Honda was suspiciously quiet in the weeks leading up to EICMA, and that made us wonder: What are they up to? It turns out, they were up to a lot. Big Red has had a very busy morning already in Milan, and one of the most interesting things they unwrapped was a new V3 engine.

No, we didn’t stutter—a V3 engine, instead of the usual V-twin or V4.

Honda is making much ballyhoo about its new electric motorcycles, but they also displayed this internal combustion engine prototype with the following write-up:

The water-cooled, 75° V3 engine is being newly developed for larger displacement machines and has been designed to be extremely slim and compact. It features the world’s first electrical compressor for motorcycles, which is able to control compression of the intake air irrespective of engine rpm, meaning that high-response torque can be delivered even from lower rpm.

In addition, the electrical compressor allows a high degree of freedom of layout of all components in the limited space available on a motorcycle, and an efficient centralization of mass. It also does not require an intercooler.

Those with long memories will remember the last time Honda had a V3 engine for the road – the seminal two-stroke NS400R of the mid-1980s. Now, 40 years later – and in a completely different world – the potential of this new direction is obvious, with breathtaking possibilities in terms of models to come. Development will continue towards mass production and towards Honda’s goal of enabling customers to further experience the unique joy of riding and owning a motorcycle.

That’s about all the details we get. You can see plenty of photos of the new engine below, as sent out by Honda this morning.