The motorcycle manufacturer, which was the undisputed king for years, has just released a futuristic electric mountain bike.
04/10/2026 12:00
Updated to
04/10/2026 12:00
Toni Bou, the greatest motorcycle trial rider in history, served as the patron for this new electric mountain bike: it is the Honda e-Mtb Prototype (the final name has not yet been revealed), succeeding another prototype, the e-Mtb Concept, which was shown in 2023 with a unique aluminum monocoque frame.
Honda has not been very active in the bicycle industry, yet it holds the title of 2005 downhill world champion: the legendary Greg Minaar rode a Honda RN01 that featured a highly motorcycle-inspired design with a gearshift. It was not developed for commercial sale. In this new e-Mtb Prototype, with a bit of imagination, we can spot subtle references to those two bikes.
For now, a mystery
Honda has not provided any details; it only says that it ‘is about to arrive’.... Interest is extremely high, especially since they enlisted the world’s greatest trial rider, the Catalan athlete Toni Bou, for the photoshoot of this electric bike model, which once again surprises with its appearance resembling a motorcycle more than a bicycle.
Will it also be considered a motorcycle legally? The prototype shown at the Sea Otter Eurospe featured a Shimano EP8 engine, which seems somewhat underpowered for such an innovative bike at this point. But who knows if Shimano will take the opportunity to introduce its highly anticipated new engine at the time of its official launch... If Honda wants to sell many of its bikes, there must definitely be an EPAC or Pedelec version. Naturally, Speed Pedelec versions will also exist for markets with different regulations, and they likely could end up in our country as moped-like vehicles as well.
The frame in this case is made of carbon fiber rather than aluminum like that of the e-Mtb Concept: we can see the name Rotwild engraved on the frame itself (or rather, chassis), which will be the manufacturer. Will the Germans release their own version? Honestly, we don’t think that will happen.
Given the suspension setup (with a travel of around 170 mm), the focus seems to be on off-road performance, and it appears that Toni Bou himself contributed to fine-tuning the prototype, rather than just appearing in the photos. After all, he is an avid user of e-Mtb bikes.
In short, this adds more fuel to the fire for the electric mountain bike sector, with a model that stands out from the norm, to the delight of loyal fans of the ‘golden wing’ brand...and also for those who are not.
