Here’s a fun fact: that beast you are looking at has a six-speed transmission that should be good for 90 MPH in first gear. First…out of six. Raise your hands if you’ve got the nuts to sit down on this beast and give that a shot. I may die in the ensuing fireball, but dammit, I’ll give it a hell of a shot!
What you are looking at is Honda taking the Ford vs. Ferrari approach to the world’s fastest lawnmower record. A few years ago, they scored the record officially at 116 MPH and pushed the riding mower to a top speed somewhere in the mid-130s. That alone would be enough for most to void bowels…then there was an issue. It appeared in the form of a Corvette-powered Viking/STHIL mower straight from Norway, who took the title. Since that slight couldn’t be left without a rebuttal, Honda has gotten back to work and this time, they aren’t leaving anything to chance.
The engine is once again a 1000cc Fireblade mill that is raided from Honda’s crotch-rocket division, tuned up to just under 200 horsepower. The chassis is full T45 titanium. The cowl and grass bag are stock items off of a HF2622 mower. And the brakes are no-kidding vented discs, four-piston up front, six-piston out back. This isn’t a mower, it’s a shifter kart on steroids built by a team of engineers with a grudge to settle. Driver Jess Hawkins will get the wheel for the actual test, and as for the projected speed? Well…130 MPH should be the baseline goal. Where this freakshow will top out will just have to be seen when the test goes down.
And yes, it will have a mower deck and blades. But unlike a typical riding tractor, the blades will be driven by electric motors, so chopping grass at triple-digit speeds is possible. It’s the most mentally unstable idea we could possibly conjure up, but it’s nice to know you could do it.
Phooey!
On a Friday afternoon the Gateshead Council John Deere squad would have blown this thing into the weeds as the thirst of a hard week’s work kicked in and the early finish was looming…..
Grass! We don’t need no stinking grass!