Is Honda bringing back the Motocompo as an e-bike?

Fitting into the rear hatch space of the 1981 Honda City (Bulldog in some markets) was the Honda Motocompo folding motorcycle. But is Honda bringing back the Motocompo?

According to a US patent filing with the Patents and Trademarks Office and reported by Rideapart, Honda has submitted an application for the name “Motocompacto”. Under the classification “land vehicles, namely, electric scooters”, this might indicate the new generation Motocompo might be a folding electric motorcycle or bicycle of some sort.

The concept behind the original Motocompo was for short point-to-point journeys after parking your car. This would be most applicable in places like Metropolitan Tokyo where city parking is very expensive.

A driver would park his or her car somewhere outside the city where parking was more affordable, then lift out the Motocompo from the boot space, unfold the handlebar and seat, and ride off to their final destination. A 50 cc, 2.9 hp engine provided motive power for the Motocompo and for license laws in most developed countries, riding a motorcycle or scooter below 50 cc only requires a driver’s licence, absolving the requirement for a proper motorcycle licence.

Going from Honda’s trend with regards to electric mobility vehicles, including the launch of the Honda e electric scooter at the Frankfurt Motor Show last year, it appears that a Motocompacto might make its way into showrooms soon. Teamed up with a hybrid or electric car, the Motocompacto could easily be charged using the car’s built-in charger, negating the need to look for an external charger.

Fans of Japanese manga and anime might recall the series “You’re Under Arrest!” where both the Honda City and the Motocompo were featured. In the series, officers Natsumi Tsujimoto and Miyuki Kobayakawa of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department patrol the streets with the Honda City and Motocompo.

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