Japanese firm Mugen has unveiled a new engine concept at the Tokyo Motorcycle Show 2018. The new engine design is for a four-valve OHV air-cooled V-twin displacing 1,400 cc. The engine layout looks like something inspired from a prototype Mugen had built in the 1970s, called the MRV1000. That prototype used a 1,000 cc twin-carburetted engine, but it never made it to production. The latest engine concept is called the MRV1400, and has similar engine layout as the ancestor, with distinctive pushrod tubes and a separate transmission.
The concept of the all-new V-twin is displayed at the Mugen stand at the Tokyo bike show, next to the Mugen electric TT racebike, with a design drawing of a sleek naked roadster and a request for feedback on whether Mugen should make the new MRV1400. The 1970s MRV1000 was possibly too expensive to build at that time, and never made it to production, and the new 1,400 cc engine runs Keihin carburettors, and in this day and age of strict emission standards, it will likely be difficult to make a carburetted engine which will meet those regulations, Mugen will need to add fuel injection to make it road legal.
The 1,400 cc engine is still a concept and features twin carburettors
There's no word yet on when an actual production model will be released. According to the company, it will be 2020 before the engine might even begin production. And it will likely take some more time for a full-fledged production motorcycle with that engine to be developed. Either way, it's an interesting development, in this day and age of increasing electrification of motorcycle engines. And yes, Mugen is known primarily for its success at the Isle of Man TT, from its electric racebikes which have been creating waves every year at the TT Zero event. This year's TT will see 23-time TT winner John McGuinness pilot a Mugen electric motorcycle at the TT Zero event.
But Mugen has a far more interesting history than just a manufacturer of electric superbikes. The company was founded by Sochiro Honda's son, Hirotoshi in the early 1970s, and has a long history of producing aftermarket parts and tuning packages for road and race Hondas, both of the two-wheeled and four-wheeled kind since then. Now, it remains to be seen if Mugen will focus on its electric range or is serious about developing the MRV1400.
