- 9 hours ago
Honda’s first full-size electric motorcycle has arrived, but you won’t find it in American dealerships. The new Honda WN7 is currently sold only in Europe with a price of £12,999, which converts to roughly $16,000 USD. Honda says the bike is not coming to the United States yet largely due to limited charging infrastructure compared to Europe. The WN7 marks Honda’s first big step into electric motorcycles, featuring a liquid-cooled motor producing up to 67 horsepower, DC fast-charging capability, and a claimed range of about 87 miles. Premium hardware like a single-sided swingarm, Nissin brakes, and Pirelli Diablo Rosso III tires give it the fit and finish expected from Honda. The real question is whether riders are ready for a big electric motorcycle and if bikes like the WN7 represent the future of two-wheel performance.
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SportsTranscript
00:27Welcome to Southern Spain.
00:29Welcome to Cycleworld. Welcome to the launch of the new WN7 from Honda.
00:34Now the guys at Cycleworld was, Chad, while you're in Southern Spain, nip over and see Honda.
00:40See what their WN7 is all about. Because this is not just a hugely important bike for Honda.
00:45For me it's a hugely important bike for the motorcycle industry.
00:49Because this is Honda's first production electric motorcycle.
00:53Now there's been other electric motorcycles around from smaller brands.
00:58And obviously, hands up, you've got the Livewire.
01:00But the majority of bikes are scooters or kind of city commuters.
01:05And yes, this is kind of similar to a CB750 Hornet or a CB500.
01:11But it is an actual electric production motorcycle.
01:16Built by Honda. The biggest motorcycle manufacturer worldwide.
01:21And in Europe and in the UK, these are going to be available from dealers very shortly.
01:25So you can just walk into your Honda dealer and buy one of these bikes.
01:29In the UK, the price is just under £13,000.
01:32At the moment, the bike's not going to be available in the US.
01:36It's still a decision to be made by Honda.
01:38It's also not available in Japan and some other countries.
01:41Essentially because the infrastructure for the fast charging isn't there.
01:45In the UK and in Europe, we've got an abundance of CCS fast chargers.
01:50The ones you see charging Teslas.
01:52Which means this will go from 20% to 80% on one of those fast chargers in 30 minutes.
01:58Which is incredibly quick that no other motorcycle has.
02:01Yes, you've still got the kind of charge at home AC.
02:05Zero to 100%.
02:06But that'll take five and a half hours.
02:08And if you've got the kind of plug-in fast charger at home with the extension cable.
02:12You're looking at two and a half to under three hours.
02:16But essentially this bike's been made and designed to work with those CCS2 fast chargers.
02:22What we wanted to do at Cycle Raw was not only see this new motorcycle.
02:26But test ride it and kind of run through what to expect.
02:29If this bike comes to the US.
02:32First of all I guess we've got to look at the looks and the styling.
02:35Which to me I think is really really high end.
02:38It's just got such a beautiful finish to it.
02:41And it looks very different to a normal conventional motorcycle.
02:44It's really really narrow.
02:47Because they're not constrained by exhaust and catalytic converters and radiators.
02:52And an inline four cylinder engine or any of that.
02:55So they can make the bike as slim or as narrow and as stylish as they want it to be.
02:59It looks like one continuous structure.
03:01But I think it also looks like a Honda with a single sided swinging arm.
03:05That looks not too similar from like the bigger Hornet.
03:08The switch gear is again familiar Honda.
03:11So is the clocks.
03:13To start it it's keyless.
03:15We've got a little I think it's off a fire blade.
03:18Starter button on the left hand side.
03:19Which is just press the button.
03:21Hold the brake.
03:22And the dash comes alive.
03:23And we're ready to go.
03:24We've got four different rider modes to choose from.
03:27Which is sport, standard, a wet and like an eco.
03:29That regenerates the batteries more to give you more longevity.
03:33To give you more range.
03:34Honda are quoting around 140 kilometers for range.
03:37Today we've ridden it fairly hard and we've got 100 kilometers.
03:41Which is about 60 miles.
03:43Or maybe a little bit more depending on how and where you ride.
03:47If you're riding in San Francisco up and down steep hills.
03:49Then obviously the battery will be used less.
03:51Temperature and et cetera will affect battery life and range.
03:55And obviously the weight of the rider if you two up et cetera.
03:58But generally speaking we rode it reasonably hard today.
04:01Up in the hills in southern Spain.
04:02And we got a range of 100 kilometers.
04:05Within those modes that changes the characteristics of the drive.
04:10Because we're not all about engine characteristics.
04:12Because we can't compare it to a V2 or a V4.
04:16So essentially it's the throttle response.
04:18It also changes the traction control.
04:21And it also changes the regen.
04:23Or as I like to call it.
04:24Just engine braking.
04:26To put it very simply.
04:27If you're in sports mode.
04:29And you close the throttle.
04:30There's very little engine braking.
04:31It's like almost being in neutral.
04:33Or being on a two stroke.
04:34So you roll into the corner.
04:35Or you roll down the hill.
04:37And you've got very little engine braking.
04:39If you're in Eco.
04:39You've got quite a lot of engine braking.
04:41And it almost feels like it's coming down a gear.
04:43Like you would if you were going down a steep descent.
04:45On an enduro bike.
04:46And you wanted to use engine braking.
04:48Rather than conventional braking.
04:50And again you can play with that.
04:51And trim it as you ride.
04:53So on the way back.
04:55We had some downhill sections.
04:56Where I was adding a little bit more engine braking.
04:59So I didn't have to use the brakes.
05:00Which then was putting recharge back into the battery.
05:04And when I was having more fun.
05:05I reduced the engine braking.
05:07So it was more like a two stroke.
05:08So I could carry it into the corners.
05:09And have a little bit more fun.
05:12In terms of chassis.
05:14It's frameless.
05:15So we've got a front frame.
05:17The back frame.
05:18And essentially the battery is the frame.
05:20So it's a frameless bike.
05:21We've got belt driven.
05:22Which is unusual.
05:24And I think first for Honda.
05:26The rate, trail, wheelbase and things like that.
05:28Are very similar to the Honda CB 750.
05:31Because other smaller manufacturers.
05:33Have kind of had to develop.
05:35Their chassis around the battery.
05:37Where Honda have gone.
05:38Well.
05:39We do pretty well in racing.
05:41We've been building bikes for nearly 80 years.
05:44And that CB 750 Hornet works.
05:47So we'll just use kind of those dimensions.
05:49Pretty simple and straightforward really.
05:52The wheelbase is a little bit longer.
05:54We've got a 150 section rear tire.
05:56Just to keep it narrow.
05:57And I think to enable it to steer.
05:58A little bit easier.
05:59Because the weight is really low in the chassis.
06:02Which gives it a really nice balance around town.
06:05That does hinder it a little bit.
06:07When you get up to high speeds.
06:09Just for steering.
06:10So that narrow tire and wider bards.
06:11Enables you to steer the bike.
06:13With a little bit more ease.
06:14Speed is limited.
06:16So what they quote is 129 kilometers an hour.
06:18A few occasions on unmarked roads.
06:21With no speed limit.
06:22We saw 130, 133, 135.
06:260 to 60 times are impressive.
06:28So 0 to 50 kilometers is similar to a CB 500.
06:320 to 60 mile an hour or 0 to 100 kilometer an hour.
06:35Is a little bit quicker than a CB 500.
06:38And obviously there's no gears.
06:39It's instant drive and instant torque.
06:41But what for me that really stands out.
06:44On this electric motorcycle from Honda.
06:46Is the feel and the build quality.
06:47And how it feels like a motorcycle.
06:49What happens to be electric.
06:52A lot of other bikes in this class.
06:54You feel noises.
06:55And you feel like it's electric.
06:57Because you can hear the chain hitting the swinging arm.
06:59Or you can hear the body work creaking.
07:02Or you can hear the pads grabbing the discs.
07:04And all the noises.
07:05And all the kind of things you don't want to hear.
07:07That's normally hidden by the noise of a petrol bike.
07:10Comes really evident.
07:12When you ride other bikes in this category.
07:14But this doesn't.
07:15It's absolutely silent.
07:17You can't hear the motor.
07:19There's no like whizzy noise or hizzy noise.
07:21It's perfectly silent.
07:22And it gives you this kind of eerie.
07:25Kind of freedom and feel.
07:27To enjoy the environment.
07:28And weirdly talk to other people.
07:30And listen to traffic.
07:32And hear music from other cars.
07:34And out on the road.
07:35It really feels like a motorcycle.
07:37The suspension works really well.
07:39217 kilograms quoted.
07:41Which is about the same weight.
07:43As a fully fueled middle weight naked.
07:46And the suspension.
07:47It works really well.
07:48The brakes are really strong.
07:50The traction control.
07:51Works really well.
07:52With that instant torque.
07:53On these slippery white lights.
07:55It's a really impressive bike.
07:58I personally like the looks.
07:59I really like the styling.
08:00And I think at 13,000 pounds.
08:02In the UK.
08:03It's about on par.
08:05With the competition.
08:06Like Zero.
08:08And Livewire.
08:08Which are a little bit more.
08:09But it's a little bit strange.
08:11In the UK.
08:12I'm not paying at Europe.
08:12At the moment.
08:13Because everybody's discounting prices.
08:14On electric bikes.
08:15Left, right and centre.
08:17It'd be interesting.
08:17To see if the bike.
08:19Eventually comes to the US.
08:20I think the only thing.
08:21Holding it back.
08:22Is the infrastructure.
08:23Of the fast chargers.
08:25The times when I've been in America.
08:26In LA.
08:27And San Francisco.
08:28And in California.
08:28There seems to be.
08:29An abundance of them.
08:30So.
08:31It would possibly work.
08:32In California.
08:32Or maybe in New York.
08:34But.
08:34Would it work.
08:35When you're in the middle of Texas.
08:36And your ranges are only 60 miles.
08:38Maybe not so.
08:40But.
08:40We wanted to have the opportunity.
08:42Here at Cycle World.
08:43Just to have a quick look over the bike.
08:45See what you think.
08:46And.
08:47Take it for a quick test ride.
08:48And it's been a really enjoyable experience.
08:51I'm.
08:51Kind of embracing these electric bikes.
08:53I love to see all this new technology.
08:55And.
08:56New way of riding.
08:57Using the engine braking.
08:58Rather than using the brakes.
08:59Having no clutch.
09:01No gear selector.
09:02And no heat.
09:03And no noise.
09:03It's.
09:04It's an unusual experience.
09:05But an enjoyable one.
09:07Hopefully.
09:07We'll get this bike.
09:08In the US.
09:09And the guys at Cycle World.
09:10Can put some more miles in it.
09:12What's it going to be like.
09:13In different temperatures.
09:14What's it going to be like.
09:14In the real world.
09:15Commuting.
09:16Rather than riding really fast.
09:17In the hills.
09:18And what will it be like.
09:19Against the other.
09:20Electric competition.
09:22Hope you really enjoyed.
09:22Our quick review of the bike.
09:24Hopefully.
09:24You've enjoyed it.
09:25As much as I've enjoyed.
09:26Riding it.
09:27And it'd be interesting.
09:27To see your comments below.
09:29Whether it's a thumbs up.
09:30Or a thumbs down.
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