The new Goldwing may have been the Honda's showstopper at its home motor show, but that wasn't all. The anticipated naked Fireblade was teased once again ahead of its scheduled Milan debut, this time with an actual concept model, next to new electric and hybrid scooters, new Cub models and a Monkey.
Honda has been teasing us for almost a month with the upcoming Neo Sports Café, a new model that will be officially revealed on November 6, at the EICMA show in Milan, Italy. A second teaser video was released a few days prior to Tokyo's press day, and then Honda came up with a concept model that looks suspiciously close to the one in the videos.
The concept is powered by a 998 cc in-line four-cylinder engine, probably the one found in the latest Fireblade superbike, although the side covers are understandably more elaborate in appearance. It does have the Pro Arm single-sided swing arm and the short tail unit that are clearly visible in the videos, but no aluminum twin-spar frame like the superbike, only a steel unit.
Honda escorts the new concept bike with just a three-line description, which is still enough to invoke our curiosity with the mention of a "new-generation motorcycle package." In less than two weeks we'll see the final production version of Honda new naked bike, which is eagerly anticipated as it's been exactly 10 years since the last time Honda rolled out a naked Fireblade in the shape of the CB1000R.
The PCX is a very successful scooter, powered by a four-stroke single-cylinder motor of 125 and 150 cc. Famous for its practicality and low fuel consumption, it is now getting two new variants, an electric and a hybrid one.
The first runs on an electric motor developed by Honda, fed by two detachable batteries that Honda calls Mobile Power Packs. The second PCX model features a new original hybrid system that Honda has just developed for motorcycles, employing a high-output battery and ACG starter (Alternating Current Generator) to assist the internal combustion engine.
No specifications have been released on either PCX scooter, but according to Honda they are both scheduled to go on sale in the Asia region in 2018.
Another Honda icon, the Monkey, celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2017, and at Tokyo Honda unveiled a new bigger Monkey 125, based on the Japanese-only 50 cc model.
The tiny motorcycle gets LED lights and new, digital instruments, but Honda remains tight-lipped on the chances of seeing it exported out of Japan. Judging by past experience, this silence probably means that it will unfortunately remain a Japan exclusive.
This year's Tokyo show coincides with a very special double anniversary for the Super Cub, and Honda had already previewed some new Cub models to be unveiled there.
First of all, the anniversary Super Cub 110 celebrates the record production of 100 million units that was reached this month. Honda says it is a special model produced exclusively for the Tokyo Motor Show, so don't expect to see it in production.
What will probably enter production is the Super Cub C125, a model that is styled closely after the 1958 original C100, runs on an air-cooled 125 cc single motor, and incorporates modern features like LED lights, smart key, electric seat opener and digital instrumentation.
Finally, the Cross Cub 110 is a new crossover take on the Cub theme, based on a model that was first introduced in Japan in 2013. It is designed for recreational use with adventurous off-road styling, and powered by the latest fuel-injected 110 cc cub engine.
The new Cross Cub has already been included in Honda's Japanese line-up, at a retail price of JPY286,200 (approximately US$2,500), but there's no official mention of it being exported elsewhere – just like the C125.
Source: Honda
