Honda presently retails four models under its miniMoto range- Grom, Monkey, Trail 125 and Super Cub C125
Recently Honda filed a patent that reveals a motorcycle featuring an electric powertrain. At first glance, the design and stylings in the patents seem heavily inspired by Honda’s monkey bike Grom, that recently went under the knife and got a makeover.
However, after careful observation, we find out that it is not just an electric version of Grom but a completely different motorcycle designed from the scratch. If it reaches production, this mini electric-motorcycle will be positioned as a fun-to-ride motorcycle.
Concept Electric Mini Motorcycle
The patent images show the battery pack being housed in a monocoque-style chassis while the electric motor mounted behind the power source. Instead of conventional telescopic forks, the design shows a setup similar to Hossack-type fork arrangement seen on Honda Gold Wing. At rear, the hardware setup consists of double wishbones and girder-style forks along with a mono-shock that is bolted to the front of the battery case.
Reports indicate that the patents filed are merely part of a concept that is unlikely to reach production anytime soon. This concept bike could be showcased in one of the many upcoming auto shows around the world in the near future.
While this may or may not reach production level eventually, what it does reveal is that the Japanese auto giant is looking to develop a fun-to-ride compact motorcycle running on battery-powered cells. As of now, the patent filings suggest that Honda is looking to develop a variety of options as far as electric mobility is concerned.
Honda Grom in India
Currently, Honda retails four two-wheelers under its miniMoto range in international markets- Grom, Monkey, Trail 125 and Super Cub C125. As mentioned earlier, Grom was recently facelifted in October last year following which it was launched in the US late last year and in Europe earlier this year. Grom is clearly the most popular of all the miniMotos by Honda with over 7.5 lakh sales across the globe since its launch back in 2014.
In January this year, Honda also filed a patent for the latest generation of Grom in India. Honda had filed patent for previous gen Grom too, a few years earlier, but Grom never made it to India. Instead, the Indian market got a minibike called Navi that failed to penetrate into the market and was discontinued after a while.
There has been no word from Honda regarding the launch of Grom in India although chances are slim. We are also not clear whether Honda has any plans to bring any electric two-wheeler to India anytime soon.
Source: Bike - rushlane.com
