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This Is Clearly The Best Way To Go To The Office, Right?

Although the global pandemic of 2020 allowed a lot of people to work remotely, five years on, some folks still have to commute to work - and that can suck. But for Miquel Gelabert, a Barcelona-born TrialGP World Championship competitor who was crowned European Champion in 2016 and runner-up in the TR2 category in 2015, the ride to work at Honda’s AOYAMA Building is, well, a bit more interesting than most commutes.

Riding the new RTL Electric trials bike, Gelabert navigates Honda’s offices, stopping for a visit in the executive office with Takahisa Fujinami, team manager of the Repsol Honda Trial Team, along with teammates Toni Bou and Gabriel Marcelli. Stairs? Why walk ‘em when you’ve got an all-electric
version of the Montesa COTA 4RT factory bike that helped Toni Bou collect an unprecedented 18 consecutive Trial World Championship titles?

Powered by the CR ELECTRIC PROTO motocross bike’s battery which has been optimized for trial use, the RTL Electric is also equipped with a clutch, flywheel and transmission which allows Gelabert to make quick work of the cubicle-laden AOYAMA Building in downtown Tokyo.

The RTL Electric has a newly-designed aluminum twin tube frame that has a proven track record with Honda’s RTL series of competition trial bikes. The motor is integrated with an inverter and placed low in the aluminum frame to properly position the center of gravity for trials riding. Additionally, the frame’s rigidity has been refined for riding stability and weight reduction.

The swingarm is also newly developed based on the RTL series, contributing to overall weight reduction. Although Honda doesn’t provide information on power output, we have to assume it’s more than adequate given Gelabert’s ability to easily navigate steep climbs and launch himself up and over obstacles.

So, kick back and watch Miquel Gelabert, the 27-year-old Spaniard who finished seventh in the TrialGP Championship last season, exhibit his exceptional skills behind the handlebar of a trials bike in this short video, which hopes to highlight Honda’s goal for 2025: To fight for the Trial2 title with their new RTL Electric bike in the TrialGP Championship.

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