Honda Wheels Out E-Bikes That Pay Homage To Its Classic Motorcycles

Honda has introduced a trio of mini-mes that trail after some of its most iconic motorcycles. Unlike the gas-guzzling vehicles, though, these ones are electric.

In order to get younger riders hopping aboard the electric life, the Japanese automaker knew it had to pander to their eye for aesthetics. So it traversed back in time and reinvented the wheels of the Honda Super Cub, Dax, and Ruckus—archival designs that have always worked.

The results: a Honda Cub e:, Dax e:, and Zoomer e:, with the latter borrowing the international name of the Ruckus (Zoomer).

Each e-bike can hit a top speed of 25 km/h (15.5 mph), in accordance with government regulations in China. As per Japanese news outlet Kuruma News (via The Driven), the Cub e: is built with a ternary lithium battery and boats a cruising range of 65 km (40 miles); the Dax e: offers a range of over 80 km (50 miles); and the Zoomer e: yields up to 90 km (56 miles) of range.

The electric bicycles retain some elements of the originals that were previously necessary for fuel. Now, those motifs are just there for visuals and historical accuracy.

The Cub e: is inspired by the Honda Super Cub, which first rolled out in 1958 and is still in production. The classic helped Honda break into the US.

Photo 213214060 © Withgod | Dreamstime.com

The Dax e:, which takes after the Honda Dax from 1969, sports a T-shaped frame that originally also served as a gas tank, reports Autoblog.

Finally, the Zoomer e: preserves the pipe frame structure of its muse.

Image via Honda Canada

For now, the three bikes are being released in China to inch towards Honda’s global vision to launch more than 10 electric motorcycle models by 2025, with the hope of helping to defog pollution on congested roads. Ultimately, Honda intends to be carbon-neutral by 2040.

[via Autoblog and The Driven, images via various sources]