Honda has turned its eMTB prototype into a real product. The Honda RN0, unveiled at EICMA in Milan on 3 November, is the company's first high-end electric mountain bike: a carbon all-mountain bike with 160 mm of travel up front, 145 mm at the rear, mullet wheels and Shimano's new full-power drive unit. Honda quotes a weight of about 24 kg.
The project has been brewing for a while. A first aluminium study appeared at the Japan Mobility Show in 2023, a carbon prototype followed, and when we covered Honda's latest prototype in October, production was pencilled in for 2027. For the series bike Honda teamed up with ADP Engineering, the company behind Rotwild, which worked on kinematics, geometry and rear-end tuning. The name is a nod to the RN01, the gearbox downhill bike on which Greg Minnaar won the 2005 Downhill World Cup overall.
Honda RN0 frame: motorcycle thinking in carbon
The frame is a carbon monocoque with what Honda calls a gull-arm swingarm, a big, sculpted carbon rear arm that gives the bike its look. Honda's motorcycle engineers wanted a chassis that's stiff under braking and impacts but flexes a little sideways, so the tyres keep their grip in corners. Whether riders will feel that is something only time on the trail can answer.
The rear suspension is a single pivot driven via a linkage, with the shock hidden inside the frame. Rotwild quotes around 100% anti-squat at 30% sag and roughly 14.7% progression between 30 and 95% of travel. A Fox 36 Float Factory fork and Fox Float X Factory shock, both with Kashima coating and RN0-specific tunes, handle the bumps. DT Swiss H1900 Spline wheels carry Schwalbe Albert Trail tyres, and Shimano Deore XT four-piston brakes do the stopping. There's one colourway, Pearl Moon Ash Gray with Mat Ballistic Black Metallic.
Honda RN0 at a glance
- Category
- All-mountain eMTB
- Frame
- Carbon monocoque, gull-arm swingarm
- Travel
- 160 mm front / 145 mm rear
- Wheels
- Mullet 29" / 27.5", DT Swiss H1900 Spline
- Motor
- Shimano, 100 Nm, 750 W peak, 2.3 kg
- Battery
- 720 Wh, in the down tube
- Fork
- Fox 36 Float Factory Kashima, 160 mm
- Shock
- Fox Float X Factory Kashima
- Brakes
- Shimano Deore XT, four-piston
- Tyres
- Schwalbe Albert EVO Trail, 2.5"
- Display
- 2.2-inch colour, top tube, USB-C
- Weight
- approx. 24 kg (Honda)
- Sizes
- S, M, L
- Price
- not announced
Manufacturer data. Rear travel and geometry as given at the launch.
Shimano's new motor
Honda doesn't give the drive unit a model name, but its figures match the Shimano EP810 announced in early November: 2.3 kg, 100 Nm and 750 W peak. It draws on a 720 Wh battery in the down tube. Auto Assist adjusts support to gradient and rider effort, Auto Shift picks gears to hold cadence (it needs Shimano's Di2 electronic shifting), and Assist Carryover keeps the motor driving briefly after you stop pedalling to help over obstacles. A 2.2-inch colour display sits in the top tube next to a USB-C port, and the Shimano app handles tuning and locking the system. More on Shimano drives on our Shimano EP motor page.
Geometry
The RN0 comes in S, M and L, with the same 65° head angle, 76.5° seat angle and 442 mm chainstays across all three sizes.
Honda RN0 geometry
| S | M | L | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reach | 430 mm | 455 mm | 480 mm |
| Stack | 631 mm | 640 mm | 649 mm |
| Head angle | 65° | 65° | 65° |
| Seat angle | 76.5° | 76.5° | 76.5° |
| Top tube (horizontal) | 582 mm | 609 mm | 636 mm |
| Chainstay | 442 mm | 442 mm | 442 mm |
| Wheelbase | 1,201 mm | 1,230 mm | 1,259 mm |
| BB height | 345 mm | 345 mm | 345 mm |
Our take
The RN0 doesn't chase extreme numbers. A 65° head angle and 442 mm stays are middle-of-the-road for a 160/145 mm bike, and with 480 mm of reach in size L and no XL, riders well over 185 cm may struggle to find a fit. What makes it interesting is the chassis approach and who's selling it. The gull arm is the most distinctive frame we've seen on a mainstream eMTB this year, and Rotwild's input should keep the kinematics sensible.
Honda hasn't announced a price, markets or a delivery date yet, and early reports point to sales through Honda dealers at first. With Factory-level Fox suspension and XT brakes it won't be a budget bike. If it does land in motorcycle showrooms, it could reach riders who'd never walk into a bike shop, and that may matter more to Honda than any spec sheet.
32 years of riding experience, from a school bike to today's high-tech e-MTBs. My goal is to build the most complete and accessible e-MTB catalog to make choosing easier, and to bring our readers the latest news.
