This could free up some time on the weekend. Honda, in conjunction with Top Gear magazine and racing outfit Team Dynamics, has built a high performance ride-on lawn mower capable of reaching speeds up to 130 mph.
And, yes, it can still cut the grass. The so-called Mean Mower started out as a production Honda HF2620 Lawn Tractor before the team replaced its stock 20 hp motor with the 109 hp 1,000 cc V-twin from a Honda VTR1000 Firestorm sport bike along with its six-speed transmission and reengineered the suspension to handle a set of ATV wheels and tires. A Scorpion exhaust system pumps up the volume to an ear-shattering 130 decibels, compared to about 106 db for a typical mower, while a Cobra racing seat was fitted to keep up with the bump in performance, now good enough to accelerate the grass assassin to 60 mph in four seconds. Of course, Honda being Honda, it retained and enhanced the vehicle’s primary functionality. Although the grass collection bag is mostly filled with a gas tank plus oil and water coolers, two electric motors were installed that spin a cutting cable up to 4,000 rpm. Unfortunately, this part only works below 15 mph, but that still twice as fast as the stock mower can do the job. Even more disappointing, however, is that the Mean Mower is a one-off project intended to highlight the breadth of Honda’s product offerings and promote its sporty heritage, according to the company, and not destined for Home Depot or your front lawn. Oh well, you can always hire the neighbour kid from next door.
A gardener’s best friend? Honda builds world’s fastest lawnmower
