Scooter – Honda Integra test: the scooter for bikers? – Mechanical update on the 2012 Honda Integra

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Honda Integra test: the scooter for bikers ?

Scooter - Honda Integra test: the scooter for bikers? - Mechanical update on the 2012 Honda Integra

Technically identical to the NC700X trail and the NC700S roadster, the Integra is however radically different. And for good reason: despite its engine and motorcycle frame, this Honda novelty is actually a scooter designed to appeal to bikers…. Test.

Mechanical update on the 2012 Honda Integra

Equipped with a long-stroke parallel twin (73 mm bore * 80 mm stroke), the Integra claims 51.8 hp and 62 Nm. Basic in appearance, this block with single camshaft is actually wickedly gamberge : very tilted forward (62 °) in order to lower the center of gravity and free up space, it calls on all the know-how accumulated in the automobile by Honda in terms of reducing internal friction.

But contrary to what has been read here and there, this twin is not the result of a Jazz four-cylinder cut in two! Although Honda engineers do not deny the existence of synergies between auto and motorcycle services, the inline twin of the Integra and its siblings NC700S and NC700X is indeed a brand new engine designed for two-wheelers..

Modern, it was developed with a new approach: drastically reducing consumption and polluting emissions. Honda announces consumption of around 3.6 l / 100 km on the Integra !

An astonishing figure for a mid-size two-wheeler (according to Honda, it’s even 56% less than a CB600F!), But which is probably not optimistic: Site measured the NC700X at 3.72 l / 100 km at its .

To reduce friction – and therefore consumption – the pistons are coated with a special resin and the cams are made of extremely light aluminum. In addition, the operation of each part is optimized: the water pump is driven by the camshaft and the oil pump is fixed on the same axis as the balance shaft. And if the twin has one injector per cylinder, the admission is done through a split duct with a single butterfly.

Economical, the Integra also benefits from service intervals of 12,000 km while its iridium spark plugs will have to be replaced at 48,000 km. Unfortunately, its chain transmission will probably not hold as much and will also require tedious sessions of lubrication and tension….

Equipped with a short catalytic converter directly placed at the engine output to promote its efficiency when cold, this vertical twin with a low maximum speed (6500 rpm!) Is assisted – standard on the Integra, optional on NC700S and NC700X – by a double clutch gearbox DCT second generation.

Discovered on the, this unique device in motorbikes (a little less in cars where it has been used for ten years) is based on a "conventional" gearbox with forks and barrels, connected to two multi-disc clutches with bathtub. ‘oil.

Managed by an electronic control unit connected to hydraulic circuits, one takes care of odd ratios (1st, 3rd and 5th) and the other of even gears (2nd, 4th and 6th). When the first is switched on, for example, the central unit pre-switches – in just 70 milliseconds! – the second gear, then releases the clutch of the first at the same time that the second gear is locked.

As on the VFR 1200 DCT, the Integra no longer "bothered" with the clutch lever (the left lever actuates the rear brake) and has two operating principles: an automatic – which offers two "D" modes. and "S" – and a manual (MT). More compact and more responsive but still just as heavy (10 kg), this Dual Clutch Transmission "2.0" has seen its shifting laws modified for more pleasure and sensitivity..

When the engine is started, the system is automatically in neutral, as on a motorcycle. All that remains is to choose between automatic "D" or "S" modes via the control placed on the right handle, or to actuate the "AT / MT" tab placed behind the right stalk to choose manual mode. The gear change is then done with the "+" and "-" triggers present on the left stalk.

Even in manual mode, the system "filters" the requests which seem unnatural to it: it is for example not possible to downshift when the engine speed is too high, nor to risk under-speed by increasing several gears without accelerate.

More annoying for a pure biker, the Dual Clutch Transmission still requires a little thought time between each gear change, even in manual ("MT"). You can quickly press the trigger "+" or "-" twice in a row, the device will only go up or down in one gear. !

At any time, it is possible to switch from automatic to manual, and vice versa. The pilot can find out about the gear and the mode engaged via a small window placed at the bottom of the on-board console, entirely digital and quite complete (read the "Instrumentation" part of our technical sheet on the following pages).

Designed for calm driving and duo, the automatic "D" mode shifts smoothly and quickly. More lively, the "S" mode is better suited to sporty driving but it generates more jerks, especially during downshifts.

Small specificity in 2012: it is now possible to manually up or down a gear in automatic "D" or "S" mode. A few seconds after the request, however, the system returns to the selected automatic configuration. This allows for example to "enter" a report manually when approaching a curve, then to return to automatic management of reports (or how to "bubble" between two arsouilles!)

A handbrake (a handle placed on the right side of the apron) completes the device and allows the Integra to be parked on a slope without fear of it moving.

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