We cannot talk about Honda Motorcycles without referring first to Soichiro Honda and his DREAM, that in 1948, when this visionary man was 41, with just a little more than three grand, started the Honda Motor Company.
Empowered by Mr. Honda’s vision, the company would rapidly - just one year later - be building the D-Type: the first Honda Motorcycles and the first modern Japanese motorcycles.
Besides being a dreamer, Mr. Honda was a racer and a great manufacturer. He had also the ability to team up with brilliant businessmen, what took Honda Motorcycles and Honda Motor Company to what it is now, 56 years later: one of the major motorcycle and car manufacturers in the whole world.
To better understand what Honda motorcycles is now, it's also important to mention some important moments, situations, and models.
1947 - And the story started... Soichiro Honda manufactures what would be his first product of many: the A-Type bicycle engine.
1948 - Honda Motor Company is founded.
1949 - Honda builds its first D-Type Motorcycle, better known as the Dream.
1952 – Honda builds its first F-Type the 50 cc Cub. Basically a small engine attached to the rear wheel of bicycle.
IMPORTANT MODEL
The Honda motorcycle F-Type 50 cc Cub will later involve in the 50 cc Super Cub (1958). This smart combination between a moped and a scooter was a very important model in the history of Honda Motorcycles and a key factor in the future success of the company.
Just to give you an idea of the impact this had in the history of Honda motorcycles:
In November 1952, their production of 7,000+ units represented 70% of the total outcome of Japanese motorcycles for that year.
Thanks to the 50 cc Cub, from 1953 to 1954 Honda Motorcycles lead sales in the local market. It’s worth mentioning that those were very competitive days. There were many manufacturers competing for a very fast growing and demanding market.
ANOTHER KEY MODEL
J-Series machines made from 53-58
Although certainly modeled after German motorcycles, the sales of the J, JA, JB and JC models were the cash cow for Honda in those early, difficult years.
As we know, Honda was close to closing business in 1954 and ended up convincing Banks to loan Honda enough money to allow the purchase of US and German made machine tools. This upgrade in machine tool technology was a key component in allowing Honda to produce the later bikes that came to dominate the world in the early 60's.
The sales of the J-Series is a key part in the history of Honda and often overlooked.
As from 1955 and after going public in the Tokyo Stock Market, the success of the less expensive models - particularly the 50cc Super Cub - permitted to Honda Motorcycles a very healthy business practice:
-->To ensure that low cost motorbikes were sold in a number big enough to maintain $$$ the development of the higher level motorcycles as the 250/350 overhead camshaft machines.
Honda Motorcycles also understood very quickly that Production had to be backed by Sales Promotion, and following their always innovative spirit Honda Motorcycles were:
• The first Japanese manufacturer to export to the United States in September 1954.
• The first to build their own racetrack to fine tune their machines inhouse, May 1958.
• The first to go abroad with American Honda Motor Co., Inc. in Los Angeles, 1959.
• The first manufacturer to offer a One Year Guarantee.
Another model of that time worth mentioning was the CS71.
Before 1958, most Japanese motorcycles were copies of American and European motorcycles, but this machine inspired in the C70 Series, finally and definitely gave birth to a unique Japanese style.
There is an anecdote that says that Soichiro Honda, at the time deeply involved with mysticism, designed these motorcycles following the lines of a typical Shinto Temple.
For that time, the 348 pounds, 250cc, 18hp, 75 mph, with electric starter motorcycle was a definitely a dream machine!
IMPORTANT MODEL
The Honda Dream CS71 (1958). This was the first sport model from Honda Motorcycles and a beautiful machine that will later involve in the CB72 (1960).
The CB72 became very popular in the whole world due to its excellent cost/performance ratio.
Then came 1959 and Honda Motorcycles made their debut in the Isle of Man TT, the biggest race on earth for that time. This event was considered back then as the Tour of France, the Soccer World Cup or the Super bowl of motorcycling.
After an exciting race, the team obtained the 6th, 7th, 8th and 11th places with four of their five riders. This gave to the “rookies” their first team victory and marked the entrance of Japanese Motorcycles to the global and competitive scene.
SOME HONDA KEY MODELS
1950's
1950 Dream D-type
1958 50cc
1959 Benly C92
1960's
1960 CB72
1966 CB450 M
1966 P50
1967 Z50M Monkey
1969 CB750 FOUR
1970's
1970 CT70
1971 CB500F
1972 CB350F
1972 CR250M Elsinore
1975 CB400F
1979 CBX1000
1980's
1981 CX500
1983 VF1100C
1983 VF750
1985 NS400R
1986 CN250 Helix
1987 Transalp XL600V
1987 VFR75OR
1988 GL1500
1989 PC800
1990's
1992 CBR900RR FireBlade
1994 RVF750
The 2000's are still being written, but we have some new models that will definitely make it to this list. a couple of examples are the CBR1000 RR and the NRX1800 Valkyrie Rune