Honda files PATENT for rear spoiler.

Design drawings have emerged which confirm Honda’s working on a new rear unit for its sportbikes.

In recent years, motorcycle manufacturers have been introducing wings to the front of their bikes to improve aerodynamics and increase downforce. Now Honda’s looking at what it can do to improve things at the rear.

In recent history, tail units have been designed to smooth the flow of air that comes down a rider’s back. But a series of design drawings filed by Honda confirm that the Japanese factory is working on another solution – and from what we can see, it’s sort of similar to the setup on Ducati’s Panigale V4.

The patents show the single seat and tail unit, and most importantly, its massive rear spoiler. It incorporates a central channel which air can flow through directly – which should help encourage more linear air flow behind the rider. It’s an interesting idea, even if it does look a bit over the top. Time will tell if the design makes it onto a production machine from Honda – but looking at the changes it made to the Fireblade for 2020, there’s no ruling it out.