In the event you’re sufficiently old to recollect the unique Nineteen Eighties Honda Motocompo micro-motorcycle – or are like me and have loved studying about it since – then at the moment’s announcement from Honda will include all kinds of heat, fuzzy emotions of nostalgia, both earned or discovered. The long-awaited religious successor to the Motocompo has simply been unveiled, and this time it’s gone electrical. Meet the Honda Motocompacto.
The unique 1983 Honda Motocompo was a tiny little gasoline-powered motorbike designed to slot in the trunk of small automobile and provides drivers a approach to prolong their attain right into a metropolis.
As an alternative of driving all the best way in, house owners may park on the outskirts of a metropolis, come out their tiny motorbike from their trunk, unfold it into one thing that was roughly comfy to take a seat on, then experience anyplace within the metropolis.
In the event you’re considering that an oil-leaking, gasoline-burning motorbike isn’t an awesome factor to maintain within the trunk of a automobile, then you definately’re proper.
That’s in all probability why the little bike was discontinued after solely two years.
It’s additionally probably why when Honda introduced the previous concept again to life at the moment, they did it with an electrical drivetrain as an alternative. Which in the event you’re an Electrek reader, in all probability received’t come as a whole shock. We coated Honda’s trademarking of the Motocompacto identify final yr and surmised that this was the probably end result.
Simply don’t count on peak efficiency from the Honda Motocompacto. The truth is, you’d be well-advised to not get your hopes up for even reasonable efficiency. The tiny little folding scooter has a fair tinier drivetrain. The entrance wheel motor measures 490W and the highest pace is a mere 15 mph (25 km/h).
The battery is listed as “6.8Ah,” although it’s unattainable to find out the precise battery capability with none information on the system voltage. With both a 24V or 36V battery, that may imply a measly capability of simply 163 or 245 Wh, respectively.
Honda does give us an estimate vary, although the “as much as 12 miles” (20 km) isn’t very promising. However then once more, that is an urban-centric motorcycle and few individuals commute additional than 12 miles within the coronary heart of a metropolis. A 110V charger can recharge that battery in 3.5 hours and there’s even room to retailer the charger on board, simply in case you need to recharge within the workplace below your desk.
As Honda described it, “Motocompacto is ideal for getting round cityscapes and school campuses. It was designed with rider consolation and comfort in thoughts with a comfortable seat, safe grip foot pegs, on-board storage, a digital speedometer, a cost gauge, and a cushty carry deal with. A intelligent telephone app allows riders to regulate their private settings, together with lighting and experience modes, through Bluetooth.”
The Honda Motocompacto takes a lot of the identical folding inspiration from the unique Motocompo, together with handlebars and seat that drop down into the physique. With the folding footpegs, the little scooter is a mere 3.7 inches extensive (9.4 cm) when totally stowed. The truth is, it folds up right into a package deal barely bigger than a briefcase, measuring simply 29 inches (73 cm) lengthy and 21 inches (54 cm) excessive.
Thankfully the Motocompacto’s weight 41.3 lb. (18.7 kg) is just below half the load of the unique Nineteen Eighties Motocompo, so it needs to be a lot simpler to truly slide out of your hatchback.
It seems that Honda plans to promote the Motocompacto together with a few of its electrical autos, based on Jane Nakagawa, vp of the R&D Enterprise Unit at American Honda Motor Co., Inc.:
Motocompacto is uniquely Honda – a enjoyable, modern and sudden side of our bigger electrification technique. Bought together with our new all-electric SUVs, Motocompacto helps our objective of carbon neutrality by serving to prospects with end-to-end zero-emissions transport.
In apply although, it’s probably that few house owners will truly deal with it like a dinghy for his or her automobile in the identical means that the unique Motocompo was used. As an alternative, it’s possible that the Motocompacto will stand by itself as a part of Honda’s small but rising electrical scooter and motorbike lineup.
The bike sounds prefer it was designed as a main car, as defined by Nick Ziraldo, venture lead and design engineering unit chief at Honda Growth and Manufacturing of America:
Motocompacto is straightforward to make use of and enjoyable to experience, however was additionally designed with security, sturdiness, and safety in thoughts. It makes use of a strong heat-treated aluminum body and wheels, brilliant LED headlight and taillight, facet reflectors, and a welded metal lock loop on the kickstand that’s appropriate with most bike locks.
Now the one query is whether or not or not it’s going to promote. Priced at US $995, gross sales will start solely on-line and at Honda and Acura car sellers in November.
Electrek’s Take
I’m about as pro-micromobility as anybody on the web, however I’ll inform you proper now that the best factor concerning the Honda Motocompacto is merely the truth that it exists. In the event you truly take a look at specs and pricing, there’s not an excessive amount of to get labored up about.
Certain, Honda’s engineers can pull a muscle patting themselves on the again all day for bringing again the Motocompo, which is a very cool feat. However a thousand bucks for a briefcase with wheels? That’s a tricky promote.
The unique Motocompo was so unbelievable as a result of it was the one factor prefer it – there simply weren’t some other tiny motorbikes that might slot in a trunk. Nowadays there are actually a thousand totally different electrical scooters and mini e-bikes that may fold up to slot in a trunk and fulfill the identical position as this factor. So in the end, which means the one differentiator right here is the design. And it IS a legitimately cool design. The truth is, it seems to be superior. The origami recreation is powerful with this one. However I’d nonetheless moderately experience a JackRabbit or a folding stand-up scooter if I’m on the lookout for a critical micromobility for city use. They’d slot in a automobile trunk simply as properly and would truly give higher efficiency in addition to bang-for-your buck.
However even after saying all that, I’m nonetheless going to be tempted to purchase one among these only for “kicks and jiggles” as my non-native-English-speaking spouse likes to say. It wouldn’t even be the primary bizarre little folding e-bike factor I’ve purchased this month.
