Honda's Automatic Transmission-Equipped DN-01,
Yours for Only ¥1,239,000
It happened so quickly. Last September, Honda unveiled a handful of concept motorcycles at the Tokyo Motor Show, among them homages to the legendary CB-series, a massive six-cylinder streetfighter, and a curious, automatic-transmission equipped sport cruiser called the DN-01 (which was originally shown in 2005.) Personally, I would have guessed that the CB bikes would be built first, but nary a month after the show, the swoopy DN-01 was announced for production, with the following specs:
- A rubber-mounted, liquid-cooled four-stroke 680 cc OHC V-twin that produces 60 hp
- An infinitely variable hydraulic mechanical "Human Friendly" transmission mounted inside the engine crankcase, which offers D mode for normal riding, a sportier S mode, and a six-speed manual mode
- A combined ABS system that includes a parking brake
- Shaft drive and a single-sided, Pro-Arm swingarm
- A seat height of 27 inches and a weight of 593 lbs
According to Honda, the DN-01 will be available for sale in Japan this Friday, March 7th at a price of ¥1,239,000, which equals $11,990.84 USD at the time of this publishing. One has to wonder which, if any, will meet U.S. shores first: the ready for primetime, shark-nosed DN-01, or the still conceptual, nostalgia stirring CB-series.
Photo © HondaClick to enlarge
Comments
This should be very interesting to watch acceptance and sales….
If anything holds it back, I think it’ll be the combination of 600lbs and 60hp. That sounds underpowered, bordering on anemic.
Seems like a lot of people find Harleys weighing in at 700+ lbs and 60 HP acceptable.
I will be interested to see who will be buying. Will it be people who can’t shift, but don’t want a step through, or long timers tired of pulling a clutch?
Something like this has been a long time coming. My wife never learned to drive a standard, so the idea of riding while learning to shift was too much, but she loves to ride. Up until know she has had to settle for power scooters which still seriously lack the acceleration of a manual. Even at 600lbs and 60hp it should still out-perform her scooter (which regularly passes Harley’s on the highway and twisties.) The big drawback will be only 600cc for over $11k. A premium for automatic is understandable, but $5k to $6k is extreme.
I’m guessing this will attract either boomers tired of shifting gears, or newbies looking for one less hurdle to learning how to ride.
Looks like quite the sheep in wolf’s clothing no? Way more aggressive looking than its power:weight ratio suggests.
Basem
Looks like a cross of a scooter, cruiser, and a sport bike. Might be a bit heavy for a beginner but looks like a great commuter! Power to weight is about like a V-Star 1100 so the on road riding won’t be that bad.
Basem,
It is indeed agressive styling, but I bet the performance won’t come even close to the look. If it’s a typical Honda, the engineering, execution, fit, finish & quality will be flawless, but from a perfomance aspect, I suspect it’s more of a Sheep in Wolf’s clothing
I think the CVT-like transmission is going to surprise some people used to running an engine through the rev-range. Depending on how they program it, in a performance mode when you give it full throttle, the rpm’s should jump up to either redline or maximum power and just stay there until either you let off the gas or run out of gearing. I know my bike really grunts around 10.5K. Imagine if it could just stay there without having to drop revs and the transmission can just vary the ratios to put the power down. That should result in a smaller engine being adequate because it can just sit at max torque or horsepower during acceleration. Sweet!
The big automatic scooter-ish thing doesn’t do much for me, but put me first in line for either of the retro CB1100’s. The question there is will Honda actually bring them to the US? For some reason, motorcycles that I find appealing, good functional standards and dual sports like the 919 and the Transalp haven’t made it in the US market. Harley released the very desirable XR1200 in Europe only, and Yamaha pulled the very capable TDM many years ago and isn’t releasing the Super Tenere or the XT660 here. Too bad, in my opinion. These are great, functional, practical, stylish bikes with a good deal of performance.
I look forward to seeing one on one of my mountian runs. Yes I live in Japan so I ma sure I will come across one before too long. I just hope my newly aquired NSR250SE doesn’t get based by one. Apparently with a very simple speed delimiting my bike should also have approx. 60hp from a 250cc two-stroke. Not due to arrive for a couple of days though so will have to wait and see.
Where can one see the DN-01 Honda, It looks and sounds like a great bike from everything I have read, but who is selling it? I would love to get my hands on one.
Thanks
Henry