Mean Mower: First Glance | Honda Engine Room

It’s back…Meaner, Louder and Faster. Honda’s 150mph Lawn Mower #MeanMower

Honda (UK) is out to reclaim the crown for the world’s fastest lawn mower with Mean Mower V2 and a target speed of 150mph in its sights.

Built by Team Dynamics, Honda’s British Touring Car Championship partner and the team behind the original Mean Mower that took the record for the world’s fastest lawn mower in 2014, development has moved on to a whole new level, using CAD design, more bespoke parts, advanced materials, and 3D printing. It now packs almost double the power of the original, with the development team estimating it is capable of speeds in excess of 150mph.

The engine – a 999cc four-cylinder unit taken from Honda’s high-performing Fireblade SP motorcycle - produces more than 190bhp at 13,000rpm. With a super-light frame and engine dry weight of just 69.1kg. Team Dynamics engineers predict an eye-watering power to weight ratio of 1000bhp/tonne – around 25 per cent more than that of the Bugatti Chiron.

The Fireblade DNA continues with the carry-over of several other parts including clutch, ECU, six-speed drive train and full colour LCD display. The programmable quick shift gear system promises precise and responsive shift through carbon paddles on the steering wheel – with the team estimating that this new beast could reach 90mph in first gear.

The majority of Mean Mower V2 has been bespoke designed and manufactured, with the chassis made from T45 steel rather than chromoly for durability and flexibility – vital given that it has no suspension. What to do if the airbox won’t fit under the cowl because the injectors are in the way? 3D print an airbox to fit, of course!

The all-important matter of braking is covered off by Kelgate – four-piston callipers to the front and six to the rear – vented to increase airflow and reduce weight. Goldspeed ten-inch ATV wheels anodised in gold to match that of the Fireblade bring the bling, with special-order Hoosier slicks giving the grip.

“The original Mean Mower was a great challenge for us and the result was an amazing machine. This time we have moved the game on considerably to build an incredible piece of real engineering, using advanced design and production techniques and calling upon some very clever thinking to bring the performance and power but still retain the look of the production mower. We’re in testing phase now and everything is looking good, with a top speed of more than 150mph very much in our sights.”
Dave Hodgetts, Managing Director, Honda (UK)

With all of this incredible refined raw power, a professional racer is the only choice to tame Mean Mower V2. Enter Jess Hawkins, an experienced kart and car racer at just 23, Jess is currently performing as a stunt driver in the touring Fast & Furious Live show.

The development of Mean Mower is part of Honda’s celebration of 40 years of making lawnmowers, with the brand keen to mark the anniversary by re-entering the record books. The original Mean Mower was launched in 2013, aiming to highlight the breadth of Honda’s product offering, sporty credentials and reputation as one of the world’s most innovative companies. It went on to become the world’s fastest lawnmower when it hit an incredible 116.575mph, at the IDIADA Proving Ground, a record which has since been surpassed.

World's fastest lawn mower cuts through FOS hill
Imagine cutting your lawn with this #FOS
Posted by Goodwood Festival of Speed on Friday, 13 July 2018

The 150mph lawn mower: Honda is working on a Mean Mower V2 that can go from 0-60 in less than 3 seconds in a bid to create the world's fastest vehicle to cut grass

ENGINE SIZE: 999cc

power: 189+ bhp @ 13,000rpm

0-60: Sub 3 seconds

Gears: 6-speed with steering wheel mounted magnetic carbon paddles & TransLogic PSR power shifter

Optimum RPM: 13,000

Spectacular Honda Mean Mower V2 takes on legendary Brands Hatch

Team Dynamics-built lawnmower traces its motorsport origins in Brands Hatch demo
Unique Mean Mower V2 follows in the wheel-tracks of Honda Civic Type R (FK8)
Jess Hawkins delights spectators with first-of-its-kind lap on BTCC finals day

From Formula 1 to touring cars to Superbikes, machinery of all shapes and sizes have turned a wheel on the hallowed racing lines of Brands Hatch’s iconic circuit over the decades but today [30 September] fans attending the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship finale were treated to a lap like never before – by a lawn mower!

Then again, this is no ordinary garden tool – this is the Mean Mower V2, Honda’s extraordinary high-performance interpretation of the humble mower, a machine capable of hitting 150mph as easily as it cuts your garden lawn. Built by Team Dynamics, Honda’s partner in the BTCC, and powered by a 999cc four-cylinder unit lifted from Honda’s Fireblade SP motorcycle, fettled to produce 190bhp at 13,000rpm, the Mean Mower V2’s motorsport origins arguably make the race track a fitting spiritual home for this show-stopper.

So while the sight of a lawnmower – which retains the traditional look and cutting abilities of a Honda HF 2622 lawn tractor – lining up on the grid was always going to turn heads, it was the Mean Mower V2’s pure power that left spectators awe-struck as professional racer Jess Hawkins hit full throttle.

With a power to weight ratio of 1000bhp/tonne making the world-famous plunge into Paddock Hill Bend an experience like no other and the high-tech Honda Fireblade SP clutch, ECU and six-speed drive train launching a slingshot through Clearways, the Mean Mower V2 gives a fine impression of a race-ready contender. Built to demonstrate Honda’s breadth of product offering, sporty credentials and reputation as one of the world’s most innovative companies, the second-generation Mean Mower V2 – launched in July – is a true one-of-its-kind icon.

“What an incredible experience! It may not be the traditional way to drive a lap of Brands Hatch, but at the wheel of the Mean Mower V2 it is a lap like no other. It doesn’t take long to discover just how much motorsport DNA has been incorporated into the Mean Mower V2 to create a machine that feels equally as capable of rapid lap times as it does simply cutting the lawn. It’s a genuine – and spectacular – measure of Honda’s ability to utilise its wide-ranging skills for products that are fun whilst continuing to push technological boundaries. I only wish I could have completed more laps!”

^{-Jess Hawkins}

“The relationship between Team Dynamics and Honda has yielded significant successes over the years but the Mean Mower V2 project is an achievement we are especially proud of. It really has to be seen to be believed and today a huge audience got to see just what can achieved when you think outside the box. It’s a visionary philosophy Team Dynamics and Honda have in common and is why we will continue to push the boundaries whether it’s with the Honda Civic Type R, a Honda lawnmower or anything in between.”