Aerodynamics is an angry subject in MotoGP. It also quite frankly opposes Ducati and Honda. Useless these fins and these support questions? Nay! We would be surprised to learn that the big Tokyo house is just as focused on Aeolus's strengths as the Borgo Panigale factory. But not for the same reasons, and in a more discreet way. Take the case of this patent which concerns CB. Here's a mudguard that could really save the day for the big air-cooled engine...
The devil is in the details. And it's not Honda that is going to contradict this adage. Certain patents thus seem to confirm that Honda working on a short story CB 1100, still equipped with an air-cooled engine. Interestingly, the front fender carries air over the two center cylinders to cool them.
In an era of increasingly restrictive emissions regulations, space for the large air-cooled four-cylinder appears to be shrinking. Not for Honda, which, according to some patents, seems to be working to present a new CB1100 always with air cooling. A choice which perfectly corresponds to the philosophy of the company, given that the founder, Sochiro Honda, was one of the greatest admirers of the air-cooled engine, due to its simplicity and the possibility it offered in terms of lightness and general compactness.
The drawings below appear to reveal a new CB1100 using a special front fender to channel air. If the outer cylinders can benefit from abundant air flow, the central cylinders are “covered” by the front wheel and their cooling is increasingly complex to optimize. The new fender support should be able to route cool air directly to this area, making cooling not only even, but more efficient. To be continued…
