News – Motorcycle news for 2013: the Honda CB1100 finally arrives in France! – Mitsuyoshi Kohama talks about “his” Honda CB1100

Posted on by admin

Motorcycle news 2013: the Honda CB1100 finally arrives in France !

News - Motorcycle news for 2013: the Honda CB1100 finally arrives in France! - Mitsuyoshi Kohama talks about

The Honda CB1100, so far available in Australia and Japan, landed in Europe in 2013. Cried out loudly by neo-retro motorcycle enthusiasts, especially in France, this air-cooled roadster marks a kind of homecoming for Honda.

Mitsuyoshi Kohama talks about "his" Honda CB1100

Mitsuyoshi Kohama, creator of the Honda CB1100, looks back on the genesis of this project which was close to his heart. The Japanese admits having clicked after spending several years in Europe, where neo-retro type motorcycles were starting to meet with some success…

"I started to think about this when I returned to Japan after several years in Europe. It was around this time that I started to do some sketches…", he explains.

"The tires, the engine, the chassis, the fuel tank, the saddle … I thought about how to combine all these elements harmoniously to create a perfect whole. I wanted to create a beautiful machine, one that a craftsman could have made by hand. But also a machine that is accessible and easy to control by all".

Asked about the reasons that led him to choose an air motor despite the complications caused to meet anti-pollution standards, Mitsuyoshi Kohama simply admits to being in love with this type of mechanics: "It had to be an air motor… ", replied the Japanese bluntly. But it was still necessary to convince several of his peers at Honda, a manufacturer whose reputation has been built around its mastery of liquid cooling….

"These are the kind of questions I had to face when we started developing the machine. And this is a point of view that I could understand: starting with an air motor could seem "backward" to the people at Honda, the very people who always put liquid cooling first, synonymous with maximum performance.".

"When asked to justify my choice, I simply said, "The only reason is that a lot of bikers like air engines." Personally, I love the metallic clatter of these engines as they cool down. A motorcycle engine should be filled with oil, not water. Just looking at the cooling fins inspires me".

"And there is something special about an air motor, a feeling that you don’t get with a sports car’s liquid cooled engine, for example. For me, a biker and motorcycle lover, a future without an air motor would not be successful. And I was sure I wasn’t the only one to think this way !".

"Finally, starting from my sketches, this machine which defies all logic and which asks only to roll became a reality. We exhibited the concept of the CB Four at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1999 and I was particularly touched by the reception it received … In 2007, when we wanted to create a machine that was even closer expectations of lovers of authenticity, we presented in Tokyo another concept, the CB1100F, the same one that goes into production today under the name CB1100".

Related articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *