Honda patents supercharged V-twin powertrain

Honda has filed a patent for a new supercharged V-twin powertrain. The patent design shows a compact engine with a supercharger positioned between the two cylinders, at the heart of a streetfighter.

The supercharger’s positioning allows the inlet and outlet pipes to be routed from the top, giving it compact dimensions. It’s not just the presence of the supercharger which sets this powertrain apart from the crowd. The engine also gets one camshaft for each bank, a design borrowed from the VFR1200 engine, giving the head a compact design. Further, the engine has been engineered to be a structural part of the bike’s chassis.

Honda was one of the first manufacturers to introduce forced induction in motorcycles in the 1980s. While the trend eventually lost steam, Kawasaki recently revived the technology with the supercharged Ninja H2. While the Ninja H2 is a litre-class superbike, Honda’s engine might power a middleweight bike. Apart from boosting performance, a supercharger also helps improve emissions. With the emission norms getting more stringent with every iteration, we might start seeing small-capacity motorcycles featuring this technology.