Honda trademark points to V3R model
By Ben Purvis
When Honda showed the V3 Concept at last year's EICMA - even as just an engine and bare chassis - it immediately stole the limelight from every other machine at the show and the company was quick to promise that a production model using the same powertrain was on the way. Now that looks set to get the name 'V3R' after Honda filed trademark applications for rights to use that name on future motorcycles.
It's a clear indication that the initial bike to use the engine, which features not only an unusual V3 layout but an electric supercharger to help meet performance demands and boost low-end torque, while meeting modern emissions limits, will be a sporty model, as indicated by the 'R' in the title.
Eventually, the V3R model name is likely to be just part of the model's brand name, with additional figures and letters to define the bike's capacity and how extreme its sporting edge is. Honda has conventionally used two or three letter prefixes to define its four-stroke, V-engined models, with 'VT' and 'VTR' used for V-twins and 'VF' and 'VFR' on V-fours. The same strategy would see the V-three also, confusingly, getting 'VT' or 'VTR' initials, hence the introduction of the 'V3R' name to set it apart from Honda's twins.
It's not Honda's first production V3, of course. The NS400R takes that honour, but that was a two-stroke, and therefore followed a completely different naming strategy - one that didn't specify the cylinder count.
The V3 Concept shown at EICMA featured the new engine bolted to a steel trellis frame, but with the forks, brakes and swingarm all from Honda's existing CB1000R roadster. Could that be a clue as to the style of bike that debuts the new engine? At the moment, there's no official word on that, or on the engine's capacity or performance level. Rumours place the V3 at around the 800 cc or 850 cc mark, so the production model to debut the engine could be called something like 'V3R800R'.
Eventually, multiple bikes are expected to emerge based on the same platform, all bearing the 'V3' or 'V3R' name with additional numbers or letters to define their style.
