How Honda, Yamaha, and other Japanese leaders are racing towards electric motorcycles

Summary

<div class="feat-image"><img src="https://electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/11/honda-wn7-motorcycle-head.jpg?quality=82&#038;strip=all&#038;w=1600" /></div><p>For years, much of the electric motorcycle spotlight has focused on <a href="https://electrek.co/2024/05/07/ryvid-outset-launched-as-5995-us-built-electric-motorcycle/" id="362393" type="post">startups</a> and <a href="https://electrek.co/guides/livewire/" id="161105" type="ninetofive_guides">legacy spinoffs</a>. But quietly – and increasingly not so quietly – Japan’s motorcycle giants have been laying the groundwork for a major shift of their own.</p> <p>Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Suzuki may not be flooding showrooms with high-performance electric superbikes just yet, but they are steadily building portfolios, factories, and long-term strategies that point clearly in one direction: electrification.</p> <a class="more-link" href="https://electrek.co/2026/04/30/how-honda-yamaha-and-other-japanese-leaders-are-racing-towards-electric-motorcycles/#more-457236">more…</a>