Honda plans road-going V4 and V5

HONDA is working on an all-new 1000cc V4 superbike AND a Hayabusa-style V5.

Both are expected to draw heavily on technology being developed for the firm’s new V5 four-stroke GP race bike.

The V4 superbike will supercede Honda’s current SP-2 V-twin in WSB in 2004, when the series’ rules will change to a simple 1000cc limit for all engine types (at the moment fours are limited to 750cc while twins can be up to 1000cc).

When the road version of the bike arrives in showrooms it is expected to be priced at exotica levels – like its RC30 and RC45 V4 forerunners – rather than the £9999 list price of the current road-going SP-2.

Sources in Japan have also confirmed that Honda has started work on a big-capacity ” hyperbike ” using a V5. The 1200-1300cc machine will replace the CBR1100XX Super Blackbird. The five-cylinder configuration should give it an edge on rival fours like the Kawasaki ZX-12 and Suzuki Hayabusa, with a power output close to 200bhp.

But Honda is also known to be planning to launch a replacement for the Blackbird later this year, to go on sale in 2003. This is unlikely to be the V5 – instead, expect to see an interim design, essentially a big-bore 1200cc version of the current model. The V5 model isn’t likely to debut until 2005.

A new FireBlade will be launched the year before, concurrently with the new V4, and will retain its current in-line four cylinder layout, although the capacity will be upped from 954cc to nearer 1000cc. This bike is believed to feature a version of the torque- and power-boosting V-TEC system seen on the latest VFR800.

We’re digging to find out more about these new models right now. Check out MCN on February 13 to see for what we’ve unearthed, plus by then we’ll have some exclusive computer-generated images of what the new V4 might look like.