HONDA V3R 900 E-COMPRESSOR

Of all the bikes on show at EICMA, Honda's V3R 900 E-Compressor was the one that truly pricked our imagination.

- 

Last year, the Japanese manufacturer teased a stripped-back chassis, offering a glimpse of the heart of the concept: the V3 motor. Now, with bodywork in place and a finished look, crucial pieces of the puzzle have fallen into place, and the much-anticipated protagonist is ready to be reconsidered.

Unveiled under the banner of 'Non-Rail Roller Coaster,' the V3R 900 E-Compressor prototype is more than a concept bike... it reads like an engineering manifesto. Honda claims it captures the "joy and freedom of mobility," but beneath that PR sheen lies something far more exciting: a radical new powertrain that could change how we think about performance motorcycles.

At the heart of the V3R is a 75-degree, water-cooled V3 engine, first shown as a technical concept, but now it sits in a proper chassis, bristling with next-generation technology and looking oh-so-saucy. Its layout is compact and unusual: two cylinders up front, one behind, arranged to keep mass centralised and the crank narrow. But the true headline is the E-Compressor - what Honda claims to be the world's first electronically controlled supercharger fitted to a motorcycle. The electric compressor feels more Formula 1 than Fast and Furious, driven by a high-speed motor and managed by a smart ECU to compress intake air independently of engine speed. Translation: instant torque anywhere in the rev range.