Honda just unveiled a new mid-displacement sports concept at Milan Fashion Week. The bike is a collaboration between the Japanese manufacturer and the Japanese fashion brand Onitsuka Tiger. The concept features unique paintwork and branding for the show, but I have a sneaking suspicion this model is more than just a concept.
Honda describes the bike as a mid-displacement sport model; the thing is, the brand already has one in the CBR650R and could've used it as a canvas for this project. But Honda didn't; instead, it used a platform that, at the time of writing, doesn't exist in its range.
The relatively small front fairing does little to hide the bones of a Hornet 750 beneath, including its engine and frame. But not everything is nicked straight off the Hornet 750, as the front forks are notably beefier and the bike features a Brembo braking system at the front, along with wider-looking tires than the Hornet 750's 160 rear rubber. The swingarm looks to be taken straight from the CBR650R, and the concept uses higher footpegs, all of which would lead you to believe this won't be a slouch on track.
I never questioned the fact that Honda hadn't put its 755cc parallel-twin engine into anything other than the Transalp 750 and the Hornet 750, as the industry standard of late is to get a naked, sport, and adventure platform out of every powerplant. Creating a CBR750R would make sense for milking the engine platform, but I'm not sure how much sense it makes in the context of Honda's range.
As I mentioned at the start of this article, Honda already has a mid-capacity sportbike in the CBR650R, which produces 94 hp. So where would a faired mid-capacity bike producing 91 hp—assuming it's the same output as the Hornet 750—fit into the lineup?
That said, Honda sells the Hornet 750 alongside the CBR650, so it's not beyond the realm of possibility that the brand would produce a CBR750R and CBR650R concurrently. Nothing has been announced officially, but I have a feeling EICMA will reveal all.
