Honda’s electric trials bike is starting to trouble the petrol runners in TrialGP
Miquel Gelabert’s top-six finish in TrialGP suggests electric bikes are becoming a serious force, with Honda’s RTL Electric following the path carved out by the Stark Varg in motocross and enduro.
Honda’s electric RTL machine has made another step towards proving that battery-powered bikes can genuinely compete with petrol rivals off-road, after Miquel Gelabert finished inside the top six overall at the opening round of the 2026 TrialGP World Championship in Japan.
The Spaniard took the Honda RTL Electric to sixth overall on day one at Mobility Resort Motegi, before improving to fifth on day two, marking the first time an electric bike has competed in, and been genuinely competitive with, TrialGP’s premier class.
And while the electric-versus-petrol debate still rumbles on in road riding, off-road competition is increasingly becoming the place where battery-powered bikes are finding their feet. We’ve already seen the Stark Varg shake up motocross and enduro competition over the past couple of years, and now Honda appears keen to prove the same can happen in trials.
That probably shouldn’t come as a massive surprise either. Trials riding, with its focus on torque, balance and low-speed control, arguably suits electric power better than most motorcycle disciplines. Instant drive and near-silent running all play into the strengths of an electric drivetrain when you’re hopping over rocks and scaling slippery climbs.
Gelabert’s performance at Motegi suggests the RTL Electric is now moving beyond being a development curiosity and into something capable of fighting towards the front.
The 28-year-old from Barcelona spent the 2025 season in the Trial2 category helping Honda refine the machine, narrowly missing out on the title in the process. That progress convinced Honda to move the project into the top class for 2026.
Honda Montesa Team Manager Carles Barneda said the move to TrialGP was the logical next step for the project after the bike proved it could already challenge for strong results in Trial2.
Speaking about the result, Gelabert said:
"That's the first weekend of the season done … We know that we have to keep improving little by little, race after race, so I'm happy. I'm very grateful to the team for all the hard work and in Andorra we will look to make a step forward."
Gelabert had already shown flashes of competitiveness earlier this year during X-Trial Barcelona, where the RTL Electric made its debut in the premier indoor class. But the results in Japan arguably carry more weight given the scale and severity of outdoor TrialGP sections.
For electric bikes in off-road riding, it’s another reminder that while the road market still has questions to answer, the dirt world may already be finding some convincing use cases.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
