Honda set to take on BMW’s XR

New Africa Twin-powered sports tourer on the horizon

Sources in Japan have confirmed that Honda are working on a sports tourer that will be powered by the engine from the Africa Twin.

Sales of sports tourers have been on the wane but adventure styled sport tourers, such as BMW’s XRs and Yamaha’s Tracers have boosted the segment, and Honda are keen to get in on the action. If you’re looking at the render and thinking it looks strangely familiar then you’re right. Honda first showed a concept called the CB4X this time last year, powered by the engine from the CB650R. That concept came from Honda’s R&D centre in Rome, which has penned numerous concepts that have become reality including the reborn Africa Twin, X-ADV and CB1000R. At the time it looked like Honda were going to produce a bike to rival the new Tracer 7, however it now looks like they have bigger ideas.

The new bike, believed to be called the CB1100X, will use the 1084cc engine from the latest Africa Twin, which has also found a home in the new 1100 Rebel. This platform engineering, with multiple models based around one engine, enables manufacturers to build an array of machines while keeping costs as low as possible. Honda are no strangers to this, mostly with lower-priced commuter bikes. As well as bringing more power than the 650 motor, the 1100 engine is also a twin helping to make the chassis much slimmer in the middle. A key element of helping to reduce the stand-over height of the saddle, which is a big concern for this sort of bike. There’s been nothing official from Honda but sources suggest the CB1100X will be revealed in late 2021.

‘The idea came from Honda R&D over in Rome’