Honda has officially gone shock and awe with the new RTL Electric trial bike, debuting at Japan’s 2024 MFJ All Japan Trial Championship. Imagine the legendary Montesa COTA 4RT but swapping its gas-guzzling for an electrifying makeover that’s set to zip up rock faces and hop over logs without waking up a single neighborhood dog.
Powering this spark plug of a bike is a high-output battery borrowed from Honda’s motocross buddy, the CR Electric Proto. It comes souped-up with an AC synchronous motor, inverter, and—drumroll—a clutch. Yes, you read that right. Even in the electric future, Honda’s giving riders the finesse of a clutch and transmission, just in case you need to, you know, shift gears while you’re defying gravity.
This lean, green trial machine has an aluminum twin-tube frame for optimized rigidity and a swing arm designed for lighter weight where it matters. With Michelin COMP tires gripping the terrain like claws and the bike’s center of gravity locked in for maximum maneuverability, it’s like Honda’s engineered an electric gazelle with handlebars.
In typical Honda style, the RTL Electric is doing more than just trailblazing—it’s laying down Honda’s roadmap to a carbon-neutral future, with hopes to give gas bikes an early retirement by the 2040s. But for now, we’ll settle for watching this silent powerhouse light up the competition.
Images: Honda Powersports.
