Reports from France suggest that Honda may be working on a new version of its once-popular touring motorcycle with the Deauville name. According to French motorcycle website Motostation.com, the new Honda Deauville will be based on the current Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin. So, according to the report, the new bike will feature the same 998 cc, liquid-cooled engine which puts out under 100 bhp of power and 97 Nm of peak torque and will also feature the automatic dual-clutch transmission (DCT) as well.
The mid-range touring motorcycle with the Honda Deauville name was in production from 1998 till 2013, and was named after the popular French seaside resort. The old Deauville had a liquid-cooled v-twin engine and featured a shaft drive, with the first generation model featuring a 650 cc v-twin engine. The second-generation model (2002-2005) featured updated bodywork, enlarged panniers and some technical modifications. The third-generation model (2006-2013) got an engine displacement bump to 680 cc, and was eventually discontinued in 2013.
So far, Honda doesn’t have a pure road-going touring model, apart from the Africa Twin adventure touring model and the Honda Gold Wing at the luxury end of touring. The Deauville could well meet a niche segment which doesn’t seem to have too many models in the touring category from many manufacturers at this stage. So, will Honda go the dedicated touring way and introduce a new model with hard panniers and mini Gold Wing looks? Time will tell. But for now, it’s interesting news to see that Honda is at least looking at possible demand, at least in Europe for now, for such a model, if at all it is introduced.