Honda WN7 (Wind Naked, Fun)

[Erwin P]

Guys, it's not about the looks, nor even the specs, it's big news simply because it's big H, the world leading OEM, selling 40% of all motorcycles sold in the entire world, feeling ready to mass produce and sell electric motorcycles.

It's not Zero motorcycles, Energica or Stark selling thousands of motorcycles, it's Honda, as in selling 20 million motorcycles a year.

I don't care much about this bike but I appreciate this might be a defining moment in the industry. Even if the sales aren't great, that could be the beginning of something big.

Ok, back to normal, thanks for letting me have this moment

I love your positive view on it. However this kinda shouts to me they can show some "we tried but nobody wants it" and continue what they were doing

 

[Beagle]

I love your positive view on it. However this kinda shouts to me they can show some "we tried but nobody wants it" and continue what they were doing

Don't be so cynical my friend

Honda commitment (and I mean all Honda, not just motorcycles) to carbon neutrality by 2050 and shift towards electric is very real (even if adjusting their intermediate targets along the way), they're getting eaten alive in the car industry and know they really need to catch up quick, that's why they pour millions in R&D and EV. It's only natural that a small splash goes towards electric motorcycles.

Integrated Report「Honda Report 2025」｜ Honda Global Corporate Website

Honda's integrated report site.We will provide an easy-to-understand explanation of our initiatives for the future.

global.honda

 

[Theo]

Yes @Beagle, I, too, love the fact that Kawasaki and Honda have made EV bikes, but the problem is that those bikes are pretty expensive for their specs and it's hard to believe that those manufacturers can't do better in that regard.
My comment about the LFP was a kind of effort to find an explanation for those disappointing specs: maybe if the battery lasts much longer thanks to LFP then the price becomes more reasonable since on the long run it could even be cheaper, but then woulnd't have they advertised it?
Another possible explanation could be that they are big corporations organized to produce vey big batches of bikes and their overhead costs prevent them to make better prices for supposedly smaller batches. Still they should have the financial resources to initially sell the bikes with little or even negative profit relying on the fact that the batches will increase in the future and possibly just cancelling the project if they are won't be successful.
Don't you find all this strange?

 

[Bodo]

Energy density for batteries still kills any expectation that comes from conventional motorcycles.

Have a Zero DSR/X (idk, 15kWh?) and want to ride with your friends on conventional bikes? No chance, you'll limp out after the second mountain pass, while everyone else on their BMW completes four.

Light bikes is where it's at - circuit, city, 1 hour-dash, suburb commute. Battery energy density has improved, but if the pace continues like that it'll be another ten years before conventional electric bikes get interesting.

ETA - I still hope that Honda succeeds

 

[Beagle]

Yes @Beagle, I, too, love the fact that Kawasaki and Honda have made EV bikes, but the problem is that those bikes are pretty expensive for their specs and it's hard to believe that those manufacturers can't do better in that regard.
My comment about the LFP was a kind of effort to find an explanation for those disappointing specs: maybe if the battery lasts much longer thanks to LFP then the price becomes more reasonable since on the long run it could even be cheaper, but then woulnd't have they advertised it?
Another possible explanation could be that they are big corporations organized to produce vey big batches of bikes and their overhead costs prevent them to make better prices for supposedly smaller batches. Still they should have the financial resources to initially sell the bikes with little or even negative profit relying on the fact that the batches will increase in the future and possibly just cancelling the project if they are won't be successful.
Don't you find all this strange?

Oh yeah, the Ninja e1 surely must have been a joke lost in translation, it's ridiculous.

I love Kawi but I have much more confidence in Honda delivering the goods. Plus they can benefit handsomely from their car division building expertise in EV.

Honestly I'm not that disappointed in this bike, it's more that this (plus Honda CR-E advertised for 8 years) shows how crazy it is for Stark to do such a slam dunk at their very first try.

Talking about long in the tooth I would be delighted if Honda ever went to do something with their beautiful RC-E concept bike from 2011

Honda’s RC-E Concept Still Alive

At the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show Honda showed the RC-E electric concept, then it vanished. Now it appears that Honda is filing new patents pertaining to the model.

www.cycleworld.com

 

[Lost]

Guys, it's not about the looks, nor even the specs, it's big news simply because it's big H, the world leading OEM, selling 40% of all motorcycles sold in the entire world, feeling ready to mass produce and sell electric motorcycles.

It's not Zero motorcycles, Energica or Stark selling thousands of motorcycles, it's Honda, as in selling 20 million motorcycles a year.

I don't care much about this bike but I appreciate this might be a defining moment in the industry. Even if the sales aren't great, that could be the beginning of something big.

Ok, back to normal, thanks for letting me have this moment

I understand what your saying, and appreciate your point, but it really is about about looks and spec for 99.9% of customers.

I didn't buy my EX because it was electric, I bought it because of 80hp and it being an incredibly good looking enduro, that had quality parts.

Most OEMs will struggle to make electric work, as customers aren't interested in revolution, just evolution, like PHEVs. That's why I believe brand splitting will become more prevalent (think Cupra or Polestar). It keeps the legacy brand alive and attracts new buyers.

So while Honda are trying, the WN won't see a return on investment, making them head shy for future endeavours. Yamaha is slightly more likely to succeed as they have a history of partnerships.

The future for bikes I feel at least is smaller boutique brands. More agile, lower overheads and not built by committee. Building an electric bike is easy, look at all the cracking DIY projects on here! If these brands go under? So what? We're at a point where basicly anything can be fixed fairly quickly and cheaply.

 

[Beagle]

I understand what your saying, and appreciate your point, but it really is about about looks and spec for 99.9% of customers.

I didn't buy my EX because it was electric, I bought it because of 80hp and it being an incredibly good looking enduro, that had quality parts.

Most OEMs will struggle to make electric work, as customers aren't interested in revolution, just evolution, like PHEVs. That's why I believe brand splitting will become more prevalent (think Cupra or Polestar). It keeps the legacy brand alive and attracts new buyers.

So while Honda are trying, the WN won't see a return on investment, making them head shy for future endeavours. Yamaha is slightly more likely to succeed as they have a history of partnerships.

The future for bikes I feel at least is smaller boutique brands. More agile, lower overheads and not built by committee. Building an electric bike is easy, look at all the cracking DIY projects on here! If these brands go under? So what? We're at a point where basicly anything can be fixed fairly quickly and cheaply.

About boutique brands I was wondering what might happen to brands like Electro and co selling kits to convert bikes to electric whenever Yamaha, Honda and co will sell their own electric dirt bikes and street bikes.

On one hand, demand for DIY kit would likely decrease but the overall market for electric bikes could only grow.

Could there be an opportunity for them, to transition into something more like tuning, repairing, updating or upgrading BMS, controllers or refurbishing battery packs with new cells? That's something most shops might not be comfortable with for some time so there may be some room for people and companies with years of expertise and practice?