Is Honda Making A Koraidon Motorcycle? Here's What We Know

Honda has built a real-life version of Koraidon, the legendary rideable Pokémon from the video game Pokémon Scarlet. This is no ordinary Pokémon as it's practically a Transformer that can shift into a "Sprinting Build" that's part-motorcycle, part-dinosaur. It even has a big inflatable sac on its throat that looks just like a tire. Although Koraidon largely ignores this feature in the game, choosing instead to run on its powerful legs, Honda's engineers have taken inspiration from this design to create a Koraidon motorcycle that does operate on two wheels. 

Last year, the Toyota Engineering Society announced a bike inspired by another legendary Pokémon, Miraidon, in collaboration with The Pokémon Company. It seems a friendly rivalry spurred Honda's team into action, and the result is a build that's an almost life-size reproduction of Koraidon. A crew of roughly 40 engineers from Honda's motorcycle and power products divisions volunteered for the task. Honda even declared the project, which made its public debut at the Honda Welcome Plaza Aoyama for a weekend in March 2025, a part of its "future mobility" concepts. These concepts in the past have included quirky forms of transportation the Wander Stand and Wander Walker, which are mini personal transportation devices.

The Koraidon could arguably take a spot on the list of Honda's coolest looking motorcycles ever made, but there's more to the project than just being a fancy cosplay on wheels. Honda is using it as a demonstrator vehicle to show off some of its most cutting-edge vehicle technology. At its core, the Koraidon is powered by Honda's advanced self-balancing technology, which the company has used in its self-balancing motorcycles. This tech is specifically engineered to keep a motorcycle stable at very slow speeds or even a complete stop.

The technology's roots go surprisingly deep. It leverages insights from research with Honda's famous ASIMO bipedal robot. That work included developing systems to absorb the force of a potential impact between a robot and a person, hinting at the level of safety being considered. The Koraidon applies these futuristic technologies alongside design philosophy and simulation tools from Honda's established motorcycle business. The biggest remaining question is the powertrain. It's still unclear what kind of engine or motor is under the hood.