Test ride

Honda Wn7, how the Japanese giant's first electric motorbike looks and rides

The first electric model from the House of the Golden Wing is a naked with city DNA that does not disdain short trips outside the city

by Gianluigi Guiotto

8 June 2026

5' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

What it looks like
How's it going
Limited autonomy
Guide... "one pedal"

5' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

With 518 units registered in the first five months of 2026, the market for electric motorbikes is not exactly bubbling (scooters, to put it more clearly, numbered 2,464). And yet Honda has chosen to enter this segment with the Wn7 (the acronym stands for "Wind naked", while 7 represents the power delivery level on the Honda scale, which goes from 0 to 9), a model that is not a style exercise to sound out the market, but a true naked, designed to compete with medium thermals and the new electric players. With the newborn Honda wanted to translate its DNA into an electric key, maintaining proportions, ergonomics and everyday usability; it is no coincidence that the Wn7's chassis proportions derive from those of the sporty Hornet 750, softened to make the bike more comfortable and 'easy'.

What it looks like

The Wn7 is an eye-catcher, as we realised at traffic lights during our two-week test ride. The aesthetics are indeed successful, with the battery pack acting as a stressed member: the Wn7 does not have a classic frame, but has a steering column and rear frame - both in aluminium - bolted to the battery pack (there are no welds), a construction defined as 'frameless' by Honda. Also made of aluminium are the cradle that embraces the electric motor and the beautiful single-sided Pro-Arm swingarm that leaves the rim with its unusual design exposed. The Showa fork has 43 mm upside-down stanchions, while the monoshock is adjustable for preload. At the heart of the Wn7 is the liquid-cooled electric motor with 50 kW of peak power and 100 Nm of torque (there is a depowered 11 kW version for A1 licence), values that place it in the area of sporty medium naked bikes, although the power delivery is decidedly different, as we will see in the road test. With a power rating of 18 kW, however, the Wn7 can be ridden by A2 licence holders.

Weight in running order is around 217 kg, which is not light in absolute terms, but is compensated for by the mass distribution typical of electric vehicles, with a very low centre of gravity.

Honda Wn7, la prima moto elettrica della Casa dell’ala dorata
Photogallery10 foto

The battery pack is about 9.3 kWh, a choice that highlights the compromise between weight, cost and dimensions; the declared autonomy is up to about 140 km, but the real strong point is recharging: thanks to compatibility with rapid DC systems, the Wn7 can go from 20% to 80% in about 30 minutes, while a full domestic recharge (the Shuko cable is standard) requires between 2.5 and 5 hours depending on the system. This is a strategic choice: Honda has not focused on the huge battery, but on the 'rapid rotation' of recharging, bringing the concept of use closer to that of a thermal in daily use.

How's it going

The Wn7 is a very compact motorbike: the seat (with rather hard padding) is 800 mm from the ground, but the narrow sides allow everyone to put both feet on the ground. Trying an electric motorbike is an experience we recommend to all motorcyclists, because it marks the entry into another way of riding, in which silence reigns. Already the start-up is a revolution: you press a button on the left side of the bike, pull the front brake lever and press a button; the only clue that the bike is ready to go is the word 'Ready' in the 5-inch tft display with which you also manage turn-by-turn navigation and see average and instantaneous consumption, speed, residual range and recharging time. The only thing to do, since everyone else will not hear you coming, is to pay more attention to the traffic, although this is already a common practice now that - let's face it - motorists are generally acoustically distracted.

To see what the new Honda can do, we put the selector switch immediately on 'Sport' mode (there are also Rain, Econ and Standard, with the first two really less powerful for riding in difficult situations) and we open the throttle: the reaction is immediate, a 'shot' with a 1000 cc super sports car acceleration that forces us to grip the handlebars hard. And the best thing is that the progression is continuous, without failure, up to the top speed set at 129 km/h (135 shown on the display): the feeling is that you could go much higher, but the risk of being stranded would go way up.

Limited autonomy

Yes, because in use you realise that the autonomy is closely linked to your right wrist and the way you handle the accelerator. I happened to read on the display a predicted range of 211 km with the battery at 100 per cent, a predicted value probably based on a previous extremely conservative drive, only to enter the motorway and, after about 10 minutes at 130 km/h, see the remaining km drop below 90. It is in this elasticity that recharging anxiety lies, which we are all familiar with as it is created by smartphones.

Honda has, however, (partially) solved the problem: the Wn7 can, in fact, connect to dedicated fast-charging columns for cars (Ccs2 fast-charging), to go from 20% to 80% charge in 30 minutes (equivalent to 89 km of extra autonomy).

All confirmed by our practical test: in 5 minutes (the time of a full tank of green), we charged 1.25 kWh, equivalent to the indicated 13% (48% to 61%, with an expected range of 84 to 110 km), spending EUR 0.94.

Guide... "one pedal"

The revolutionary aspect of the Wn7 (and of the electric motorbike in general) is in the regenerative braking, i.e. the engine braking effect that recharges the battery (available from 97% charge and below): Honda has provided four levels, selectable with buttons on the left-hand block, in the same position as the gearstick controls in models with the Dct dual-clutch transmission.

It's no coincidence: when riding 'merrily' you end up using them just like a gearbox, exploiting the regenerative engine brake to slow the bike down strongly when needed (perhaps on corner entry) or letting it go and relying on Nissim's mechanical brakes (two 296 mm front discs and one 256 mm rear disc) when you see a red light 200 metres down the straight and want to 'sail' the bike.

With the engine brake at full throttle you almost forget about the mechanical brake: everything is managed with the throttle grip, which is always precise and responsive.

In the mixed, the Wn7 sports a precise front end for cornering thanks to its original equipment Pirelli tyres and a fairly stiff suspension setting, which does, however, suffer a little on cobblestones and potholes. It's easy to adopt a sporty driving style and have fun in the mixed, playing with the accelerator and engine brake, assisted by the Cornering Abs and traction control.
Defects? Few: mentioned the hard seat, the turning radius could be smaller and the parking brake and cruise control are missing (there is the speed limiter, but who ever uses it?); and, maybe, also the price which is about 15 thousand euro: the Hornet e-Clutch my26 costs 8.400 euro..