When I saw Honda's 900cc V3 with an electric compressor (read 'supercharger') at EICMA last year, I wanted to hit fast-forward on my life so I could find out what platform it'd find a home in. The Japanese manufacturer stated that this unit would pump out similar numbers to its 1,200cc engines, which completely threw me off the scent of the other potential, arguably more exciting, use of this V3 platform.
Strip the new V3 engine of its electric compressor, and you have a three-cylinder powerplant that's probably capable of putting out somewhere between 120 and 130 hp. A 900cc engine with those numbers would slot perfectly into the next-gen supersport category, and recent rumors suggest that's exactly what will happen.
Slipping this V3 powerplant into a frame, minus the forced induction, could produce an absolutely rapid supersport bike, with potentially the most horsepower in the class. Furthermore, because it's a V3, Honda has the opportunity to run one of the slimmest chassis in the category, which could lend itself to creating an exceptionally agile machine. Launching such a bike now would also make perfect sense, in terms of where the industry is.
The most recent supersport group tests have excluded the CBR600RR because it's simply outdated, and it can't compete with the next-gen supersport competition on track or as a road bike. I don't imagine Honda will give the CBR600RR a major overhaul to help it make it more competitive in the class, which has clearly moved away from inline-four cylinder powerplants, in favor of triples and twins. But I have no doubt Honda could develop a stellar chassis around this V3 powerplant, which now seems like the most obvious way forward.
The question is, are we about to get a CBR900RR and, if so, can we expect it to be unveiled at EICMA? If you were on the fence about buying a Yamaha R9, KTM 990 RC R, or Ducati Panigale V2, your decision is probably about to get even harder.
