Will Honda’s RTL Electric Become the Preferred Trials Bike?

Honda has long been a dominant manufacturer in international trials competition, thanks largely to the skill of riders like Toni Bou and the capability of the Montesa Cota 4RT factory machine.

But earlier this year the marque introduced its first-ever competition electric trials bike, the RTL Electric, and entered it into the MFJ All Japan Trial Championship. In the hands of Takahisa Fujinami, the new platform has gone undefeated, which leads us to wonder, is the RTL Electric on its way to becoming the preferred electric motorcycle for premier trials competition?

Honda claims it developed the RTL to surpass the Montesa Cota 4RT in terms of performance, and to that end created a bike that prioritizes optimal weight distribution and power delivery. The AC synchronous motor has an inverter built in and was engineered to excel at high motor speeds and in high-output situations. It utilizes a CR Electric Proto-developed lithium-ion battery. The bike is also equipped with a clutch, flywheel, and trials-specific transmission.

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The aluminum twin-tube frame is optimized for rigidity and stability while also providing weight reduction overall. The newly developed swingarm does the same. (We’d offer a concrete number here, but Honda has left that field conspicuously blank in the minimal spec sheet it currently provides.) All components have been placed within the frame with a mind to optimize weight distribution, stability, and handling character.

On top of the weight savings and balance offered by such a machine, the instant torque an electric platform provides could prove to be a real edge when navigating the obstacles of a trials course. Long ranges aren’t as much of a concern in many trials competitions either, so perhaps this is a field where electric bikes could take over without a huge impact on the nature of competition as it currently exists. If the transmission on the RTL functions similarly to the setup used on the Epure from Electric Motion, then improper gear selection and stalling out become things of the past as well.

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Of course, for longer-distance competitions, range would still likely be an issue (Honda doesn’t currently provide any range estimates for the new platform). And, despite the claims to weight savings, it’s not yet clear that there’s a huge difference in overall poundage either.

But the debut is notable and we’re likely to see the new platform in a number of new situations as testing and development continues.

What do you think, is electric the future for trials competition? Let us know in the comments below.