Motorcycle manufacturers dabbling in mountain bikes is nothing new, but two bikes at this year’s Sea Otter Europe suggest the relationship between the two industries could be getting more serious.
Honda used the Girona show to confirm it will enter the electric mountain bike market, displaying an updated version of the eMTB prototype it first revealed at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show.
Also at the Sea Otter Europe, Ducati was displaying its latest generation of electric mountain bikes, including the DM-160 R, powered by DJI’s increasingly popular Avinox drive system.
While slapping an automotive badge onto a bicycle has historically produced some questionable results, these new bikes appear to be very different propositions.
Honda is back
Honda is no stranger to mountain biking, with the Japanese manufacturer famously developing the RN01 G-Cross downhill bike in the early 2000s and racing it in the UCI Downhill World Cup between 2004 and 2007.
Far from being a rebadged bike, the RN01 G-Cross was an ambitious engineering project featuring an unusual enclosed gearbox positioned around the bottom bracket.
The bike saw great success, with Greg Minnaar riding it to the overall Downhill World Cup title in 2005.
Almost two decades after the RN-01 G-Cross, Honda has now confirmed it intends to sell a mountain bike again.
Honda's latest eMTB prototype was displayed alongside the RN01 G-Cross at Sea Otter Europe and appears to have been developed with assistance from German bike manufacturer Rotwild.
The prototype appears to use a Shimano motor, although Honda has yet to confirm the drive system that will feature on the finished bike.
Honda says the production model will draw inspiration from the prototype: “The Honda eMTB Prototype has been designed to embody the values that have defined the brand for generations, combining advanced technology, quality engineering and rider-centric development.”
The new bike is scheduled to go on sale in 2027, with specifications, pricing and availability still to be announced.
Ducati goes all-in on Avinox
While it looks as though we’ll have to wait until next year to see exactly what Honda brings to market, Ducati's latest eMTBs are considerably more concrete, albeit conventional.
The Italian brand recently announced a new partnership with Gruppo Zecchetto for the development, production and distribution of its high-performance bicycles.
Its new range includes the DM-160 R, a 160mm-travel carbon enduro electric mountain bike built around the powerful Avinox M2S drive system.
The motor, paired with an 800Wh integrated battery, is claimed to produce up to 1,300W of peak power and 130Nm of torque, rising to a whopping 150Nm in Boost mode.
The rest of the bike wouldn't look out of place alongside established enduro electric mountain bikes either, which isn’t something you could say about Honda’s prototype.
There's a 160mm RockShox ZEB Select fork and Super Deluxe Select+ shock, SRAM's mechanical Eagle 90 Transmission and Maven Base brakes.
Its geometry looks similarly contemporary. It has a 64-degree head angle, reach figures stretching from 455mm to 504mm across three sizes and flip chips for geometry adjustment.
The DM-160 R is priced at €7,990 and is due to be available from October.
More than a badge?
Honda and Ducati's latest projects feel notably different from some of the automotive-branded bikes we've seen in the past.
Rather than relying primarily on their famous badges, both appear to be putting serious consideration into what riders actually want.
Honda is working with Rotwild, and Ducati' is using one of the most talked-about electric bike motors currently on the market.
Whether the decisions to build eMTBs stem from motorcycle brands realising they can charge the same for them as they can for a motorbike isn’t known, but I’d suspect we’ll see more crossover in the future as the line between two-wheelers merges and access rights for motorcycles diminishes.
