Honda gives a sneaky peek at its first electric motorcycle

THE electric motorcycle market in the UK and Europe is booming right now, with sales up across the channel and also at home. With sales so strong at home and abroad, it does seem like it’s prime time for some of the mainstream brands to flick the switch.

And one of the biggest automotive brands on the planet looks like the time has come to unveil its first mass-market electric machine. Honda has lived in the battery-powered space for many years, having pioneered the technology with hybrid cars like its Insight released in 1999. The switch to electric power in the two-wheeled world has been slower to arrive though, as all manufacturers wait for the perfect moment to flick the switch.

That moment could be getting nearer though, as Honda has left a very small easter egg for eagle-eyed fans in a rather peculiar place. It comes from Honda’s headlining at the Pasadena in the USA, and Honda’s release of a sketch showing how its float, called ‘Forever Determined’ will look. The float will highlight the Japanese brand’s ground-breaking new transport technology, and you guessed it, electric power vehicles are the main focus.

Is this Honda’s first mid-sized electric motorcycle?

The fleet of vehicles features the Prologue, an all-electric SUV, Acura ARX-06 battery-powered race car, and a HondaJet executive plane. Tucked away in the concept sketch though is a fairly innocuous-looking motorcycle, which at first glance looks a lot like the recently released CB750 Hornet. Zoom in though and while the seat unit, rear light, and side panels are all Hornet-like, clearly visible where the petrol engine should be is some form of an electric drivetrain.

While this is probably the most fleeting of fleeting glimpses, the timeline of Honda’s planned delivery of the first fully electric motorcycle for the mass market seems to back it up. We already know that the Japanese brand plans to have a battery-powered mid-sized or small-capacity motorcycle on the road by 2024, and as we turn the page on 2022 very soon, that isn’t very far away.