In March, 2020, Honda Japan first introduced its HondaGO motorcycle rental program. Under the scheme, both new and experienced riders could potentially rent the latest and greatest bikes in Honda’s current lineup. From Super Cubs up to CBR1000RR-R Fireblades and Gold Wings, the riding possibilities ran the gamut. Along with bike rentals came included bike insurance during the rental period, as well as 24/7 roadside assistance. Even bike gear was also available for rental—and honestly, the combination sounds pretty ideal.
It’s now February, 2022, and Honda Japan announced new plans for its upcoming HondaGO Bike Gear online shop. While the name HondaGO was initially associated with rentals of both motorcycles and protective gear for riding them, this new program is more of a coordinated online retail solution.
Yes, that’s right. HondaGO Bike Gear is bringing online shopping for motorcycle gear, enthusiast apparel, and bike accessories to the comfort of wherever you happen to be. (No, you haven’t time-traveled. We can confirm that it is, indeed, the middle of February, 2022 as we write this.)
The website is scheduled to open for business on March 14, 2022. To be fair, Honda’s release for this upcoming virtual store opening makes it seem as though there will be a visual customization function integrated into the new site. You know, the kind of thing that allows you to see what various parts and accessories would look like on your bike before you buy them? You’ll also be able to buy coordinating gear and apparel to match your bike’s new (or existing) look as well.
There’s nothing at this point to indicate any kind of virtual try-on ability for protective gear, as online eyeglass retailers tend to do. Then again, while other OEMs have been rolling out virtual bike configurators for years now, no one has really tried to do something similar with rider gear yet. At some point, will someone try it? Would you be interested if an OEM or gear retailer did?
In any case, Honda bills this as a one-stop shop for a wide array of genuine Honda accessories, custom parts, protective gear, and apparel that had previously only been available in a variety of places. Now, at last, they’re all together in one place—so Honda superfans, it’s nearly GO time.
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Sources: HondaGO Bike Rental, HondaGO Bike Gear, Young Machine