Japanese two-wheeler manufacturer, Honda Motorcycle plans to add an all-new four-cylinder adventure tourer (or dual-sport) in its international portfolio. Dubbed the CB4X, Honda had showcased the product in a concept avatar at EICMA 2019.
At the time, the company had not mentioned whether the concept would hit production even though it raised so much interest among critics and motorcycle enthusiasts. Now, a patent image of the upcoming Honda CB4X has surfaced online and needless to say, hardcore Honda motorcycle fans are excited.
The design has been patented with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). Compared to its original concept format, the patented design looks almost identical. In fact, the concept itself was not a major shift from the production-motorcycle designs of today if we exclude the absence of mirrors, turn signals, rear footpegs and licence plates.
Honda CB4X Patent
Aesthetic highlights include 17-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels, flat & wide handlebars, narrow full-LED headlamp and tail lamp, tall electrically adjustable windscreen, single-sided swingarm, dual-outlet exhausts, etc. The Honda CB4X sports an aluminium subframe.
Still, not much is known about the CB4X except the fact that it shares its power plant with Honda’s popular CBR650R middleweight sports tourer. Of course, the output characteristics would be different to suit either motorcycle’s function. In the CBR650R, the 649cc inline-4 motor churns out 87.2bhp @ 11,500rpm and 60.1Nm @ 8,000rpm. In India, the 2019MY Honda CBR650R is priced from Rs 7.70 lakh ex-showroom and is a CKD (Completely Knocked Down) product. Various reports state that the production-spec Honda CB4X would develop around 95bhp to compete in a segment between Yamaha’s Tracer 700 and Tracer 900.
It was only about a month ago that Honda Motorcycle unveiled the CB-F Concept. Taking styling cues from the brand’s iconic products from the ‘80s, the CB-F Concept is set to debut at 2020 Tokyo Motor Show in November — or at a later stage if the COVID-19 crisis does not settle down by then. Honda has taken the 998cc engine from the CB1000R streetfighter.
Meanwhile, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) intends to strengthen its middleweight portfolio in early 2021. As a start, the Indian market will receive four parallel-twin 500cc products: CMX500 Rebel cruiser, CB500F streetfighter, supersport-ish CBR500R and CB500X adventure tourer. HMSI is one of the strongest players in the regular Indian two-wheeler market (especially scooters) and plans to carry the same success story in the attainable premium segment. Kawasaki India is currently the most dominant name in this category.
Source: Bike - rushlane.com
