Young Machine delivers yet another interesting CG render of what could be a really hot retro Mugen motorbike, possibly the MRV1400. How about emissions standards?
If anything, Mugen has been famous for its electric Shinden machines lately, but we might just see the Honda-backed manufacturer come into the spotlight with a retro creation. Recently, Mugen has unveiled an engine concept that takes a stroll down memory lane, a 1,400cc air-cooled, pushrod v-twin that might become available for bespoke builders in a couple of years.
Mugen’s new mill looks quite familiar, you might say. Indeed, it appears to have been inspired by the Mugen MRV1000 of yore. The MRV1000 was built by Soichiro Honda’s son Hirotoshi in his attempt to draw nearer to the Vincent bikes that were all the hype in the golden era of motorcycling, and the resemblance is undeniable. However, the bike was very expensive to produce and the idea was dropped.
It’s not exactly clear why would a high-tech company such as Mugen build a retro, carburetor-fed pushrod engine for the 2020 custom bikes. Not that machines with vintage looks would go out of fashion any time soon, but we can’t help thinking about emissions regulations. If Mugen could deliver such an engine with Euro 4 or 5 compliance, maybe they could set a new bike revolution in motion, but we think this is an unlikely scenario.
Young Machine has already come up with a render of the potential MRV1400, and it looks like a worthy Vincent emulation. Would such a bike draw enough customers to fly Mugen’s kite? Hard to say, really…
We can, of course, expect that this engine is robust and reliable, with all the Honda expertise that will probably go into it. But knowing how strict the laws are both in Japan and Europe, we figure that the 1,400cc engine could only be sold to US builders.
Having Honda back in the classic/retro cruiser business would be truly interesting, and maybe Mugen could chew a slice of cake in the engine supply business, possibly with more success than Motus or S&S, especially if the price is right. We’ll follow this one and let you know how things evolve, so stay tuned.
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