Riding The Modern Electric Motocompo Scooter Honda Doesn’t Build

I've been shopping for a rack to carry my electric bike. My ride is one of those 30-mph-plus, moto-style, Super73-type machines and the thing just won't fit in most vehicles. Even if I find a cargo area big enough to accommodate it, at 70 pounds, heaving the bike into most vehicles risks damage or a back injury. And an external rack rated for that kind of weight—most non-electrified bicycles are much lighter—can set you back upwards of $1,000.

Honda solved this admittedly niche problem 40 years ago with an impossibly rad little gem called the Motocompo.

Sold alongside the ultra-tiny Honda City kei car from 1981 to 1984, the Motocompo was a pint-sized, collapsable motorcycle designed to fit in the City's puny 7.2 cubic feet of cargo space. (For reference, a modern Civic Hatchback's cargo area measures 24.5 cubic feet.) The bike's handlebars, seat, and foot pegs could be quickly folded to shape the package in a near-perfect, duffel-bag-like rectangle only 46.7 inches long.

Such a machine served as an excellent final-mile solution—you know, park your car near your office where space is available, unpack your tiny motorbike, and ride the rest of the way, folding the thing up and carrying it inside when you get there. I'd love to have one for when I proudly ignore the $30 lots near the Hollywood Bowl to park a couple miles away at the closest free street space. The Motocompo, cute as it was, had one serious issue, though. Honda's minibike weighed a back-breaking 99 pounds.

Enter the JackRabbit, a miniature mobility machine we encountered at this year's Electrify Expo in Long Beach. The company describes it as a micro e-bike, and at just 48 inches long with a 28-inch wheelbase (smaller than some single mountain bike wheels), we can verify that claim. Crucially, even with the battery installed, the whole package only weighs 24 pounds.

This thing gets smaller, too. Remove the handlebars, clip them to the front fork, flip the front wheel around, and fold up the foot pegs—and you can fit three JackRabbits in the trunk of a Tesla Model 3, and likely a fourth in the frunk. Pack the bike in the company's available travel bag and it fits within the size parameters of standard checked luggage, plus it's the only electric bike that's FAA compliant because of its tiny 4.2-Ah battery.

Not only is the JackRabbit a quarter of the weight of a Motocompo, it can also cover ground marginally faster. The bike's 300-watt rear hub motor only equates to 0.4 hp compared to the Honda's 2.5 hp, but it's capable of pushing the travel-sized pocket bike to 20 mph depending on the weight of the rider. The Motocompo topped out at just 18.6 mph. There are adorable accessories, too, like a baby cargo basket or a strap so you could sling the bike over your shoulder, plus its maker had one hooked up to a trailer the size of a shopping basket at the Expo.

We also have to assume the Motocompo was at least medium terrifying to ride. Riding on admittedly hella sweet three-spoke 8.0-inch wheels, a sizable pothole could buck you off the back and the seating position looks best suited for a height-challenged mini horse jockey. Or, you know, a child.

Riding the JackRabbit is a riot. Of course, ergonomics are far from ideal for a six-footer and handling is almost troublingly twitchy due to the short wheelbase, but I quickly got used to the dynamics after a couple minutes in the Electrify Expo parking lot. Rolling stock consists of knobby tires wrapped around 20-inch wheels, so you can ride around the campground worry free.

Though not especially powerful, the single motor's three-level adjustable low-end torque is responsive via the thumb throttle on the right handlebar, and there's no need to pedal. I hardly ever spin the cranks on my personal e-bike, but the JackRabbit doesn't even have them. Pedals would increase weight and offer little value with the already compromised ergonomics. Instead, you rest your stompers on foot pegs, which technically makes the JackRabbit an electric scooter.

Candidly, I couldn't care less what it is when this microscopic electric two wheeler makes me giggle the way it does. Not that this is an uncompromised experience.

The styling is unashamedly goofy and not nearly as timeless as that of the Motocompo, but it's refreshing in a market full of tough-guy mini motos and boring commuters. Some of the accessories are a little pricey ($120 for a basket, $269 for a suspension seatpost), too. At 10 miles of range, you're limited to short excursions, but the battery recharges in a few hours and you can always buy an extra ($200) which comes in a convenient case that straps under the seat. Though there are folding electric bikes that fold smaller or ride faster or can climb steeper hills (see Brompton, Lectric, or Aventon), none are as light and whimsical as the JackRabbit. They're also almost universally more expensive.

At a penny less than $1,000, this little funbundle is a bargain in the e-bike world, even if it's best used for short trips on flat roads. Why waste my money on a bike rack when I could just toss a JackRabbit in the trunk? Or four? I'll take mine in yellow, please.