Electric Honda Motocross Prototype Will Race In Japan In October 2023

Remember the Honda CR electric dirt bike prototype? The firm first pulled the covers off this project in front of the public at the 2019 Tokyo Motorcycle Show. Since it was a prototype, Honda could choose to reveal as much or as little information about it as it wanted. While you could clearly see things like the Showa front fork, Nissin brakes, and Dunlop tires, all the pertinent powertrain details on the CR Electric were left as a mystery. 

Fast forward to 2023, and now Honda is ready to take the CR Electric prototype and send it. More specifically, Honda Racing Corporation will be taking the CR Electric prototype to round eight of the D.I.D. All Japan Motocross Championship. Round Eight’s official title is the Saitama Toyopet Cup, and will be held at Offroad Village Saitama on October 28 and 29, 2023. 

This is not only the first competition outing for the Honda CR Electric prototype—it's also Honda’s first time entering an electric motorbike developed in-house in any type of formal competition. It’s kind of a big deal, for that reason—especially as Honda and other manufacturers seek to lower their carbon footprints with their current and future lineups. 

Of course, the next question on most people’s minds will be, who’s going to ride the CR Electric prototype as the wildcard at this MX event? The answer is Trey Canard, who currently acts in a team advisor capacity at American Honda and was the 2010 AMA Pro Motocross 250 champion.  

As was the case at the Honda CR Electric prototype’s 2019 introduction, Honda has not released a spec sheet for this bike. Even though it’s four years later, and doubtless some things have changed between then and now, it’s still categorized as a prototype. If and when Honda develops the CR Electric into a production machine that riders can test and buy for themselves, we’ll be more likely to see an official spec sheet that goes into detail about the powertrain and what to expect. 

For the moment, though, we’ll just have to content ourselves with the notion that Honda’s electric MX program is still very much alive and in the testing phase, and that this MX wildcard is part of its information-gathering efforts. As we learn more, we’ll of course be sure to keep you updated.