New Honda EMTB ?

Hope it goes better for them than KTM.

"Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should." Dr. Ian Malcolm

It's 20 yo and NOT electric.

Here's a 27 EMTB prototype.

Not exactly that different from the 2024 concept, BTW...

Yeah I was going to say the bars and post look like 20 year old Easton stuff. Given the source it's probably AI slop.

Why aluminum and not carbon?? The thing looks like a 1990's Cannondale Y frame. 

I've seen a lot of photos of  and videos  and its real.  Internal transmission  . Gypsy tales did a podcast recently that he talked to somebody involved in that prototype back when it was built. There are plenty of images and videos around with it.

The new Honda  uses the Shimano 801 motor that is older and underpowered compared to the newest motors available. It looks like it has to be a Carbon fiber frame .  The EMTB crowd is laughing and saying it would be a nice bike in 2023.  I hope that Honda is realistic with the sales they expect knowing the motor is  underpowered compared to the newest motors.   its got 85 NM  of torque and the newest motors are 120to 150nm. I hope that Shimano has a new motor on the way that could help make this Honda Ebike a solid competitor.  And maybe see a belt driven internal gearbox version come out at some point too.  I happen to have a carbon fiber framed EMTB with that motor and I love my bike. But almost twice the torques would be awesome and I'm not sure I would buy another bike with the same motor.  

 I love how much area the bike would provide for making graphics and it looks like it could also be the base for a surron sized electric  motorcycle without pedals. Looks like there could be a lot of room for activities in that frame! I really hope it comes out and sells well.  I am a fan of Honda's and think they have some of the best looking bikes. 

Honda RN-01, over twenty years old and not electric. Super cool though! 

Crazy that the 20+ year old bike gets more love  than the 2027 EMTB from the bike people when you go look at the places that are talking MTB's.  But I can see why. The 20year old bike was pretty innovative while the EMTB the have doesn't seem to really have anything that wild going on. 

 It would be cool to see Honda make their own motor/battery and  an internal gearbox setup like the older bike. in a modern Carbon frame like they have.   

me no likey. Complete overkill for a modern functional enjoyable EMTB the average person needs or wants IMO.

I think you can find the original Patent listing for the RN-01s Gearbox.

I've a full hard copy of it in a folder just nearby.

A fascinating Link and Moving Pivot design, to give a CVT set up, within  a range. Though, I think they did set up the shifters for (variable) points of 'Gears'.

I do believe that set up, was used as a test for Transmission Ideas in general - not just Bicycle use.

With the (relatively, compared to the tiny HP Humans produce) High Torque at pathetically low revs even the most 'Spectacular Spinners' in Cycling can do. it's a true test of shifting - well, smooth shifting.

It was, eventually, changed to a 'Derailleur In A Box', after a bit of  time. A fair few have tried that, some offer it - well I think an OZ company, WRP. professes to have them. 

I think a few of the RN-01 were stolen, ( in Sef Efrica?)  but not the gearboxes, as they were always removed from the Frames / Team Trucks, and taken into Hotels etc. 

Me, I make frames for the Pinion GB, and the Effigear. But, every now and then, I will get persuaded to do one for Derailleur usage. Well, it's not hard to do, as I have removeable / adjustable Axle Plates / Drop outs on my swingarms. 

On a personal side, I've been waiting to get the Pinion MGU12, for quite some time. But, being a tiny frame maker, well, I'm on the end of a long list.

I think Pinion will be left behind by the Avinox  / DJI   CVT and, the other Chinese company that has made one. Plus, all the other companies that will make MGU's. 

I Bloody Hate Derailleurs, and, I see so many get beat to hell by mid engines. My record for destroying Derailleurs, was 4 in one day, at a National Series DH, yonks ago. 

Intradrive : https://www.intradrive.co.uk/  from Scotland, have been touting a direct fitment , into Shimano EP8  etc frame hangers, 8 spd MGU,, for a few years now, but, it's got chain routing problems, in that the RH case 'shrouds' the CS sprocket / Chain Ring area, limiting it's use on many rear suspension designs. Not sure if they'll get it to market, it's been a few years of "It's Coming' from them. If they do get it out, it will have a fair few 'takers' for upgrades to their Shimano EP8 set up bikes, that's for sure. 

cool history and story. I use the K.I.S.S. principal vs. chasing the latest and greatest tech all the time. Especially when it's a limited use item in my life. I deliberately research items I may buy and know exactly which features fit my needs and nothing more. Unfortunately, I've had to settle for included features or upgrades to get the basic package I really want. I still have my 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo I bought new and has less than 80k miles on it but again has all the features I was after when I bought it. Same with my 2022 Beta, 2024 Nissan King Cab, and the newest addition was the EMTB. I'll never sell/upgrade any of them. Happy with all these purchases and don't have any reason to replace them with something else- especially if they are overloaded with technology as I actually enjoy physically interacting with things like manual transmissions and Road Atlas maps as I'm a Luddite and don't want everything made to easy for me. Where's the fun in relying on tech for everyday basics of life?

It looks very expensive.

Let's see if I can 'eff' this up : I've been having problems putting up pics here lately, despite me being "E Tech Beario" . Well, I'm bloody well far from it. Trying to post these from my phone.

The Patent for the original ' Lever Arm and Pivot' RN01 gearbox. 31 pages, that I've got as a hard copy.

Cripes it's bastard of a thing to post pics from my 'phone!

This one shows example of pivot and 'arc' combos. 

I've pictures of the 'Derailleur in Box' Honda ended the project with - quite a few companies have made such 'solutions'. The derailleur was mounted upside down, as a comparison to 'the norm', and The Derailleur itself slid along a shaft, to engage the different cassette gears. Me, I use Pinions, IDGAF about  'drag / parasitic losses', or hard shifting - I just don't have that problem, what with knees of putty, and buggerall power. Plus, unlike so many Bicycle Drongos, I adapted to / learned the nuances of a different system.

there used to be info on the Kamikaze RNF2 on Idegawa's blog... but i can't find it anymore

(the RN-01 was based on the Idegawa's designs if my memory serves my correctly)

great technological achievement I suppose but seems like total overkill for average MTB user.