The Honda Mugen E-Rex electric dirt bike might just be the most unique electric trail dirt bike to be revealed in the past two decades. Sporting Pterodactyl ribcage fairings (it even has a Pterodactyl-like beak), this bike will most certainly turn a lot of heads in the offroad scene.
Honda first revealed a prototype of the E-Rex in 2017 along with one other Honda electric dirt bike prototype called the Honda CR. The E-Rex electric dirt bike was conceptualized by Honda in collaboration with Mugen to be a perfect blend of Honda’s proven and tested performance and Mugen’s authentic Japanese comic design.
It’s an awesome bike and all, but will the Honda Mugen E-Rex prove a strong contender in what is increasingly becoming a competitive market? Or will it disappear into the abyss of forgotten wonders?
Who Are Honda and Mugen?
We all probably know Honda to be one of the biggest names in both the gas-powered and electric vehicle industry. They are a world class Japanese vehicle manufacturer that started in 1948. Mugen on the other hand, is a Japanese motorsports company founded more recently in 1973. They are an engine tuner and parts manufacturer that manufactures OEM parts such as body kits and sports exhausts for Honda.
Fun Fact? Mugen was actually cofounded by Hirotoshi Honda — son of Honda founder Soichiro Honda and Masao Kimura — a veteran racer with more than 50 victories in Honda sports cars and single-seaters.
In 2017, the Honda-Mugen collaboration unveiled two new electric trail dirt bikes — the Honda-spearheaded CR and the Mugen-spearheaded E-Rex with the two bikes really only differing in their approach to the bodywork. Whereas Honda takes inspiration from its CRF lineup, Mugen takes design cues from its Shinden electric superbike, in the form of its vortex-creating aerodynamic fairings.
Why aerodynamic? Because once wind enters the empty space in the side fairings, the rib-like appendages allow the wind to circulate around the solid parts of the fairings. This allows wind to pass through without drag.
Honda Mugen E-Rex Electric Dirt Bike Overview
The Honda Mugen E-Rex is an electric trail dirt bike aimed at providing the most head turning aggressive trail rides and fly-bys. It sports a dinosaur motif with rib-like protrusions on its core — and it’s bad-ass.
One of the biggest factors in the off road performance of all types of dirt bikes is the aerodynamics. Imagine doing all those jumps and downhill rolls with a lot of headwind slamming at your bike. It gets pretty hard to control and it can get dangerous too so you need fairings that’ll move wind through your bike instead.
The E-Rex electric dirt bike features its “dinosaur ribs” which — amazingly — are actually vortex-creating aerodynamic fairings created by Mugen based on their race-winning Shinden electric superbike.
No additional detail or tech specs are available at this stage, as both Honda and Mugen haven’t yet released any details on the E-Rex electric dirt bike. What we do know (judging from Mugen’s images) is that the bike will sport some knobby Dunlop tires, Showa front suspension, and a twin-spar aluminum frame. It’s also going to be equivalent to a 250cc Honda’s CRF series bike.
Where Would the Honda Mugen E-Rex Fit in the Market?
With its aggressive styling and full off road capabilities, the Honda Mugen E-Rex would fit perfectly in the Trail category of electric dirt bikes. Seeing Mugen’s history in the electric motorsports with their Shinden electric superbike, it isn’t hard to see this electric dirt bike entering the world of off road racing as well.
When Will Honda Mugen E-Rex Enter the Market?
The Honda Mugen E-Rex is currently in its development phase and neither Honda nor Mugen are currently releasing updates on the bike’s status. It’s difficult to pinpoint when exactly the Honda Mugen E-Rex will be released to the public.
It may seem long before we get to see the E-Rex electric dirt bike in person, but the Honda-Mugen collab has already been at this for almost 3 years. So we have high hopes it’ll be sooner than later.
Mud Bike’s Take on The Honda Mugen E-Rex
Seeing this segment in the electric vehicle industry constantly growing at a rapid rate, the Honda Mugen E-Rex electric dirt bike will certainly face a lot of competition especially from fellow electric trail dirt bikes from big companies such as Zero’s FX and FXS, and KTM’s Freeride E.
We all know that Honda and Mugen are no strangers to motorcycles. But they’ll have to work harder to be as recognized in the electric motorcycle scene as they are in the gas-powered vehicle scene. Here’s hoping the Honda Mugen E-Rex will actually be worth all the waiting and anticipation.
