Honda Project NSC Set For EICMA 2017 Debut

Following the recent trend of retro-styled motorcycles, the latest bikemaker to throw its hat into the mix is Honda. It is aptly dubbed as a Neo Sports Cafe, aka “Project NSC”. Honda has released two teasers giving us a glimpse of the new bike. It will be unveiled at the 2017 EICMA motorcycle show in Milan on the 6th of November. 

However, this is not the first foray of the Japanese manufacturer in this segment. Honda’s previous attempt at breaking in this category with the CB1100 back in 2010 wasn’t well received by masses. It was deemed to be too heavy, expensive and overall underpowered for its class.   

With the Project NSC, Honda will try to rectify those errors, starting by building the new machine around the CBR1000R engine and combining modern as well as retro styling. From the teaser, we can see some notable design elements such as a classical round headlamp with LED headlight, a single-sided swingarm and dual can-shaped exhausts. We can also expect to see a twin-pod instrument console with digital display to blend the old-school styling with modern features, and a round headlight.

It is also worth mentioning that the headlight and the fuel tank of the new bike look eerily similar to a concept bike, the Honda CB4, which was showcased at EICMA two years ago.  

The Japanese company will go head-on against the soon to be released Kawasaki Z900RS and the Yamaha XSR 900 in this segment. However, it remains to be seen if this new motorcycle will expand on the CB1000R, or it’ll simply be a retro version of the street fighter. All we can say is that it seems as if retro is the theme for 2017, and we can’t wait for 2017 EICMA when more details about the new Honda will be revealed.