the Katana has a small fairing and windscreen, and, like the CB1000R, a stubby tail section. Based on the GSX-S1000 naked sportbike, the Katana is powered by a 999cc DOHC in-line four derived from the 2005-2008 GSX-R1000, tuned for street duty with milder cam profiles and valve timing, steel rather than titanium valves, lighter pistons, a stainless steel exhaust and a 6-speed transmission with an assist-and-slipper clutch.
Three bikes, three editors, two days. Before hitting the road, we strapped on soft luggage. None have centerstands, and only the Kawasaki has a steel gas tank that accommodates a magnetic tank bag, which carried our tools, flat repair kit and air pump. Its long, wide bench seat also has room for a good-sized tail bag. With their short tails and small pillions, the Honda and Suzuki only have space for small tail bags. Because the Suzuki’s bodywork is more stylish than functional, the Honda and Kawasaki are completely nude and none have hand guards or heated grips, we were exposed to the elements. We bundled up in layers for our mid-January test and pointed our wheels north, taking freeways and back roads up California’s Central Coast.
With their refined, Swiss watch-like in-line fours, these modern-day UJMs are impeccably smooth. Snicking their transmissions into sixth gear and cruising at a steady speed is a sublime experience, with minimal vibration or unwanted perturbations. None have cruise control, but with fuel capacities ranging from 3.2 gallons on the Suzuki to 4.5 gallons on the Kawasaki and as-tested fuel ranges between 130 and 173 miles, the need for gas will likely precede the need for wrist relief. Upright seating positions and windblast on the chest keep weight off the wrists on all three, but there are notable differences in legroom. The Honda and Suzuki have the tallest seat heights (32.7 and 32.5 inches, respectively) as well as the highest footpegs, putting much more bend in the knees — especially on the Honda — than the comparatively spacious Kawasaki. Even though the Kawi has the lowest seat height (31.5 inches) and lowest pegs, on none of these bikes did we find ourselves dragging pegs in tight corners.
It’s in those tight corners that these bikes further distinguish themselves. With only 10 pounds separating their curb weights and modest differences in chassis geometry, their engine performance, brakes and suspension are what set these bikes apart. In terms of outright horsepower and torque, the Honda and Suzuki, both of which have sportbike-derived engines, come out on top. The Suzuki is the strongest, churning out 142.1 rear-wheel horsepower at 10,300 rpm and 75.9 lb-ft of torque at 9,200 rpm on Jett Tuning’s dyno, though its advantage over the others is mostly above 8,500 rpm. The Honda peaks at 125.5 horsepower at 9,800 rpm and 70.6 lb-ft at 8,300 rpm, but it’s much weaker than the Suzuki and Kawasaki below 7,500 rpm, a deficiency that’s obvious on corner exits and roll-on passes. Although the Kawasaki generates only 100.1 horsepower at 8,500 rpm and 67.5 lb-ft at 8,500 rpm, in the midrange it gives the Suzuki a run for its money and leaves the Honda in the dust.
With their more compact cockpits and high-revving power, the Honda and Suzuki lean more toward the sport end of the sport standard spectrum. Their smoothness makes them sneaky fast, and their stock suspension settings are firmer than the Kawasaki’s. All of these bikes have fully adjustable upside-down forks and preload- and rebound-adjustable single rear shocks (KYB on the Kawasaki and Suzuki, Showa on the Honda), but the Honda’s suspension, especially its Separate Function-Big Piston fork, is the most compliant. Sportbike-caliber front brakes, with pairs of radial-mount monoblock 4-piston opposed calipers clamping large discs, deliver serious stopping power across the board, but the Honda has a slight edge in feel. Adding to a sense of confidence on the Honda are its Bridgestone Battlax Hypersport S21 radials, which have noticeably more grip (but likely less mileage in the long run) than the Dunlop radials on the Kawasaki and Suzuki.
Despite being down on peak power and more softly sprung, the Kawasaki is by no means a boat anchor or a couch on wheels. It’s plenty fast, but its mission is clearly different than that of the Honda and Suzuki. The Z900RS stokes the flames of nostalgia while providing a more spacious, relaxed and comfortable riding experience, with every potentially rough edge sanded smooth. The Katana, on the other hand, is essentially a GSX-S1000 with plastic bodywork and a more upright riding position. In isolation there’s little to complain about when riding the Suzuki, but compared to the Honda and Kawasaki, it feels less refined, with more driveline lash and less precision during gear changes.
UJMs were the first motorcycles to be called “superbikes,” a name that came to be more appropriately applied to the racer replicas that proliferated in the late ’80s. These modern-day UJMs fall into the more mundane-sounding “sport standard” category, but there’s nothing mundane about 100-plus rear-wheel horsepower, high-spec brakes and suspension, standard ABS and TC, and a level of capability that’s truly impressive. For sheer power and sporting prowess, the Suzuki gets top marks, but its small 3.2-gallon gas tank and high price ($13,499) make it a tough sell. Priced a bit lower at $12,999, the ultra-smooth Honda has a strong top end as well as throttle-by-wire, riding modes and the best suspension and tires, but its weak midrange and high footpegs limit its overall appeal. A relative bargain at $11,199, the Kawasaki won us over with its throwback styling, spacious and comfortable seating, strong midrange, seductive sound and decent fuel range. If you do what we did — strap on some luggage and explore some of your favorite roads for a couple of days — you’re guaranteed to have a good time. Isn’t that why we ride?
Frame: Mono-backbone steel frame, single-sided cast aluminum swingarm Wheelbase: 57.3 in. Rake/Trail: 24.7 degrees/3.8 in. Seat Height: 32.7 in. Suspension, Front: 43mm USD fork, fully adj., 4.3-in. travel Rear: Single shock, adj. for spring preload & rebound damping, 5.2-in. travel Brakes, Front: Dual 310mm floating discs w/ 4-piston monoblock radial opposed calipers & ABS Rear: Single 256mm disc w/ 2-piston pin-slide caliper & ABS Wheels, Front: Cast, 3.5 x 17 in. Rear: Cast, 6.0 x 17 in. Tires, Front: 120/70-ZR17 Rear: 190/55-ZR17 Wet Weight: 463 lbs. Load Capacity: 390 lbs. GVWR: 853 lbs.
Performance
Fuel Capacity: 4.3 gals., last 1.0 gal. warning light on MPG: 91 AKI min. (low/avg/high) 30.7/35.8/39.9 Estimated Range: 154 miles Indicated RPM at 60 MPH: 4,250
2020 Kawasaki Z900RS ABS Specs
Base Price: $11,199 Warranty: 1 yr., unltd. miles Website: kawasaki.com
Engine
Engine Type: Liquid-cooled, transverse in-line four Displacement: 948cc Bore x Stroke: 73.4 x 56.0mm Compression Ratio: 10.8:1 Valve Train: DOHC, 4 valves per cyl. Valve Insp. Interval: 15,000 miles Fuel Delivery: DFI w/ 36mm throttle bodies x 4 Lubrication System: Wet sump, 4.2-qt. cap. Transmission: 6-speed, wet assist-and-slipper clutch Final Drive: O-ring chain
Frame: High-tensile steel trellis w/engine as stressed member, cast aluminum swingarm Wheelbase: 58.1 in. Rake/Trail: 25.4 degrees/3.5 in. Seat Height: 31.5 in. Suspension, Front: 41mm USD fork, fully adj., 4.7-in. travel Rear: Single shock, adj. for spring preload & rebound damping, 5.5-in. travel Brakes, Front: Dual 300mm discs w/ opposed 4-piston monoblock calipers & ABS Rear: Single 250mm disc w/ 1-piston caliper & ABS Wheels, Front: Cast, 3.50 x 17 in. Rear: Cast, 5.50 x 17 in. Tires, Front: 120/70-ZR17 Rear: 180/55-ZR17 Wet Weight: 472 lbs. Load Capacity: 398 lbs. GVWR: 870 lbs.
Performance
Fuel Capacity: 4.5 gals., last 1.0 gal. warning light on MPG: 90 AKI min. (low/avg/high) 34.5/38.5/45.4 Estimated Range: 173 miles Indicated RPM at 60 MPH: 3,750
2020 Suzuki Katana Specs
Base Price: $13,499 Warranty: 1 yr., unltd. miles Website: suzukicycles.com
Engine
Type: Liquid-cooled, transverse in-line four Displacement: 999cc Bore x Stroke: 73.4 x 59.0mm Compression Ratio: 12.2:1 Valve Train: DOHC w/ 4 valves per cyl. Valve Insp. Interval: 15,000 miles Fuel Delivery: EFI w/ SDTV & 44mm throttle bodies x 4 Lubrication System: Wet sump, 3.4-qt. cap. Transmission: 6-speed, cable-actuated assist-and-slipper clutch Final Drive: O-ring chain
Frame: Cast aluminum twin-spar w/ cast aluminum swingarm Wheelbase: 57.5 in. Rake/Trail: 25 degrees/3.9 in. Seat Height: 32.5 in. Suspension, Front: 43mm USD fork, fully adj., 4.7-in. travel Rear: Single link-type shock, adj. for spring preload & rebound, 5.1-in. travel Brakes, Front: Dual 310mm discs w/ radial-mount monoblock 4-piston opposed calipers & ABS Rear: Single 220mm disc w/ 1-piston pin-slide caliper & ABS Wheels, Front: Cast, 3.50 x 17 in. Rear: Cast, 6.00 x 17 in. Tires, Front: 120/70-ZR17 Rear: 190/50-ZR17 Wet Weight: 473 lbs. Load Capacity: 407 lbs. GVWR: 880 lbs.
Performance
Fuel Capacity: 3.2 gals., last 1.0 gal. warning light on MPG: 90 AKI min. (low/avg/high) 36.2/40.6/46.5 Estimated Range: 130 miles Indicated RPM at 60 MPH: 4,000
Honda has filed a patent that indicates it may be planning to extend its Goldwing double-wishbone forks to other bikes in its range.
Two patent drawings show the suspension being used on a neo retro CB1100 and a C125 Super Cub scooter.
Patent drawing for forks ion a CB1100
So anything in between could be suitable for the suspension.
To us, it looks similar to BMW’s duolever suspension which is expensive, heavy and lacks feel. However, the advantages are a lack of dive under brakes and the ability to soak up big hits.
Honda’s Goldwing suspension uses a similar system invented by Scot Norman Hossack.
The suspension system is similar to those on some sportscars, but instead of a hub-carrier and wheel attached to the end of the wishbones, it has a solid front fork attaches to the front wheel.
While it may provide great traction, comfy ride and precise steering, it doesn’t really suit the retro styling of the CB1100 and we think the weight may defeat the advantages on a Super Cub.
But it could have advantages on some other bikes in their range.
This darn coronavirus is just mucking everything up. Virtual unveilings and press releases just don’t have quite the same impact as dramatically pulling a sleek black sheet off a new model, bright lights and flashbulbs popping off the paint, at an international auto or motorcycle show. Honda had originally planned to unveil its CB-F Concept, a CB1000R-based homage to “Fast” Freddie Spencer’s ’80s superbike, at the 36th Osaka Motorcycle Show and 47th Tokyo Motorcycle Show, both of which have been canceled.
Don’t fret, Honda, we still think this is a gorgeous machine, and we hope it becomes more than just a concept bike. Continuing the CB’s 60th anniversary theme, the CB-F Concept hearkens back to the classic air-cooled inline four CB900F and CB750F (famously raced by Freddie Spencer), complete with a cool white, silver and blue livery that should look familiar to anyone who remembers Freddie’s Daytona race bike.
Of course, this isn’t an old-fashioned tubular steel-framed, carbureted, air-cooled machine; it’s based around the potent CB1000R, with its 998cc DOHC, 4-valve-per-cylinder inline-four, high-tensile steel mono-backbone frame, single-sided aluminum swingarm and inverted fork.
What do you think? Should Honda turn this CB-F Concept into a production bike? Let us know in the comments below.
This is not an April Fools joke…. American Honda has announced that the ADV150 “adventure scooter” will be coming to the U.S. market as early as June 2020, as a 2021 model year machine. The unique scooter has a rugged look, with Showa suspension, aggressive tires, an adjustable windscreen, under-seat storage and a Smart-Key system with built-in theft deterrents. U.S. retail pricing is $4,299.
To quote Chris Cox, American Honda’s Manager of Experiential Marketing/Public Relations, “What do you get when you combine an Africa Twin and a PCX150? We weren’t sure, but we knew it sounded like fun!”
We agree, Chris. We could use a little fun right now, and we can’t wait to get a ride on one.
The pandemic has forced the cancellation of the 47th Tokyo Motorcycle Show, so motorcycle manufacturers have chosen to virtually launch their new products, including the Honda CB-F concept.
This “modern retro” is a tribute to the CB900F of the 1970s-80s.
1982 Honda CB900F
But don’t get your hopes too high that it will come to Australia.
The 20-13 CB1100 was also a great retro tribute bike, but Honda abandoned it, even after it was substantially updated with a sixth gear and ABS just a year later.
CB110 Concept Type II
Instead, we have the very uninspiring CB1000R sport. That bike is still shown on its website, but we think it’s been quietly discontinued as there are no 2019 models available for sale that we can find. Just as well!
The CB-F is powered by a water-cooled, inline 998cc four-cylinder engine with a six-speed box, the same drivetrain as the CB1000R, so maybe this is the replacement bike.
Although the CB-F is just a concept at the moment, Honda tends make production bikes very close to their concept moneys.
That’s good news, because we like the CB-F with its retro boxy shapes, single round headlight and silver/blue colouring.
Obviously, the missing indicators and mirrors will be added.
And maybe that elegantly small and simple exhaust pipe will be modified for emissions regulations.
Let’s hope it doesn’t end up as hideous as the pipe on the CB1000R!
The chassis is made of lightweight high-tensile steel with an aluminium single-sided swingarm and upside-down forks, so it should be a lithe little handler.
Honda describes the CB-F as an “ambitious fusion of cutting edge technology with a design paying homage to the CB900F”.
Let’s hope Honda Australia does bring this one in!