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Idea bikes normally fall into one in every of two camps. On one facet there are the near-production machines that give a preview of one thing that may seem in showrooms a number of months later, and on the opposite are the flights of fantasy that draw crowds to indicate stands for a number of days, by no means to be seen once more after their transient second of glory.
Honda’s RC-E, which debuted on the Tokyo Motor Present means again in 2011, had all of the hallmarks of being firmly within the latter group. A dozen years in the past there have been few severe indications that Honda had imminent plans for an electrical sportbike and the RC-E—a battery-powered race-rep that took its inspiration from the corporate’s Sixties GP bikes—seemed to be little greater than an intriguing “what if…?”
However now, practically 12 years after the RC-E was first seen, the exact same bike has change into the main focus of a brand new patent utility from Honda, displaying very clearly that parts of the RC-E, if not the entire bike, are nonetheless being labored on inside the firm’s R&D division.
The patent photos are unmistakably the RC-E. The fairing form proven within the drawings, the body format, the suspension, the huge electrical motor within the center, they’re all equivalent to the 2011 present bike. In itself, that’s not terribly uncommon as Honda usually patents concepts utilizing the outlines of previous bikes the place the shapes themselves aren’t necessary. Nevertheless on this case, the patent is particularly in regards to the rear suspension’s structural format, which in itself is a key visible aspect of the bike.
It’s not fairly equivalent to the RC-E present bike. The idea had a single shock, straight mounted between the highest of the swingarm forward of the rear wheel and a bracket forged into the alloy half-frame above the electrical motor. Right here, we see the place the brand new patent differs: Its shock is offset, tucking in alongside the electrical motor and hooked up to the left-hand facet of the swingarm and the left-hand body rail. It’s extra space-efficient than the unique design and requires a extra compact, narrower motor than the unique.
Nevertheless, it additionally reveals that a considerable amount of the RC-E’s pondering continues to be present. The body, for instance, makes use of the electrical motor’s case as a structural aspect between the entrance rails and the swingarm, which pivots concentrically with the motor’s axle. The concept is, after all, to create the straightest line potential between the steering head and the rear wheel, and the profile photos make it fairly clear that this format achieves that.
The actually large distinction between this patent and the 2011 present bike is the context. Again in 2011 there have been no severe makes an attempt from main bike firms to make a convincing electrical bike any bigger than a scooter. Right now the panorama is totally totally different. Nearly each main motorbike firm, together with Honda, has laid out plans to launch giant numbers of electrical bikes within the very close to future, and we’re merely ready to see what they give you. Honda might do a lot worse than reviving the RC-E and reinvigorating it with up-to-date motor and battery tech.
The brand new patent additionally offers us the primary look beneath the pores and skin of the RC-E. The motor itself has all the time been seen, and stays a key aspect of the design, however the patent reveals that there are three giant battery packs, every with a novel form, beneath the fairing. The primary, labeled B1 within the drawings, is beneath the “tank” and above the body rails. The second, B2, is bigger and sits between the body rails, hanging down into the realm the place we’d usually discover a combustion engine. Lastly there’s a 3rd battery, B3, that’s formed to suit into the bike’s bellypan.
The motor itself is offset to the right-hand facet of the bike, leaving area for the rear shock to run alongside it on the left, and sits in a structural case bolted on to the rear of the body rails. Though the patent doesn’t make particular reference to it, it seems that the bike is meant to be liquid-cooled, with a conventionally positioned radiator behind the entrance wheel.
It’s removed from sure that the patent utility will likely be profitable—it will likely be all the way down to patent officers to determine whether or not the format is novel sufficient to be protected by a patent—it’s clear that giant parts of the RC-E together with the half-frame and structural motor are nonetheless actively beneath improvement, and with Honda anticipated to launch its first large electrical bike in 2024 it’s way more related than it was on the 2011 Tokyo Motor Present.
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