Honda Hawk 11 cafe racer design patents leaked; India launch on cards?

Honda’s global lineup of motorcycles is something enthusiasts thirst for but unfortunately several of these remain out of reach for the Indian riding community. The Japanese brand has been making a noticeable effort in recent years to bring some of its exotic big two-wheeler machines to India even if they cost a fortune.

The next big bike from Honda that could land in India is the Hawk 11 cafe racer whose patents have been registered in the country. A design patent of the motorcycle has been leaked online which suggests that the Japanese bikemaker is considering launching the cafe racer in India.

Styling

Hawk 11 made its first public appearance at the Osaka Motorcycle Show last year. It is considered to be the spiritual successor to the recently discontinued CB1100 Roadster in Honda’s global portfolio. This motorcycle is a modern interpretation of a true retro cafe racer from the yesteryears which gets fighter jet-inspired bikini fairing at the front.

Adding to this old-school charm is a round headlamp nestled within the front fairing with LED illumination—which gives it that contemporary edge. A stubby sub-frame, coupled with a slightly exposed main frame along with circular bar-end mirrors give the bike a neo-retro theme. Upswept exhaust mufflers on each side add the heft needed in this class of motorcycles.

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Similar underpinnings, different character

Hawk 11 shares its underpinnings with the NT1100 tourer and the Africa Twin adventure bike. As expected, the cafe racer is powered by the same 1,082cc parallel-twin, liquid-cooled engine but in this case, it makes 101 bhp and 104 Nm of peak torque instead of 98 bhp and 103 Nm generated by its siblings.

Transmission duties will be handled by either a six-speed manual gearbox or a dual clutch automatic unit. The frame is suspended on upside down forks at the front and mono-shock, both sourced from Showa. Braking is achieved through twin discs up front and a single rotor at the rear with callipers from Nissin.

Despite its retro appearance, Hawk 11 is expected to be packed with nifty features like a fully digital instrument console, all-LED lighting, a slipper and assist clutch; and a host of electronic rider aids including traction control, rider modes and dual-channel ABS.

The launch of Hawk 11 is not confirmed in India since filing of patent applications doesn’t guarantee a launch. If launched, Hawk 11 will most likely compete against Suzuki Katana and is expected to be priced upwards of Rs 15 lakh (ex-showroom).