Honda’s RN0 is a carbon-fiber electric mountain bike that weighs about 24 kilograms (53 pounds), carries a 720 Wh battery and runs a new Shimano motor rated at 100 Nm of torque. Honda built it with the German e-MTB maker ROTWILD and gave it a world premiere at the EICMA motorcycle show in Milan, where press days ran Nov. 3 and 4. It is the carmaker’s first high-end e-MTB, and no price has been announced.
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Coverage reached a wider audience on Nov. 7, when Electrek published its report, but Honda’s own release is dated Nov. 3. That release lists components in granular detail and names no executive or engineer, so most of the specifications below rest on the company’s document and on independent hands-on testing rather than on a quoted spokesperson.
A carbon monocoque frame with a gull-arm swingarm
According to Honda’s release for the RN0 launch, the bike uses a proprietary carbon monocoque frame paired with a gull-arm swingarm, a shape borrowed from the company’s motorcycle chassis work. The rear end is a single-pivot swingarm with a linkage, and the frame comes in S, M and L sizes. Honda describes the concept as “New Terrain, Same Dream,” and says the name combines “Ride Natural” and “Reach New Peaks.” Paint is a two-tone mix of Pearl Moon Ash Gray and Mat Ballistic Black Metallic.
The partnership with ROTWILD gives Honda a specialist builder for a category it has not sold into before. Adrian Kaether, test and technology editor at BIKE magazine, reports that Honda designed the frame’s look while ROTWILD handled the technical development, including the rear suspension.
Electrek adds the history: Honda ran a mountain bike program in the early 2000s that produced the RN01 downhill racer, which won the 2005 UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup overall series title. Honda never sold the RN01 to consumers, so the RN0 is the first Honda high-end electric mountain bike that buyers will be able to purchase, assuming it reaches dealers as planned. Honda’s release does not say whether the RN0 carries any technology from that racing program.
Shimano’s 2.3-kilogram drive unit and the 720 Wh battery
The motor is a new Shimano drive unit that weighs 2.3 kilograms and is rated for up to 100 Nm of torque and 750 W of maximum output. BikeRadar identifies the unit as the EP810, about 400 grams lighter than the EP801 it replaces, with torque up from 85 Nm and peak power up from 600 W. The same report describes a new 720 Wh battery of roughly 4.1 kilograms.
Honda’s software features are AUTO ASSIST, which varies motor help with terrain and rider input, AUTO SHIFT, which changes gears to hold cadence, and Assist Carryover, which keeps the motor pushing briefly after pedaling stops. A 2.2-inch color display sits in the top tube, and USB-C charging and Shimano app integration let the owner adjust motor settings or lock the bike electronically.
Fox suspension, mixed wheel sizes and Deore XT brakes
Up front, the RN0 has a 160 mm FOX 36 FLOAT Factory Kashima fork, with a FOX FLOAT X Factory Kashima shock at the rear. Wheels are DT Swiss H1900 SPLINE in a mullet layout, a 29-inch front and a 27.5-inch rear, wrapped in Schwalbe Albert EVO Trail tires and stopped by Shimano DEORE XT four-piston disc brakes. New Atlas lists 145 mm of rear travel and a Shimano XT Di2 12-speed drivetrain for the large size.
Kaether’s test of the RN0 found excellent climbing traction, a neutral and easy-to-ride character and comfortable suspension, but also limits on high-speed, steep descents where the 145 mm of rear travel runs out, plus noticeable rattle from the motor and gearbox assembly. His verdict was “reliable performance, polarising design,” and he called it a nimble touring bike rather than a hardcore downhill machine. New Atlas, summarizing other early reviewers, says the hollow frame amplified chain slap and drivetrain noise and that the motor’s power delivery felt harsh next to Bosch and Specialized systems. Those are early impressions of a pre-sale bike, and Honda has not responded to them in the material it has published.
Price, dealers and the questions Honda has not answered
Honda’s release gives no price, sales region or on-sale date. New Atlas reports that Honda plans to sell the bike only through selected motorcycle showrooms, car dealerships and marine dealers rather than specialist bike shops, and quotes industry observers estimating a price of $9,000 to $12,000. That range is an outside estimate, not a Honda figure. BIKE’s test adds that the RN0 will be offered in a single specification and that dealer training courses are reportedly already scheduled.
The open questions are practical ones. Honda has confirmed the hardware and the Milan premiere, but not what an e-MTB costs through a motorcycle dealer, which markets get it first, or when a customer can ride one home.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
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