As someone who was able to finance his first vehicle with funds earned from mowing lawns, I can appreciate building a machine that can clip grass as quickly as possible. That said, regardless of how much engineering prowess I might have been able to muster, I don’t think the walk-behind Lawn Chief and similar knock-off brands I was tasked with using could ever compare with Honda’s latest goal.
The company is looking to reclaim its world record for the fastest lawnmower. Four years ago, the company dropped a 109-horsepower motorcycle engine into a lawn tractor and then watched as the Mean Mower hit an average speed of over 116 mph.
But apparently no self-respecting Norwegian could let that accomplishment go unchallenged. So a year later, a team of engineers from the Scandinavian country figured out a way to mount a V8 Corvette engine on a modified Viking T5 lawnmower to get the Austrian-made machine up to 133.57 mph.
For nearly the last three years, the outdoor power equipment landscape held its collective breath, waiting for a response. And that response appears to be on its way in the form of Honda’s even meaner mower that will use a 190-horsepower engine borrowed from the SP1 Fireblade sports bike.
Working with racing specialists from Team Dynamics, the new chassis has moved the engine to the front of the mower in search of improved balance, and to prevent the front end of the mower from lifting at high speeds. And before you think Honda is doing all of this solely for the pursuit of a world record and all the accolades that accompany building the fastest lawnmower in the world, it’s worth noting that the machine can actually cut grass – at about 15 mph, or twice that of a traditional riding mower.