Honda Heritage. September 2008
Soichiro made piston rings in the 1930s and in 1946 founded the Honda Technical Research Institute - a garden shed situated on a levelled bomb site!
He commenced building motor-cycles and next came the first Honda engine, a 50cc two stroke, which powered his 'Model A'. The first engine to bear the Honda name appeared in 1949, the Dream D type. This was a 98cc 2-cycle model that was so popular that Honda's first sales office was opened in Tokyo in 1950.
Honda's phenomenal growth, from nothing to the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer in less than 20 years, was masterminded by Takeo Fujisawa, a marketing expert and later company managing director.
In 1951 a completely new compact 4-cycle engine was developed to power the new Honda Dream E type. The following year, Honda marketed the F Cub, the very first in a line of 50cc engines that were to revolutionise the motorcycle market. With the new engine Honda began to transform itself into a nation wide marketing force - the popularity of the Honda models led to a
further expansion of production capabilities. Two new factories came on line at Shirako and Yamato in 1953 and at Aoi in 1954. The new H type general purpose engine was launched in 1953.
Honda announced his intention to challenge for the famed Isle of Man TT race in 1954, also introducing his first scooter, the 200cc Juno K type.
In 1957 the Dream C70 250cc 4-cycle touring machine was introduced, followed in 1958 by the Super Cub.
Honda's TT challenge came in 1959 and saw Honda come away with the team award. In 1961 Honda won the top five places in both the 125 and 250cc classes. The American Honda Motor Co. was established in 1959 and under the catch phrase of "You meet the nicest people on a Honda," the company again grew.
European Honda was formed in 1961 and the South East Asia market was opened up in 1964 with the formation of Asia Honda Motor Company.
For the first time ever, in 1966 a single manufacturer, Honda, won all five solo World Champion-ships in Grand Prix races for 50, 125, 250, 350 and 500cc classes.
This was a major achievement for a company that had been racing for a little over a decade, against long established European opposition. The revolutionary four-cylinder conversion 67hp Honda Dream CB750 Four was launched in 1969, and in 1971 Honda produced its 15 millionth motorcycle.
In 1976, Honda introduced the 50cc Road Pal (Honda Express) series of family bikes, which were to prove the most rapidly expanding section of the market for the rest of the decade.
The Honda Endurance Racing Team won the European Endurance Race in 1979, and the following year saw the production of the CX500 Turbo, the world's first turbocharged mass production motorcycle. The VF400 and VF750 series were launched in 1982 and in 1985 Freddie Spencer completed a unique double for Honda when he won both the 250 and 500cc GP Road Racing titles.
In 1987 Honda announced the development of an anti-lock braking system for motorcycles, and also the first speed controlled electric reversing system for a motorcycle in the Gold Wing GL1500.
Brand new generation CBR1000 and CBR600s were introduced, together with the Transalp 600V which introduced a new concept of touring.
Later, the VFR750R and NTV600 motorcycles were launched at the International Motorcycle Show in Birmingham, and Wayne Gardner won the World 500cc Road Race series with Honda also securing the 250cc series along with the world 500cc and 250cc motocross titles.
Honda's commitment to race motorcycles is the foundation upon which the company's success has been based.
In road racing, Honda has won more than 30 world championships and literally dozens of Grand Prix victories at all levels. The most recent run being the great success enjoyed by Honda and Mick Doohan, snaring five 500cc GP titles through the 1990s.
Honda's off road competition machines have also enjoyed world championship success.
As the company enjoys its 60th anniversary, it has never been in a stronger position, with a vast portfolio of models covering all aspects of motorcycling from off road trials and enduro to competition, sport, sport touring and luxury touring, along with mini bikes, a broad range of scooters and entry level models.
But it's not just about selling bikes. Honda continues to push the technical envelope, keeping the range both broad and deep - as evidenced by the latest CB1000R and genre-defying DN-01 scooter/cruiser - to satisfy the needs of a world wide market.
With these values, expect to see the big wing around for another 60 years.
