HONDA The Power of Dreams

For young riders, 50 cc models have long been their favorite entry level bikes.

The roots of Honda’s 50 cc supersports models goes back to the 1960 Sport Cub 110. Its engine was a 4-stroke 1-cylinder OHV engine made popular by the Super Cub, and output up to 5 PS. Its sporty styling added to the model’s popularity.

In 1967, Honda released the Benly SS50 with a sharper design. This model was powered by the Super Cub’s 4-stroke 1-cylinder OHC engine, and was equipped with a 5-speed transmission for the first time in its class.

The SS50 had the same pressed backbone frame as the CD50 business bike. Although 50cc road sports bikes from other manufacturers also used this type of frame, there was a major difference in the engine.

Honda’s 50 cc engines were 4-stroke engines, resulting in high durability and fuel economy, while other manufacturers’ 50 cc engines were 2-stroke. Taking advantage of 2-stroke engine characteristics, the other manufacturers progressed development to the point where they equalled the SS50 in terms of maximum output and acceleration. In the 1960s, Honda’s superiority was overshadowed by the increasing performance of 2-stroke engines.

Demand within the company for a new generation of road sports bikes worthy of the 1970s had grown, leading to the launch of the Benly CB50.

The Benly CB50 was the successor to the SS50, while featuring a completely new engine and frame.

The CB50 adopted a 4-stroke engine with a tilted design similar to the CB90 released in 1970, and the same downward-pointing megaphone muffler as the other CB series models.

It also adopted a diamond pipe frame which contributed to light handling and sporty styling. The pipe frame had a large impact on 50 cc road sports models from other manufacturers.

Styling and features such as an elongated fuel tank and class-first tachometer gained the admiration of young people at the time.

Its ”cool” styling and adoption of the same high-performance tilted engine as the high-end CB90 quickly made it a popular model.

In 1973, the Benly CB50JX, equipped with a sporty seat fairing and a mechanical front disc brake, was added to the series.

The Benly CB50JX-I, released in 1976, was further refined with changes to the fuel tank shape, seat fairing, and front fender.

The last Benly CB50 model was introduced in 1981. By then, the Benly CB50 had became a long-selling model that supported the motorcycle life of young people for more than a decade.

Sales of the CB50 ended in the early 1980s, and the 50 cc road sport category was succeeded by the MBX50 introduced in 1982, powered by a water-cooled 2-stroke engine.

In the 1980s and ‘90s, Honda’s sports models were basically divided into small displacement 2-stroke models and larger 4-stroke models.

The Dream 50, powered by the world’s smallest 50 cc 4-stroke, single-cylinder DOHC engine, was exhibited as a reference model at the 1996 Tokyo Motor Show. The response, as was demand for the model to be released, was strong. The Dream 50 was launched the following year, in 1997, with high-tech mechanisms and styling reminiscent of 1960s racing machines.

Although officially the Dream 50, this model was called the “CB50” within Honda.

The CB50 moniker was carried over 16 years by the people who insisted on 4-stroke engines.