Honda Ebike’s Unusual Headlight

If the bike in these pictures looks at all familiar it’s because Honda has been filing patents relating to this design since as far back as 2021 but the latest document shows that development is still underway and features a revised headlight design that now includes a large hole right in the middle of the lamp.

The bike itself is an intriguing electric model that appears to be roughly the size of a Grom, indicating that it will be a city-oriented machine aimed at low-speed fun rather than extremes of performance or range. It’s a logical market for electric motorcycles to target, and we’ve recently seen designs that show Zero is also working on a machine targeting the same sort of customer.

Like most of the world’s big motorcycle companies, Honda has set out a timescale for its shift to electric motorcycles, with its first major deadline looming if it’s to meet previously announced plans to have at least 10 electric bikes in its global range by 2025. Of those, three are expected to be in the “Fun” category and target Western markets like the US.

The design seen in the latest patent application is one that’s persisted since 2021 and could well fall into that category. In typical Honda style, it’s a clever design that uses some innovative thinking, and not simply an electric version of a conventional combustion engine bike. The central structure is the battery case, with the motor mounted on its rear and the front suspension hung on brackets extending from its front. According to the patent, all the frame components are either lightweight metal or carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic, and the battery case contains both the battery (marked 31) and the control electronics (32).

At the front, instead of adding a large structural extension to the battery case to carry a steering stem, Honda has opted for a Gold Wing-style girder fork supported on a double wishbone, monoshock suspension system. That means the main structural stresses can be transmitted straight to the frame/battery case, and the bars only need to be supported on a relatively slim, lightweight extension protruding from the front. The seat is mounted on its own supporting structure bolted to the back of the battery case, and it appears that there should be a substantial amount of space underneath the front of the seat for luggage. The motor is mounted with its output shaft concentric to the swingarm pivot, and the patent suggests the rear wheel is driven via a belt that’s inside the single-sided swingarm.

The new element that’s added in the latest patent is the headlight, which gains a large hole right in its center that allows airflow to go straight through it. Why? In part to cool the ring of LEDs that form the headlight itself, but also to let more air through toward the battery/chassis structure of the bike. The battery is air-cooled, and the girder-style front suspension system means there’s no steering stem and only a slim, hinged linkage behind the headlight to connect the bars to the top of the fork. Further cooling air goes through the gap between the nose and the top of the front wheel.

Looking specifically at the headlight, the design includes horizontal heat sinks running across the center of the air intake in the middle of the light. These are a particular focus of the new patent, suggesting they’re vital to the performance and reliability of the lamp. While we’ve seen several other bikes recently adopting designs with rings of LEDs and openings in their headlight units—notably machines like the KTM 990 Duke—they always tend to be largely cosmetic running lights, with a separate main headlamp in the middle. Honda’s design intends that the outer ring of LEDs itself will act as the main and low-beam headlamp.

Another variation on the design is also shown, with a circular version of the headlight design fitted to a Rebel-style, combustion-engine cruiser. In this second version, the steering stem is visible behind the headlight opening, so there’s little cooling advantage to the headlight hole other than keeping the LEDs themselves at a lower temperature via the transverse heat sinks that bridge the gap.