At the 2025 Japan Mobility Show, Honda unveiled its vision for the future of electric motorcycling beyond 2030. Concept bikes are rarely more than a centrepiece at shows to attract media attention and demonstrate the brand’s engineering prowess — perhaps a very few make it to the prototype stage, from which only bits of the original concept remain on the production models.
But, there’s a difference between the usual Concept models and Honda’s ‘Outlier’ concept. The Outlier concept is not just a marketing or an engineering exercise from the Japanese manufacturer — it is Honda’s Crystal Ball predicting what Honda thinks the future of motorcycles will be in the next 5 -6 years, or at least what Honda’s motorcycles will look like.
This Futuristic two-wheeler represents Honda’s vision for its future motorcycle lineup, incorporating a pioneering approach to design, technology, and rider experience that pushes the boundaries of electric mobility.
The ‘Outlier’ concept follows Honda’s ‘Precision of Intrinsic Design’ philosophy, and the first thing you notice on the bike is its stark resemblance to the fictional motorcycle used by the lead protagonist of an Anime called Akira, which should turn some heads in the future.
Speaking of design, as is the case usually with these concepts, the ‘outlier’ harbours a radical design featuring a transparent front panel that exposes the mechanical undertakings of the motorcycle, such as the front wishbone suspension, an armchair-like single seat, and a huge TFT display, displaying information such as lean angle, battery percentage, and odometer.
But, as mentioned earlier, the ‘Outlier’ concept is not just all about aesthetics — it is a representation of Honda’s commitment to carbon neutrality with all its products, and the ‘outlier’ concept is Honda’s vision for their motorcycle future — Both aesthetically and technologically.
Technology-wise, the ‘Outlier’ concept is equipped with Honda’s latest and greatest piece of technology. One of the standout features is its all-wheel drive architecture, featuring in-wheel dual electric motors with torque vectoring.
The electric motors are directly placed inside the wheel hub of each wheel. This strategic placement of the electric motors not only allows for more precise control over the torque vectoring but also enables designers to be aggressive with their designs while factoring in aerodynamic efficiency with a low overall stance profile.
There is a high chance that the ‘outlier’ concept will ever see the light of day, but there’s hope with the current lot of electric two-wheelers, which do stand out with their futuristic designs, so stylistically speaking, at least a good chunk of the ‘Outlier’s design philosophy will trickle down towards Honda’s production models if not all.
