Honda working on CB125R electric motorcycle
Honda has filed patents that show a retro electric motorcycle based on the CB125R
HONDA patents reveal a new electric motorcycle that looks to be based on the existing CB125R. The patents show a Neo Sports Café inspired motorcycle with all the chassis parts of the CB125R although this one is electrically powered!
Honda CB125R video review
The patent shows what is a fully finished motorcycle, leading us to believe the machine must exist in its finished for somewhere within the Honda R&D department. All signs point to this bike being much more than simply sticking a pin in an idea or brainstorming out some new-fangled tech.
The heart of the bike is a very small, lightweight electric powerplant. The biggest clue to the new electric motors size is by looking at some of the bits bolted onto it. If you look at the size of the drive sprocket (above) you can almost visualize the size of the finished motor, putting it about the size of a dinner plate. The entire engine is also extremely narrow, easily slotting into the narrow chassis of the diminutive Honda naked.
The rest of the bike’s frame, suspension, and the braking system looks virtually unchanged from the bike’s petrol-powered donor bike. There will obviously be small adaptations to the frame to accommodate the motor and batteries, but all in all it is remarkably familiar looking.
As with all patents, performance specs are all kept secret although it’s hard to believe the machine would produce much more power than the 125cc machine it is based on. The trouble is, the chassis and cycle parts of the donor bike are already manufactured and designed to work within a set power and torque window. Increase this too much and the bike wouldn’t be able to handle the output from the electric motor.
One of the most exciting bits of this patent is that the bike that makes up 75% of its construction is already in production, taking a massive bite out of the development and design budget of an all-new electric model. Given that Honda has already done extensive work on a similar electric drivetrain, for the electrically powered PCX scooter, this could be one of the most cost-effective electric options for cool-looking urban transport, and it’s from a brand people know.
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
