Kawasaki Elektrode Electric Balance Bike Designs Leak Ahead of Reveal
Thu, 26 May 2022Full details will be revealed June 7
Last week, Kawasaki dropped a teaser for a new electric two-wheeler, and we uncovered evidence that the teaser is for an electric balance bike called the Elektrode. Kawasaki is set to reveal the Elektrode on June 7 alongside some side-by-side models, but we’ve already got an idea what the balance bike will look like.
Japan’s intellectual property office has published designs for a balance bike from Kawasaki, and though it doesn’t say it outright, the designs we can only assume will be for the Elektrode. The designs were filed by Kawasaki on April 28, 2021, and officially registered this month.
The design filings indicate the balance bike is a Kawasaki creation and not from a manufacturer like the Stacyc, which produces balance bikes for its owner, Harley-Davidson, and under license for KTM, Husqvarna, and GasGas.
A description accompanying the filing (translated from Japanese) reads: “this article is an electric motorcycle. A battery is stored inside the body frame between the front and rear wheels, and a motor is located in the center of the rear wheels.”
The design filing only protects the parts of the illustrations shown in grayscale, with dashed lines illustrating other components such as the hub motor mentioned in the description. The battery appears to take up most of the main frame, as the drawing below shows what we assume are screw holes for accessing the power source.
The handlebars are not part of the design, but we presume there will be a throttle grip and switchgear on the production model. The sketches also show two hand levers for controlling the brakes. A bicycle-style rim brake is shown on the rear wheel and while there’s no matching brake on the front wheel, we can see mounting points for one on the fork.
The saddle looks like a standard bicycle seat and post, which should make it easy to adjust the height to suit young riders of varying ages.
On the front end of the frame, the designs show a number plate that draws a connection to Kawasaki’s KX models. We can probably expect a green color scheme and graphics resembling Kawasaki’s dirt bikes.
The design filing does not provide any clues about the battery capacity or how much power the motor produces. We’ll have to wait for the June 7 announcement for official details as well as pricing for the Kawasaki Elektrode balance bike.
Become a Motorcycle.com insider. Get the latest motorcycle news first by subscribing to our newsletter here.
Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.
More by Dennis Chung
Does "balance bike" mean it's for toddlers? How about an electric Big Wheel for some drifting fun?
-
Denchung on May 26, 2022
Stacyc's age range is 3 to 8, and I imagine the Elektrode will be similar.
This is so odd to me. Balance bikes are for very young kids to learn the concept of two wheels. They motivate those bikes with their feet. There are no pegs. Pegs would only get in the way. I think adding an electric motor and pegs defeats the purpose.
- See 2 previous
-
Denchung on May 27, 2022
The kind of bike you're picturing is more an intro to bicycling whereas powered balance bikes like this and Stacyc are feeders for dirt biking and motorcycling.
The demographic is probably older than you think as well. Until recently, Stacyc has been targeting kids ages 3 to 8 but it just added two new models to expand the range to 12 with future products for teens.
-
Imtoomuch on May 27, 2022
But then why not market these as motorcycles and give them a look similar to a dirt bike?
-
Denchung on May 28, 2022
They kind of are, with the teaser.
New Rider's Hub
Get StartedFind your Motorcycle
Top Brands
Popular Articles
2025 Ducati Panigale V4 and V4 S – First Look
Official: 2024 Yamaha MT-09 Y-AMT Announced
2024 Ducati Diavel V4 vs Triumph Rocket 3 Storm R – Side by Side
Official: The US Is Getting the 2025 Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP
Small Adventure Bike, Big Adventure Dreams
You may also be interested in
2025 BMW R 1300 GS Adventure Confirmed in Homologation Filings
Official: 2024 Yamaha MT-09 Y-AMT Announced
Updates Expected for 2025 Triumph Speed Twin 1200
Big Little Rides Announces Croatian Bikes and Boats Tour
How Big is Too Big? – Question of the Day
Church Of MO: Racing the Harley-Davidson XR1200 Series
MO Tested: Alpinestars Tech-Air Off-Road Review
De-Gassed – How Will You Fuel Your Classic Motorcycle in 2044?
Seat Time: Falling on Your Face
2024 KTM RC8c Review – First Ride
Where In The World: A Week In Spain Testing Hypermotards and Dukes
2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 Review – Second Ride
2025 Ducati Panigale V4 S Gallery
Pricing And Preorders For Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 Announced
Ducati Shows Supreme Streetfighter V4 S
Recall Alert: 2018-2020 Honda Gold Wing and CBRs
Racer Gloves USA Under New Ownership
The 390 Adventure Project – Upgrades and Adjustments
By Dennis Chung
See also: Kawasaki Teases Electric Model Expected To Be The Elektrode Balance Bike, Church of MO: 1997 Kawasaki ZX-6, Showdown: 2022 Kawasaki Ninja 400 Vs KTM RC390 - At The Track.