After the teaser, covers have been thrown off the 2022 Honda Hawk 11, the Japanese motorcycle maker’s take on the quintessential cafe racer. While most were expecting the Hawk 11 to perhaps use the four-cylinder mill from the Neo Sports Cafe, power for this latest Honda model comes from the parallel-twin engine taken from the Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin adventure-tourer.
It appears Honda is making the most of
this particular power plant as it has also been used in the NT1100
sports-tourer and the Rebel 1100 cruiser. In this particular case, the Hawk 11
will get 100 PS at 7,500 rpm and 103 Nm torque at 6,000 rpm from 1,083 cc,
based on the specifications for the Africa Twin.
Mated a six-speed transmission and chain
final drive, the Hawk 11 gets ride-by-wire throttle. This allows for riding
modes of which there are four – Sport, Standard, Rain and User. From the launch
videos, we know the Hawk 11 gets traction control as well as engine braking
control while the User mode gives custom setting for each ride mode variable.
However, the Hawk does not seem to get top shelf suspension, with the
upside-down forks lacking the full adjustability we would expect from a
motorcycle in this market segment.
Braking is done by Nissin with twin discs
on the front wheel while Moriwaki supplies the exhaust system. Led lighting is
used throughout and the instrument panel is a digital unit.
