Patents reveal Honda Rebel 1100
For years, we’ve been hearing rumors that Honda’s Africa Twin engine will be the basis of a whole range of bikes. Now there’s evidence of a Rebel 1100, thanks to a collection of new patent applications from the firm.
The new documents clearly show the Africa Twin’s 1,084cc, 101 hp parallel twin and dual-clutch, seamless-shift DCT gearbox bolted into a steel-framed, bobber-style bike that looks very much like Honda’s existing Rebel 300 and Rebel 500 models.
The sense behind such a machine is hard to deny. The two Honda Rebels, as well as bigger bikes such as Kawasaki’s Vulcan 650 and even Triumph’s Bonneville Bobber, have demonstrated a market for cruisers other than traditional air-cooled American V-twins. Honda’s Africa Twin engine, which is tuned for low-down torque rather than out-and-out power, might have been developed with the adventure bike in mind, but its characteristics also make it ideal for a bobber. As a bonus, it’s a notably compact and lightweight design.
The new patents show a surprising amount of detail. Not only do they clearly illustrate the DCT version of the Africa Twin engine, complete with hydraulics controlling the twin clutches and the lack of a clutch lever or shifter on the left side, but they reveal the design of the Rebel 1100′s frame. One of the new patents specifically deals with the relationship between the front engine mounts, the exhaust headers, and the radiator brackets, all of which differ notably from the existing Africa Twin’s.
Where the adventure bike has two radiators, one mounted on each side of the bike to allow the long-travel front suspension to compress, the Rebel has a single conventional cooler mounted in front of the cylinder head. The exhaust headers are pulled to the right-hand side, with short pipes running into a catalytic converter mounted just ahead of the engine, allowing the cat to reach operating temperature fast on cold starts and avoid limiting cornering clearance.
The chassis is a simple tubular steel design, similar to the existing Rebel 500′s but with higher-spec components bolted on. The twin rear shocks have remote reservoirs and the fork, while still a right-way-up design, has big radial-mount brake calipers at the lower ends. The side profile, with its low-mounted headlight, short fenders, and low seat, closely reflects the existing Rebel models' shape.
We’ve already seen that Honda is working on a roadster-style naked bike using the Africa Twin engine, suggesting the firm may make a range of bikes around the 1,084cc twin, reflecting the successful lineup created around its 471cc CB500 engine.
Even more intriguing: Honda has been working on a supercharged version of the same engine. If that motor reaches production, it may eventually find its way into the bobber design.
Although the patents show that a Rebel 1100 is under development, they don’t hold any clues to the bike’s development timeline or whether it’s been given the green light for production.