This is the Mugen Shinden (神電) TT Zero Electric Race Bike

UPDATE: Added more information & technical specifications from Mugen’s press release.

This morning we learned that John McGuinness will be Mugen’s rider in the team’s bid to break the 100 mph barrier at the 2012 TT Zero. Heavily speculated to be a stealth project by Honda (?? / Mugen was started by Hirotoshi Honda, the son to Honda founder Soichiro Honda), much speculation has been done over what sort of bike Mugen would be bringing to the Isle of Man TT, and now we have that answer.

Called Shinden (??), meaning “God of Electricity” in Japanese, the machine may not have the same exquisite lines of the Honda RC-E electric superbike concept, but upon closer inspection, Mugen’s electric race bike seems like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Breaking cover at a press conference in Suzuka, the Mugen Shinden features a brushless three-phase 90 kW (120hp) DC motor, carbon fiber swingarm, and a carbon fiber twin-spar frame design.

So far we have no information on Mugen’s battery pack capacity (voltage is said to be over 370 volts though), but we do know that the Shinden will have a curb weight 570 lbs, meaning that a consinderable amount of battery is likely on-board the race bike. Looking at these photos (apologies for how small they are), we can see that Mugen is not using a concentric motor/swingarm, as was used with the Honda RC-E concept. The braking controls have been moved completely to the handlebars, and will operate the Nissin brake calipers, while suspension is unsurprisingly done by Showa, another Honda-owned company.

Technical Specifications of the Mugen Shinden Electric Motorcycle:

Name: Shinden (??)
Length: 2,125 mm
Width: 680 mm
Height: 1,130 mm
Wheelbase: 1,485 mm
Ground clearance: 130 mm
Seat height: 840 mm
Curb weight: 260 kg / 573 lbs
Caster angle: 23°
Trial length: 96 mm
Tire (Front): 120/70-ZR17M/C (58W)
Tire (Rear): 200/550ZR17M/C (78W)
Frame: CFRP Twin-Spar-Type
Motor Type: Three Phase Brushless DC motors
Horsepower: 90kW / 120hp
Torque: 220Nm / 162 lbs•ft
Battery: Lithium-ion Battery
Battery output: 370V or more