A Super-Duper Blackbird?

A SUPER-DUPER BLACKBIRD?

ROUNDUP

WITH KAWASAKI claiming that its new ZX-14 makes a whopping 190 horsepower and Suzuki allegedly hard at work on a hotted-up Hayabusa for 2007, the hyperbike wars are heating up once again. But will Honda rejoin the battle? With its CBR1100XX “Super Blackbird,” Honda once was a player in the warp-speed game but yanked the XX out of the lineup after the 2003 model year. When asked if they plan to take another run at the segment, Honda officials were non-committal, but this computer-generated image offers some idea of what such a bike might look like. For the most part, it’s an 1100XX that’s had its displacement upped to 1200cc and been fitted with radial-mount brakes, a triangulated swingarm and a few styling licks that include integrated rear tumsignals.

It would seem that the architecture for a competitive hyperbike is already there; all that remains is for Honda to build it. But don’t be surprised if such a bike never comes to fruition-at least not in a form intended to compete head-tohead with the ZX-14 and a revised Hayabusa. Honda has taken a very conservative stance over the past few years when it comes to sheer speed and has shied away from any connotations of its bikes being the “fastest” or “most powerful.” Even with the industry’s self-imposed 300-kph (186mph) top-speed limit,

Honda is unlikely to enter an arena in which the time it takes to reach that maximum velocity is the main criterion. Then again, speed sells, and Honda is certainly not opposed to moving more bikes off of showroom floors.

Paul Dean