THE launch of the Honda CB750 Hornet and Transalp marks a significant step in Honda revamping its middle-weight platform. But could the naked and adventure machine be joined in the range by a sports bike in years to come?
If the rumour mill is to be believed, the answer to that question is yes, as multiple websites are claiming that a new CBR750R is indeed waiting in the wings for its moment in the spotlight. The move would make total sense from an engineering standpoint, they already have the engine and frame after all, and from there it’s just a case of making the overall package where you need it to be. The one question mark around the project though is regarding its profitability.
The sports bike market is still a bit of an anomaly, and while this new breed of parallel twin-cylinder bikes have injected some excitement, and affordability into the segment, Honda will likely be cautious to pull the trigger on this project without concrete evidence it’ll be a sales hit.
The Honda CB750 Hornet is the bike a potential CBR750R could be based on
Giving us an idea of how the bike could look, this rendering has been doing the rounds over the weekend and comes via the incredibly well-informed team at Young Machine. It shows the engine and chassis from the newly released nake bike, wrapped in some rather attractive-looking bodywork that isn’t too dissimilar to that found on the updated CBR600RR. If the bike ever does land, its 95bhp output and mid-level electronics would put it right in the mix compared to the competition from Aprilia, Yamaha and Kawasaki.
