Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128130
ation at 6300 rpm, 400 rpm lower than before, to improve the midrange punch. Honda also fitted the front-brake calipers from the VTR1000 SP-l (a.k.a RC-51) for improved stopping power, and chucked out the shiny chrome exhaust for a race-repli<;a pipe that is a knock-off of any product from the 850 different exhaust aftermarket companies in Japan. Off in the corner of the Honda sport bike stage were two "customized models" - motorcycles that are derivatives of popular production models but with niche-filling modifications. For nostalgia seekers, Honda offered a "Standard Single Cafe Sports" road bike based on the CB400SS fourstroke single. The most immediate change from the standard CB is the bulbous white rocket half-fairing with windscreen, and polished aluminum gas tank with fill-up fiUer cap. Other changes include a solo seat with white tail cone, and 1960s-style footpegs, kickstarter, and brake and gearshift levers. Honda's second customized model was aimed for dirt bikers land-locked in the city. Starting with a Brazilianmade XR250 dual-purpose bike, Honda did a complete supermotard makeover, but retained enough of the street-gear to keep it road-worthy. Seventeen-inch wheels were fitted front and rear, in addition to an entirely new front end - brakes, forks, clamps, handlebars, bark busters, everything forward of the steering stem was brand new and meant business. Honda was silent about work to the engine, but a new cylinder head was spotted featuring dual exhaust ports, in addition to a new carburetor and large-capacity oil pump with oil cooler. Ironically, Honda's technical innovation was more present on the Lifestyle Wing stage than the Sports Wing stage. In Japan, Honda offers more products in the scooter and commuter categories than in road sports and dual-purpose product categories combined. Fittingly, all of the real new technology products Honda debuted in Tokyo were targeted at the lifestyle-type consumer. Honda's headliner was the futuristic "Elysium" - a creative fusion of the words ellipse and prism. Though shaped like a scooter, the Elysium is actually six inches longer than the new 1300cc Honda Pan-European sport tourer. And taller, too, due to the inclusion of a power roof. "Personally, I don't call this a scooter," said chief engineer Makoto Kitagawa. "It's a 'new commuter.' It's very comfortable and very smooth." Being a futuristic model, the Elysium contains numerous features heretofore not seen on scooters. Starting with the engine, the Elysi- (Above) Tread lightly and carry lots or rubber: The Honda Commuter tire. (Right) Because of its telescopic design, the front wheel and the rear wheelan the Honda e-DAX can actually touch. Honda has a concept car where the seat of the e-DAX ends up being the backrest of the car's back seat. urn's power comes from a Gold Winglike 750cc flat opposed four-cylinder four-stroke featuring water-cooling and undisclosed green technology for clean running. Engine power flows through a compact hydraulically controlled continuously variable transmission with shaft drive. Extra stopping power is required, of course, and the Elysium has dual floating front disk brakes with six-piston calipers actuated through Honda's linked combi-brake system (front and rear brakes controlled by one brake lever). Front suspension is a telescopic steering stem, as used on the Xaxis sport bike and the Honda FN-1 futuristic super sport bike displayed at Tokyo four years ago. The real excellence in engineering on the Elysium is with respect to human engineering, however. The Elysium has a long, arched windscreen that mates with a folding power roof. Push a button, and the roof automatically folds down over the rear trunk for your choice of open-air cruising in good weather, or more protection in wet weather. The dashboard features dual-color LCD monitors that replace rearview mirrors, and GPS navigation. The massive stepped seat looks as comfortable as a top-of-the-line Herman Miller office chair, with the passenger seat having small arm rests. The passenger-seat back rest doubles as the door to the trunk, spacious enough for two full-face helmets. Honda deserves high marks for how they pulled this much function in a beautifully styled package. Too many independent customizers polish every surface visible to the eye; Honda's command of contrasting yet complimentary surface textures highlight another dimension of design strength unique to Honda. The 35th Tokyo Motor Show could be significant for Honda's bold initiatives with electric commuter bikes. Traditional motorcyclists might initially scoff electric bikes as a lower form of two-wheel transportation, but it is quite clear that Honda does not think so. Today's market is not all that dissimilar to the market in the 1960s, a period that when most people thought motorcycle they thought of a rather large HarleyDavidson, Triumph, Norton, etc. Honda showed up with 50cc stepthrough Honda Cubs, and introduced baby-boomers to motorcycling via a very non-threatening product. Time will tell if the five electric commuter bikes Honda presented this year will replace the Honda Cub and make motorcyclists out of current non-riders. The electric commuter bike concepts from Honda varied greatly in form, although some common elements were present. Chief was the use of direct-drive in-wheel electric motors, and the ability to either easily disassemble and/or compact the motorcycle for storage. The most compact of the lot was a model called "e-DAX." Through use of a telescoping frame and handlebars, Honda was successful in creating a design where the wheelbase can be reduced nearly to the point where the front and rear wheels touch. The small size and light weight of the eDAX makes it an easy bike to bring with in the back of a car, and to that cycle n end Honda displayed a concept car designed for the e-DAX (or, in all probability, the e-DAX was designed for the concept car). Honda's concept car utilized the seat of the e-DAX to be the rear backrest of the rear seats in the car. Next to the e-DAX was Honda's Caxia - pronounced "KI-shah" and means "box" in Japanese - an electric commuter that folds down to a 32x32x7 -inch box-like shape for storage. Like e-DAX, Caxia was designed with in-car storage in mind, and Honda displayed a concept van in their car exhibit that cou Id store Caxia commuter bikes within the side doors of the van. Caxia featured bodywork similar to the old Motocompo mini-bike Honda offered some fifteen years ago in Japan. In a folddown state, the bodywork gives Caxia a very clean look, while in the operationa I state the bodywork provides space for storage of small items. A third electric commuter bike was a blood relative of Caxia, but without bodywork. Named "Mobimoba" for mobile mobility, the Mobimoba seemed designed for life more in an operation, configuration versus the storage configuration of Caxia. Mobimoba features a better-quality seat for more comfortable sitting over long periods of time, and an instrument panel with cup holder - probably an all-time first on a two-wheel vehicle. Additionally, the instrument panel is hinged to flip open and convert to a small table for alfresco lunching. For those that prefer to cook at home, Honda offered an electric commuter unoriginally called "Riding Cart," featuring an oversize kangaroo e _ S • NOVEMBER 14,2001 "27