Honda DN-01: Phantom of the Honda

What precisely is the point of the new Honda DN-01?

If there was a consistent theme running through the presentation of Honda's new DN-01, then this was it. Confusion first in exactly what the DN-01 is, or is meant to do: it looks more like a scooter than anything else, and it has a twist-and-go transmission so, as with any other scooter, you turn the twistgrip and ride away without having to worry about gears or clutch.

Scooter lookalike: the DN-01 is said to be aimed at 'techno early adopters who aren't motorcyclists', whoever they are
But its engine is very much a motorcycle unit, the easy-going if rather unexciting 680cc V-twin found in the Deauville tourer, detuned to a soporific but new-licence-friendly 33bhp, and final drive is by shaft rather than the belt commonly used on scooters. Between the two is a first for a two-wheeler: a fully variable, automatic transmission dependent on hydraulics rather than the usual belts and variable diameter pulleys. It's certainly clever, using a swash plate (a disc mounted centrally on the end of a drive shaft, tilted like a wobbling plate) to drive hydraulic pumps that in turn drive hydraulic motors to power the rear wheel. The swash plate's angle is varied by an ECU-controlled solenoid, effectively altering the gearing automatically.

Because of this unique transmission and the V-twin motor, among other reasons, the DN-01 is not really a scooter, according to Honda. But the bottom line is, you sit on it, you open the throttle and off it goes, and it won't matter to most people whether it's belts, hydraulics or witchcraft beneath the strange-looking bodywork.

It's easy enough to ride, a design aim I understand and happen to approve of. The transmission takes up power smoothly and the engine pulls quite strongly, with better acceleration than a Rolls-Royce Phantom… yes, without any sense of the absurd, we were told that the DN-01 has a superior 0-60mph time than the £250,000 luxury car. That's 5.8 seconds, if you're interested, which happens to be very slow for a middleweight motorcycle. But then it's not a motorcycle, says Honda, although it's not exactly a luxury car either, is it? And the Phantom will have it for top speed, should you ever meet one on the autobahn.

Still, the DN-01 steers very well and the ride quality is pretty good (but I doubt it's quite up to a Phantom's, which is probably why the car comparison was dropped at this point), although if you're above average height you have to duck to see the instruments because the tiny screen's only function appears to be masking them.

This will, however, relieve the backache tall riders seem to get, even after a short ride. Your legs are set well forward but the bars are close to the rider, so you feel as though you're leaning slightly backwards and, for me and others, it starts to hurt. You are also perched upright in the slipstream and even 70mph is hard work on the arms. Again, a Rolls-Royce Phantom does rather better.

You can, if you wish, alter the transmission to a sportier mode, which lets the engine rev higher, or switch to "manual", in which case a rocker on the left-hand bar lets you select from six virtual ratios. In practice, this is merely annoying because it's so nannying that you can't change down unless the engine is almost idling - try to select first from second, for example, at anything more than 8mph and it refuses.

It's not even unique: exactly the same functions have been available on the Suzuki Burgman 650 since 2002, using an electronically controlled conventional belt drive, but on that you're allowed to change down at any revs that won't destroy the engine, and even then the novelty wears off after 10 minutes. Apart from a little more crispness in the Honda's drive, you'd be unable to tell the difference, and it's no more efficient at power transmission than a variable belt system, yet it costs 50 per cent more to produce than a manual gearbox. Confused?

So who is the DN-01 for? Honda's marketing types say it is aimed at "techno early adopters who aren't motorcyclists" - an alleged species that buys stuff because it's technically interesting, and does so immediately in order to be different. The problem, in this instance, is that they'll first need to rush out and get their CBT (compulsory basic training) and bike licence, which rather takes the spontaneity out of it. Instead, it adds a heavy layer of exactly the sort of commitment I doubt these people have. If they have licences already then they're motorcyclists or scooterists and won't understand the DN-01.

It's also meant to look very cool, sufficiently so to sell to people who weren't previously interested in bikes. Again, we have the licence problem, but that's not the only drawback. Maybe this is because I'm coming at it from a motorcycle and scooter angle, but I think the DN-01 looks faintly ridiculous with someone on board stuck bolt upright in the middle of its long, low form, and certainly not cool. At best, it's interesting.

Scooter riders won't be the slightest bit interested because the DN-01 offers no wind or weather protection and has no storage space. As in none at all, not even a tiny glove compartment. But having told us about these super-trendy early adopters with handy bike licences but no interest in bikes, the marketing bods then explained that the DN-01 is so different, essentially they're releasing it to see who buys it. And that's why it has no storage space or optional luggage, because these would impose categories and preconceptions that would not allow it free rein to find its own niche. I think I got that right. I also think that sounds like confusion: rather than opening up possibilities, it closes them. The DN-01 might have been a trendy choice for recently bonus-rich city execs, except they can't fit a fat wallet in it, or it could have been a cool(ish) weekend-away tourer. As it is, Honda will never know.

As well as the lack of weather protection and storage, one other factor distinguishes the DN-01 from other scooters (let's face it, this is a maxi-scooter devoid of the advantages or the point of other maxi-scooters), and that's the price. It's cheaper than a Rolls-Royce, but it costs as much as a Honda Fireblade. To put this in perspective, the 'Blade has more storage space and better weather protection than a DN-01 and, as far as I'm concerned, it's much, much cooler. It's also an awful lot faster than a Phantom.