Honda is being reported on working a large displacement motorcycle based on the Honda Rebel to compete with large capacity cruisers such as the Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycles which currently dominate the large cruiser department.
The new Honda Rebel is speculated to use a 1100cc parallel-twin motor from the recently upgraded CRF1100L Africa Twin but in terms of the design and style the new bike which could be called the Rebel 1100, is expected to draw its design cues from the smaller capacity CMX500, also known as the Rebel 500.
In terms of styling, the Rebel 500 features a low riding cruiser design with a rounded headlamp unit, teardrop-shaped fuel tank, relaxed handlebars positioning, split-seats, low slung side-mounted exhaust, circular negative LCD digital display, 41mm conventional telescopic front forks, twin Showa shocks on the rear, 16-inch alloy wheels on both ends etc.
The Rebel 1100 is likely to feature the same design and styling aspects but is likely to have updated suspension and brakes to manage the extra weight of the larger engine as well as to provide the stopping power for the larger more powerful engine.
The Rebel 1100 is hypothesised to borrow the 1084cc parallel-twin, liquid-cooled 4-stroke engine that produces 98.2 hp of power and 103.3 Nm of peak torque but the motor could be tuned to produce more torque in the lower rev range for more cruiser-like rideability. The Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin engine will also give the brand an opportunity to offer the Honda Rebel 1100 with a DCT automatic transmission.
Honda is also likely to develop a new chassis to accommodate the larger engine along with an updated electronics package such as a six-axis Inertial Measuring Unit, ride-by-wire, traction control, ABS, selectable torque control modes etc.
The Honda Rebel 1100 is expected to be revealed in November 2020 at the EICMA in Milan and is expected to be priced around the USD 12,500 mark.
In other news, the Honda Rebel 500 cruiser and the CB500X adventure tourer are likely to be evaluated to be introduced in India, in the near future.
