Honda returns to making mountain bikes: a closer look at its radical comeback to MTB

More than two decades after surprising the downhill world with the RN01, Honda is putting its name back on a mountain bike. This time, it does so with a radically designed eMTB that Honda confirms will go into production in 2027.

Honda returns to MTB more than 20 years later

Honda is back in mountain biking. The Japanese brand took advantage of Sea Otter Europe 2026 to showcase its Honda e-MTB Prototype and, most importantly, confirm that the project will continue. The brand will launch a production eMTB developed from this bike in 2027.

Talking about a Honda mountain bike may seem strange to those who have recently entered this sport, but it is not the first time the Japanese company has ventured into it.

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In the early 2000s, Honda Racing Corporation developed the RN01, a downhill bike created practically from scratch and featuring some very unusual technical solutions. The RN01 competed in the World Cup between 2004 and 2007 with the G Cross Honda team.

Its most recognizable feature was the transmission system located around the bottom bracket area and protected within the frame. A solution that moved the derailleur away from the rear wheel and became one of the hallmarks of that bike.

Greg Minnaar was the big name associated with the project, and in 2005 he won the overall World Cup Downhill title on the Honda RN01.

Almost two decades after that program came to an end, Honda is rekindling its relationship with MTB from a completely different perspective.

A radical eMTB about which we still know very little

The Honda e-MTB Prototype had previously appeared as a conceptual exercise, but its presence at Sea Otter Europe comes with confirmation that completely changes the project. Honda assures that there will be a production version in 2027.

At first glance, the prototype maintains that unconventional look one would expect from a brand with Honda's engineering capabilities. It is a dual-suspension eMTB, with a frame featuring very pronounced shapes and an integration that makes the whole set quite different from the usual aesthetics of many current electric bikes.

Honda defines the project under the concept "New Terrain, Same Dream" and explains that its intention is to transfer some of the fun offered by its motorcycles to an electric-assisted mountain bike.

But we will have to wait before getting into details. Although the displayed model appeared to be equipped with a Shimano motor, it seemed somewhat improvised, and Honda has not specified the assistance system that will equip the production model, nor has it published figures for battery, weight, or geometry. Therefore, any attempt to define its performance now would be speculative.

The final version also does not have to be identical to the prototype we are seeing in Girona.

Toni Bou has already ridden it

To put its new eMTB into action, Honda has turned to one of the most important names in its recent sports history. Trial rider Toni Bou, who has just reached 40 world titles, is also a mountain bike enthusiast and has had the opportunity to test the prototype for promotional audiovisual content.

Honda has not detailed whether Bou is directly involved in the technical development of the future production bike, so for now, his confirmed role is limited to those initial tests and the creation of content around the prototype.

It will be in 2027 when we find out to what extent the final bike retains the solutions and, above all, the radical aesthetics of the prototype presented in Girona.