Honda Motor Company will begin selling several different engine displacement hybrid motorcycles as early as the mid-2010s, and with smaller electric motorcycles coming out as early as 2011, the Japanese auto and motorcycle maker has announced.
The move is part of Honda's overall efforts to cope with rising gasoline prices and global warming by applying its 4-wheeled hybrid and battery technology to the companies line of motorcycles.
Adding a hybrid engine and battery to a motorcycle is certainly a dramatic shift in traditional Honda motorcycle philosophy but the traditional internal combustion engine was thought to present too many engineering problems, not least that of size. However, Honda motorcycle believes that it can shrink a hybrid engine enough to be mounted on a motorcycle frame.
The hybrid motorcycles will be available in engine displacements between 200 and 1,000 cc, and, according to Honda, will be 50 percent more fuel-efficient. Production costs will be cut by using common components in both Honda hybrid cars and Honda motorcycles.
Honda will also be producing a new line of electric scooters, and a successor to the Cub series of motorcycle for commercial use, with an engine size of 50 to 125 cc.
Though with a limited range, a smaller electric motorcycle will only be able to run about 30 kilometers on one charge, gasoline expense will be much less than that of a gasoline engine only motorcycle. I want to know when the hybrid motocross bikes and atv's are coming out!