With the V4 architecture being the flavor of choices, manufacturers are pumping in all their resources to develop a new segment of sportsbike. After the Aprilia RSV4s’ and the latest Ducati V4s’, it looks like it’s going to be Honda’s next move for a new checkmate to be showcased at the 2018 EICMA.

It won’t be a VFR1200 copy, nor a watered down RC213V-S but will create a whole new platform for the Japanese manufacturer. We can see new plans of Honda that might radically rejuvenate the mighty V4s’ that made debut with the VFR750 in 1995, a bike still termed as the ‘best road bike ever built’.

To this day, version of that VFR V4 heart pumps blood to the venomous RC213V-S, Honda’s exotic pure-bred machine that has the ability to scare the daylights out of anybody daring to spend to get intoxicated with fear. There are now many others who promise you this level of WSBK experience like the Austrian Orange KTM RC16, Aprilia’s madhouse ‘Factory Works’ couped RSV4 R FW-GP and Ducati’s Desmosedici GP project.

But we are talking of a street legal version that will take on the RSV4s’, Norton V4's and the Ducati V4s’. It will be Honda’s next big thing after the CBR900RR that was launched in 1992 and the CBR1000RR SP & SP2 in 2017. As a matter of fact, the Honda V4 concept was showcased way back in 2008 at the Intermot saloon in Cologne, Germany.

Honda has since then taken all its time to develop and perfect the machine with everything it’s got. After a decade now, official designs for the new V4 superbike has been filed for patents. And the way we see it, it is a two-wheeled glory that will have a rear ‘wing’ and the ultra-compact 90° V4 fire breather on steroids.

Yes, it might come with a rear wing. This fusion of technical feasibility with aesthetics is seen all around the motorbike including what could be the most technical rear single seat unit seen on two wheels. We can see that Honda is making use of air scoops in the rear wing that is flanked beside the rider’s rear cushion. Air flows through these ‘wings’ to create the same aero effects created by a car’s rear wing spoiler. At the front, a huge air-intake sits in pride of place at the front and draws air past the lights, and into a hollow steering head.

The drawings show details of the subframe member and the fact that the V4 motor will act as the super-strong stressed member, making the bike as light as possible. In re-envisioning this V4 machine, simply creating an attractive appearance would not have been enough. Instead, the concept design also needed to respect the engine’s inner art. And it looks like Honda have just got it all right. It truly defines the design of this series, sophisticated in appearance and suggesting the power within.

The V4 motor here will, by obvious, have four cylinders and four different exhaust ports. These exhaust pipes are laid in a manner to snake back around on themselves before making contact with the single low mounted exhaust muffler. Two tubes run out below the saddle and curve into the exhaust unit to run behind the right footrest.

Some time ago, Honda CEO Tetsuo Suzuki had hinted at looking at a version that could sit between the Fireblade and the RC213V-S that will have a better chassis setup and hand-welded frames fabricated by the same highly-skilled team that builds MotoGP machines. The patent version could also have a cast aluminum monocoque, similar to the Ducati V4. This frame will also include the airbox unit and the seat subframe with a cross-member to mount the shocks, all made with no welds.

This new development might see the replacement of the Fireblade brand, Honda’s most cherished child. Nonetheless, Honda insists that the Blade will remain in production although nothing much has spoken about what is going to happen for the brand after the CBR1000 RR SP.

According to Honda “Motorcycle design is about merging ideas and technologies to create an exceptional experience for the rider.” In a world where outright horsepower and straight-line speed hold center stage, Honda attempts to set what an open class sports bike should be. With all that hype about the increase in power and weight reduction, we can at least tell that Honda has taken the step in the right direction with the right formula to take the game to the next level.