The Honda Griffon scooter concept from 2003 might become more than just a concept. Steve, over at ScooterScoop, has a little story where one of his readers came across a Honda patent application filed just a few days ago for a “headlamp for two-wheeled vehicle” which should throw off most searchers, but evidently not all.
It appears to be a horizontally opposed 4 cylinder but everything else is a little sketchy. Is this coming soon to a dealer near you? Hmm …
Link: The ScooterScoop via AutoblogGreen
chris says
too bad it probably won’t look nearly as good. that is the first scooter i’ve ever seen that i actually wanted to ride. a boxer 4 would be kinda neat though.
todd says
Yep, I bet it will be very toyota camry. Let’s hope honda decides to stick itself out on a limb with this scooter and make it as cool as the prototype. An opposed four would be most sweet, I can’t wait until used motors start showing up on ebay so I can stuff one in an Aprilia RS50 chassis.
-todd
Clive M Sanders says
I dont see a place for your feet. and the ergos look more cruiser than scooter. Ugly in my opinion… sort of like one of those crossover suvs.
Spaceweasel says
I agree with Chris. This thing looks cool. I can only hope that Honda won’t abandon or water down the coolness that makes the concept work.
Bryce says
I like the look of it. The vague ergonomics and acres of chrome will obviously not make the cut for production. I would imagine the hydraulic CVT of the DN-01 will make it though.
city-rider says
I wonder how much horsepower this modern fuel-injected 750cc four-cylinder engine will put out; back in the nineties Honda’s VFR750 V4 with carburetors was 98-HP.
Also, there seems to be some confusion over the physical size of this bike due to a photo of two small women sitting on the concept bike at the Japan show. Compare the woman standing next to the GRF-1 at the Italy show (link below) and the bike looks much smaller, more urban, and very city-friendly. The purpose of a horizontally-opposed engine design (as on the GoldWing) is to allow for a relatively low seat height. The GW has a 29-inch seat and I would expect the GRF-1 to be 29 or 30-inches also.
Personally, I find the color scheme horrendous. The front fender should match the cowling and the chrome at the rear seat area distracts from the engine, exhaust pipes, and drive. The yellow matches nothing. If they made the cowling, the front fender and front chrome strip, the yellow bits, and the chrome rear seat area all one color – say, red or blue – then it would actually be attractive. Compare the GoldWing color layout with the chrome engine exposed. Anyway, I expect this bike to be very expensive and since I’m certainly going to buy one – if it ever arrives in the USA – it’s rather irritating that I need to repaint the bike.
Comparison photo (GRF-1):
http://static.blogo.it/motoblog/IMG_3226.jpg
Red GoldWing:
http://powersports.honda.com/images/model/model_images/motorcycles/2006/Gold_Wing_2_Dark_Red.jpg
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sfan says
Seems half bike, half scooter: legs & feet divided by chassis. It looks like feet go on the cutout just forward of the engine. The styling is interesting in a kind of star wars manner, however it seems to provide the relative design negatives of both bike and scooter, without the benefits of either.
skooter says
I’m sick of sportbikes and cruisers. I like the Griffon because of the flat-4 engine design, new hydraulic-mechanical transmission, and front storage. But mostly I like the overall design and I like that it is different and unique. The Aprilia NA 850 Mana has front storage but it just looks like another ‘naked’ sportbike to me and the E4-01 900cc just looks like a SilverWing scooter to me. If the production version of the Griffon retains this wild, funky, and fun design I would buy the bike.
Prester John says
Does a patent mean a bike is headed to production? You tell me:
http://www.google.com/patents?vid=USPATD434047&id=s28GAAAAEBAJ&dq=d434047
Best,
Tom
Sean says
We need new ideas like this. Remember how everyone was stunned at the arrival of the Ninjas? The mindblowingly original designs from Confederate? How about the contrast of yet another R1, the conforming designs of a Gixxer. They all look the same. More originality, please, and more being put into production.
Tony says
I think it is very unique and this is a scooter I would be interested in purchasing depending on price (my guess: 7 to 8G’s USD). But this is a scooter that will not be destined for the U.S. market because it is not a sportbike or a cruiser. I’m surprised we can even buy dual sport bikes here in the states.
Captain Dan says
I would gladly give up my goldwing for a griffon.
todd says
Yes, a manual tranny option would be great. For some reason it is very difficult to find scooters with manual transmissions any more. I guess people are getting lazy or maybe it’s just cheaper to build a drive unit without any gears.
-todd
griffon says
this is the bike i been waiting…griffon is the best think on two wheels i ever seen..
..respect to honda..
GLS says
Wow, if it had a trunk i’d have one ASAP, i think ill stick to a silverwing or a burgman since this wont have any storage
patricia amoroso says
Adorei a moto scooter grifton da Honda, é um show de designer e elegância para o público feminino. Please! Tragam para o Brasil!!! O paÃs que tem vendido mais de 2milhões de sccoters para o público feminino. Vcs vão arrasar!!! É simplesmente um espetáculo. Quero saber se vcs vão trazer para o Brasil , se não, como faço para importar uma? Por favor, comuniquem-se comigo!!!
Obrigada,
Patricia, 35anos, motociclista em São Paulo, professora universitária e jornalista.
Brasil