Honda Hawk 11 Revealed in Japan

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Honda has revealed the new Hawk 11 sportbike at the Osaka Motorcycle Show. As expected, it uses the same steel semi-double cradle frame and parallel-twin engine as the Africa Twin and NT1100. (Honda/)

Honda has revealed the first full images of its new Hawk 11, and as expected, it shows a bullet-faired evolution of the Neo-Sports Café design theme based on the engine and chassis of the Africa Twin and NT1100 models. The initial pictures come at the opening of the Osaka Motorcycle Show in Japan, although the full release of the Hawk 11 isn’t due until the Tokyo Motorcycle Show on March 25, where the bike will be the centerpiece of Honda’s display.

Bullet-nosed fairing, different ergos, and low-mounted mirrors signal a continuation of Honda’s Neo-Sports Café design theme. (Honda/)

The images are accompanied by limited information at the moment, but it’s abundantly clear that the SOHC engine is the same 100 hp design that’s familiar from the Africa Twin. Honda’s information strangely says that the Hawk’s engine is a 1,082cc twin, while the firm’s official specs for the Africa Twin and NT1100 put the engine at 1,084cc, but we’re not expecting any real change in the 92mm bore and 81.5mm stroke used on the existing versions of the engine. Honda may have simply rounded those numbers differently to reach the Hawk’s 1,082cc capacity figure, as it takes less than 0.1mm difference in either measurement to make that 2cc change in the calculated capacity.

Related: Honda Hawk 11: The Africa Twin’s Sportbike Spawn

The SOHC engine is likely to have the same power figures of 100 hp and 77 pound-feet of torque. On the Hawk, however, you’ll only be able to have it with a conventional six-speed transmission. (Honda/)

Whatever the final specifications, since both the NT1100 and Africa Twin make 100 hp at 7,500 rpm, and 77 pound-feet at 6,250 rpm the Hawk won’t be far from those figures. Unlike the NT1100 and Africa Twin, which are both offered with the choice of Honda’s semi-automatic DCT gearbox as an alternative to the standard six-speed manual, the Hawk sis offered only with a conventional six-speed, at least initially. Given the bike’s back-to-basics intentions, that makes sense.

The 17-inch alloy wheels carry over from the NT1100, though the Hawk gets a different Showa SFF-BP fork. (Honda/)

The frame, like the engine, comes straight from the Africa Twin and NT1100. Like those bikes, it’s a steel semi-double-cradle design, with a bolt-on subframe. It appears the subframe is the lighter design from the Africa Twin rather than the NT1100′s stronger version, which was designed with passengers and luggage in mind. The NT1100, however, donates its swingarm to the Hawk 11, as well as its 17-inch alloy wheels. Up front, the Hawk gets its own Showa SFF-BP fork, different to the one on the NT1100, as well as Nissin four-pot radial calipers that appear a fraction larger than those used on the NT. The rotors, however, appear to be the same 310mm units used on the tourer.

The Hawk’s stretched-out ergonomics are said to accommodate a wide variety of rider sizes. (Honda/)

Honda is particularly proud of the Hawk’s ergonomics, showing that it can accommodate riders from as short as 5-foot-1 to those 5-foot-11 or more, apparently without the need for an adjustable seat height. The same pictures that illustrate the riding position also show that the unusual, low-mounted mirrors—which hang from the fairing but are mounted below the bars—are far enough forward to prevent the rider’s hands obstructing their sight. As they reflect the view below the rider’s arms, they may actually be clearer than conventional, high-mounted mirrors that often reflect more of your shoulders than the traffic behind.

Although there’s ride-by-wire with multiple riding modes, the Hawk has a relatively uncluttered dash punctuated by a simple round gauge rather than a massive TFT screen. (Honda/)

Like the other models in Honda’s portfolio using this engine, the Hawk has ride-by-wire with multiple engine maps and riding modes, altering the outright power levels as well as the throttle response. There’s also adjustable engine-braking control. However, the indications are that Honda wants this to be an affordable machine; the instruments use a simple liquid-crystal display, with a small circular gauge containing all the information, rather than the sort of oversized, full-color TFT that’s increasingly common. The large number of components shared with the Africa Twin and NT1100 make for economies of scale, hopefully allowing the Hawk to be priced lower than you might expect for a twin-cylinder sportbike in this capacity class.

The Hawk 11 from the rear, with a better view of the low-mounted mirrors. (Honda/)

Initially, it seems likely that the Hawk will be a Japanese-market model; so far, all Honda’s publicity for the bike has been focused on Japan. However, with an engine that already meets all international emissions regulations, and chassis parts shared with two global models in the form of the Africa Twin and NT1100, all logic suggests the Hawk is set to be unleashed across the world in due course.

The Hawk 11 in modified form, fitted with aftermarket parts. (Honda/)

As well as the standard Hawk 11, Honda has also revealed the first elements of a set of aftermarket components for the bike. A modified version, with silver and black paint instead of the blue and silver of the initial show model, a Moriwaki exhaust, and alternative rearset footpegs has been revealed, with more bolt-on parts promised in the future alongside a planned range of Hawk riding gear.

According to Honda, the Hawk 11′s riding position will fit riders as short as 5-foot-1. (Honda/)
Head on view of the new Honda Hawk 11. When it launches, it will likely be offered only in Japan—at least at first. (Honda/)

 

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