Honda's Rider-Friendly "Crossover" Bike

Ducati Minor

Honda

Just as Paris's auto salon is going on, Cologne has its annual motorcycle show. Part of the line of debuts is the Honda DN-01, a rider-friendly "crossover" that blends the styling and manner of a motorcycle with the everyday usability of a scooter.

Of course, the scooter part should not be mentioned for Honda's P.R. sake. The DN-01 won't employ a gearbox or a clutch, but a the new "Human-Friendly Transmission" that employs a sophisticated set of infinitely variable gear ratios. According to Gabe Ets-Hokin of Cycle World, the DN-01 will offer three operating modes: Economy, Sport, and Manual. The engine will be a liquid-cooled 680 cc V-twin. The price mentioned is a hefty $14,600.

Still, the motorcycle segment is (contrary to some complaints) a growing one, and manufacturers are having to come up with all sorts of creative ideas to stay fresh. The DN-01's cutting-edge tech, futuristic design, and simple operation could help Honda secure a dominant place among Japan's "Big Four" bike-makers.

CMartens

I have to admit that I'm sold on the DN-01's swoopy styling; it reminds me a bit of the "vibe" of one my favorite sport cruisers of all time--namely, the late, lamented Moto-Guzzi Centauro (man, what a cool, under-appreciated bike that was!). I can't wait to see one of these things in the flesh.

Now about the drive-train: purists will probably freak out over the CVT-for-cycles layout, and on one level I can understand why. I never thought the manual transmissions in motorcycles were all that tricky to master in the first place. But, in a world filled with cell phone-addled SUV jockeys, etc., I suppose there's much to be said for reducing the motorcycle pilot's "workload"--if only to allow more mindshare for dodging kamikaze pickup trucks and the like. Besides, the "twist'n'go" approach does have a certain appeal all its own.

But here's a key question: will the DN-01 have enough torque and horsepower to make a CVT-type transmission feel fun? If I've done my metric conversions properly, I think the DN-01 will put out a hair over 60 hp and 47 ft. lbs. of torque. Those figure are more than OK by scooter standards, but definitely not rocket-ship material by motorcycle standards. Remember, too, that the DN-01 is supposed to weigh in at a chunky 593 lbs. (making it more or less the Exxon Valdez of the scooter world).

So here's my final question: can Honda build a version with 2X the horsepower and torque, and that weighs less than 500 lbs.? Now that would be good, clean fun.

FYI: Here's the link to Honda's press release for the DN-01
http://world.honda.com/news/2008/2080228DN-01-Large-Sports-Cruiser/