Honda had first teased the Hawk 11 earlier this month, and now the Japanese manufacturer has released a second teaser video that includes more details of the inbound neo-retro machine. The Honda Hawk 11 will be officially launched at the 2022 Osaka Motorcycle Show, which will take place from March 19-21.
The previous teaser showed a neo-retro cafe racer-style motorcycle with a curved front fairing and a round headlight, akin to the Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RR. And although the new teaser offers a slightly clearer view of the motorcycle, it is still essentially a compilation of dark studio shots, intent on hiding most of the details of the motorcycle. What we do see, however, confirms that this will be the fourth model to use the 1100cc twin-cylinder platform that made its debut on the Honda Africa Twin, followed by the CMX1100 Rebel and the NT1100.
We also see the steel cradle chassis design that’s used on the Africa Twin. Considering the number of miles this chassis platform has racked up on the road, this Hawk avatar should have quite a strong baseline. It gets the Africa Twin’s 1,084cc parallel-twin that produces 101hp and 104Nm, with even the front exhaust section in this teaser appearing unchanged. So, expect a 6-speed manual gearbox, which is the version you see here, with a conventional clutch lever and foot-operated gear shifter, as well as the option of a 6-speed DCT, like on the Africa Twin.
It also gets rather unique mirrors mounted on the fairing. The mirrors are mounted in a way to not mar the aesthetics of the motorcycle and hang below the bars rather than sitting above them. We also see the upside-down fork that looks very similar to that on the NT1100 (another bike based on the Africa Twin), so the Hawk should get the Nissin brakes as well as other underpinnings from other bikes built on this platform.
Honda recently discontinued the CB1100 and so it makes sense for Honda to be adding a neo-retro like the Hawk to fill the gap in its line-up. It's also well poised to offer a piece of the neo-retro pie that buyers seem to be lining up for at the moment.
Honda offers the Africa Twin in our country and has patented the NT1100 in India as well. So, there is a small chance that the upcoming Hawk 11 could make it to our shores.
Are you excited to see what this motorcycle will finally look like? Let us know in the comments below.
Rishaad Mody
Ved Janve
Vishal Venugopal
Dinshaw Magol
