All companies, big and small, have a history behind their growth that most people have little, or no knowledge of. It takes determination and perseverance in launching a new business and a new product successfully to consumers. Unfortunately, there can be setbacks as well.
How Honda motorcycles came to be is no different. It took the founder, Soichiro Honda, years of hard work to get Honda motorcycles going, and to what they are today. After his passing in 1991, his successors have continued to keep Honda Motor Company and its divisions extremely successful, reaching milestones along the way.
Each milestone Honda motorcycles has achieved, and each product line they have produced, have facts and tidbits of interesting information that make them stand out. Some are well known, and some are not.
Learn more below about 15 Facts Most People Don’t Know About Honda’s Motorcycles.
15 The Creator
Soichiro Honda, creator of Honda, had an attraction to wheeled transportation and motors from a young age. He was born in Hamamatsu, Japan, in 1906, the son of a blacksmith who also repaired bicycles.
Over his lifetime, Soichiro dabbled in numerous careers and business ventures from mechanics, to race cars, to piston rings, and of course motorcycles. The start of Honda motorcycles came from Soichiro wanting to create transportation by attaching a small motor to a bicycle. This determination led to the first Honda motorcycle, the Dream Type D.
14 The First Honda Motorcycle
In 1946, Soichiro Honda founded the Honda Technical Research Institute. At the Institute, they focused their energy on motorized bicycles and motorcycles. This included incorporating a war-surplus two-stroke motor onto a bicycle.
In 1949, the Institute became Honda Motor Company and their very first motorcycle was released. This early version was powered by a 49cc two-stroke motor and was given the name Dream Type D.
13 Honda Comes To North America
Two years after the Honda Research Institute was founded, the name was changed to the Honda Motor Company. This was a result of the Institute starting the production of their own power units.
It was time for Honda Motor Company to expand outside of Japan and open divisions around the world. The first North American division, American Honda Motor, was opened in Los Angeles, California, USA, in 1959. Expansion continued through the 1960s and divisions popped up worldwide.
12 The First Gold Wing
The first GL 1000 Gold Wing was a bike of “firsts” when it was released in 1975. It was the first liquid-cooled four-stroke out of Japan. The final drive was shaft driven. And the fuel tank was actually located beneath the seat to lower its center of gravity.
The somewhat “naked” GL 1000’s available colors in 1975 were Candy Antares Red and Candy Blue Green. The Sulfur Yellow which was thought to be the first Gold Wing color was actually from the 1976 model year.
11 The Hurricane
When the Honda Hurricane burst onto the scene in 1987, it had more horsepower and speed than any other literbike before it. Neither the horsepower nor the speed made the CBR1000F Hurricane difficult to ride as it was made to be a sport-touring bike.
The Hurricane was available in the United States from 1987-1996, then the CBR1100XX took over. The Hurricane was available in other markets until 1999 until Honda ceased production.
10 Air Bags
Automobiles had airbags beginning in the 1970s. It took over 30 years before one was incorporated into a motorcycle.
There have been airbag vests riders wear over their riding gear. These inflate when the tether connecting the rider to the bike is detached, and the vest fills from a CO2 container.
In 2007, Honda offered the first airbag on its Gold Wing. For its safety testing of the airbag, Honda needed a motorcycle crash test dummy... so they created one. To date, the Honda Gold Wing is the only motorcycle that offers an airbag option.
9 CBR Is An Abbreviation For...
Many automobiles and motorcycles have letter abbreviations in their model names. Have you ever wondered what, they might stand for?
Honda has had numerous model lines in its history. Originally Honda had the CB line of bikes where the CB was representative of City Bike. When they moved on to include the CBR line, the CBR was the abbreviation for City Bike Racing.
And the Honda models with RR... that stands for Race Replica, not Race Ready.
8 The Rebel
The Honda Rebel 250 is an iconic motorcycle that was incredibly popular as a beginner bike and a bike for women riders because of its low seat height cruiser style. It has also been popular in the line-up of motorcycle safety schools for their students.
Honda produced the Rebel 250 from 1984-2016. After not many changes over its production time, Honda decided to do a total revamp of the Rebel. The Rebel 250 was discontinued in 2016 to make room for the new Rebel of 2017. And not only one, but two Rebels, a 300cc and 500cc.
7 No Shifting
Riding a motorcycle, shifting gears with the clutch and gear shifter go hand in hand. Feeling the power as the rpm’s rise, speeding up, and getting ready for the next shift. Or shifting down as the bike slows. There are a number of motorcycle models that come with an automatic transmission, therefore, no shifting for the rider.
Honda uses the dual-clutch transmission (DCT) in the motorbikes it offers with an automatic option. Bike styles from street, to touring, to the African Twin Enduro have DCT options.
6 The Logo
All manufacturers have a logo that is attached to their brand. Most are so recognizable consumers can take one quick look at a logo and know exactly which company it represents.
Soichiro Honda chose the silver wings for the Honda motorcycle logo. He saw a sculpture of the Greek goddess of Victory, Nike, and was so inspired he decided to integrate her wings in the Honda motorcycle logo.
5 Electric Dirt Bike
Honda has stepped up to the plate and revealed its prototype electric dirt bike in Japan at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show. Although Honda is not the first motorcycle manufacturer with an electric motorcycle, it will definitely be a contender.
The bike is reported to have the same power as a 250cc dirt bike. No word on when the electric dirt bike will be available to consumers, but there are probably some riders eager to give it a try.
4 Leader In Manufacturing
Honda is one of the leaders in motorcycle manufacturing. In 2018, the production lines worldwide sent out over 20-million units to the marketplace. Even with that enormous number manufactured, Honda motorcycles quality is top-notch. And their engineers stay on top with up-to-date technology.
3 400 Million
The end of 2019 was a dual milestone for Honda motorcycles. The first milestone was celebrating 70 years of producing motorcycles. Everything started in 1949 with the 49cc Dream Type D.
The second milestone at the end of 2019, reaching 400 million motorcycles produced worldwide during those 70 years. Quite an achievement in the competitive market of motorcycles.
2 Supermoto Racing
Supermoto racing is an exciting type of motorcycle racing that can combine three different track surfaces. The track surface can go from paved to packed dirt, to jumps and obstacles.
The race bikes are typically a dirt bike, the most popular is 450cc, with modifications to the brakes and suspension. Wheel sizes are changed to 17” to accommodate street tires or slicks. The CRF150R is a motocross bike but is very popular for supermoto mini races. The bike needs to be light and nimble to get around tight corners and hairpins quickly.
1 Self-Balancing Motorcycle
All motorcycle riders have that fear in the back of their mind…..dropping their pride and joy on its side. Sometimes the unexpected happens, or it’s a slow speed maneuver gone wrong like spiking the front brake.
So Honda engineers came up with Honda Riding Assist. The technology on the bike detects a slow speed, disconnects the handlebars, increase’s the fork angle, and the Riding Assist takes over in balancing and keeping the bike upright.
Beginner riders may be interested in this new technological assistant. Chances are kickstand manufactures will be watching this closely as well.
Sources: canadamotoguide, motorcycle, mydriftfun, roadandtrack, cycleworld.