Honda

Honda working on Hossack fork CB1000R By Ben Purvis

While there have been endless attempts to overthrow the telescopic fork as the standard front suspension system for motorcycles, none have come as close to success as the girder-style 'Hossack' front end. It's been used on mainstream BMWs from the K1200 to the K1600, and most recently on the current generation of Honda Gold Wing, and now Honda is working on a variation of the idea specifically for a high-performance naked bike.

A patent application filed by Honda shows the Hossack front end, made up of a cast alloy upright holding the front wheel and attached to the frame by a pair of car-style wishbones supported by a single coil-over shock, fitted to a four-cylinder naked bike similar to the CB1000R, including a single-sided swingarm and a new, two-part main frame.

Normally, the advantage of the Hossack fork is that it can separate braking and suspension forces, allowing relatively compliant suspension while preventing excessive dive during deceleration. It also allows side-to-side flex to be tailored while retaining maximum longitudinal rigidity. However, in this instance, Honda is leveraging a previously unexplored advantage of the Hossack design, namely its aerodynamics.

Seen from the front, the upright casting that holds the front wheel can be slimmer than conventional telescopic forks, and also shaped into an aerodynamic profile to slice the air more cleanly. Beyond that, and specifically on unfaired bikes, as seen in Honda's patent application, the upper section of the girder, above the front wheel, is sculpted to channel air into a pair of side-mounted air intakes on the shoulders of the fuel tank. The patent explains these can be used for both the engine's air intake and for airflow to a radiator for cooling.

One element that isn't seen on the patent is a headlight, but the advent of LED lighting allows lamps to be much smaller than in the past, so fitting one into the nose section below the steering head would be relatively simple, giving a front end that's far more aerodynamic than a conventional naked bike while retaining the unfaired appearance.