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Urban Transport

$995 Honda Motocompacto: A bike in a briefcase

By Mike Hanlon
September 14, 2023
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The affordable practicality of the Honda Motocompacto can now be expected to catalyze the rapid development of the transportation appliance marketplace, much as the Apple iPhone catalysed the smartphone marketplace.
The affordable practicality of the Honda Motocompacto can now be expected to catalyze the rapid development of the transportation appliance marketplace, much as the Apple iPhone catalysed the smartphone marketplace.
Honda's Motocompacto is an ingenious solution to facilitating faster, lower cost urban mobility
This x-ray view of the Honda Motocompacto illustrates its basic architecture, including the internally-carried charger
The Motocompacto connects via Bluetooth to a phone app that enables the user to adjust personal settings, lighting and riding modes
The Motocompacto is capable of 15 mph with a range of 12 miles
View gallery - 5 images

Honda will release a $995 transportation appliance in November with zero emissions and an ultra-compact foldable design. With a low entry price and Honda reliability, the Motocompacto might finally kickstart the "last mile" transport revolution.

The Motocompacto is very suitable for last mile transport, as it quickly folds into its own compact, light and stackable carrying case (29.2 x 21.1 x 3.7 inches). Indeed, it may become the ideal car accessory, a take-along suitcase to supplement public transport and its compactness means it can be stored and charged in tight places.

With a maximum speed of 15 mph (24 kmh) and zero-emissions range of up to 12 miles (19 km), Motocompacto can be fully charged in just 3.5 hours in both the folded and ready-to-ride configuration using a common 110 V outlet.

The Motocompacto is capable of 15 mph with a range of 12 miles

Though the Motocompacto was designed and developed by American Honda engineers, it is a concept that has been under development for half a century in the Japanese marketplace, and a very similar (though much bigger and heavier) gas-powered foldable Honda Motocompo was available in the 1980s as a "trunkbike" add-on for several Honda city cars.

The Honda Motocompo now has a cult following and sells for quite remarkable amounts at auction, particularly in America where it is rarer and people have more money. One of the most delightful aspects of the Motocompo was the 1980s Japanese TV commercial for the motorcycle in a suitcase featuring British ska band Madness.

The Motocompacto connects via Bluetooth to a phone app that enables the user to adjust personal settings, lighting and riding modes

We've been writing about the coming of light, convenient and foldable transportation appliances for two decades, but fully expect the Honda Motocompacto will now stimulate the rapid development of this marketplace, much as the Apple iPhone catalysed the smartphone marketplace.

Honda's Motocompacto is an ingenious solution to facilitating faster, lower cost urban mobility

Source: Honda

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Urban TransportElectric Motorcycles
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Mike Hanlon
As a photojournalist, Mike’s work has been published in a dozen languages across 20+ countries. He has edited or managed over 75 different print publications, each with a different target audience: sports, automotive, advertising, marketing, design, ad infinitum. Mike has been working in the internet for more than 25 years and was the veteran of five internet start-ups before founding New Atlas in 2002.
14 comments
Don Martin
Weight? Probably more exhausting to get it out of the trunk than a Brompton.
Gods Holy Trousers
Best thing about this article? The link to the 1981 advert featuring Madness!
Ric
41.3 lbs ; )
Rusty
LOL, range 15 miles @ 25 mph.
Ed Clark
Ric, I think you must be joking about 40+ lbs(?) But even at 25lbs, it wouldn’t be “briefcase” like. If they somehow got this to be 15lbs or less, then yes, they would have something attractive for a large portion of the population.
Ed Clark
Ric is not joking, unfortunately. It is 40+ lbs.
kwalispecial
I know 40lbs isn't nothing, but it's not an outlandish weight either - people buy bags of soil, dog food, etc that weigh that much, and they have to get them all the way into the house or garden. A standard hybrid bicycle weighs 25lbs, so I wouldn't count on getting anything with a motor down to 15lbs.
fen
I dont think 40lb is heavy I can lift that with one hand, but. I do think it would need to go further than "Up to" 12 miles for that weight. You have to remember, that probably means 10 miles with hills etc. Then you have to get back to your car, so 5 miles. Thats actually the distance from me to parking to as close to work as possible, using it to get in, then popping to the beach on break for a swim. Pretty much 5 mile exactly.

The real beauty with these things isnt that they get you to work the last mile, but that they let you go out on your lunch break to actually do stuff. My boss would throw it out the window if he seen it charging, so for me, it would need 20 useable miles on full, and to go about 25mph. Otherwise a foldable bike is going to suit me better.
fluke meter
I agree kwalispecial - 40# isnt really too bad - sure would be nice lower, but that's usable - be cool to get this in a backpack form factor at 35# or such.
jerryd
It would be more compact and weigh less without the box. The main reason to have a box is to put stuff in it this doesn't have.
And needs 50% taller, wider tires to be safe, comfortable.
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