HONDA The Power of Dreams

In 1958, the first generation Super Cub C100 was launched and quickly became a hit due to its simple operation, easy handling, reliability, and fuel economy. 1960 saw the start of operations at the Suzuka Factory, dedicated to Super Cub production.

In May 1961, the cumulative production of the Super Cub surpassed 1 million units, further accelerating its popularity. In August of the same year, the 55 cc Super Cub C105 was launched as Class 2 motorized bicycle, and a wide range of variations were introduced. In the Honda company newsletter issued in September 1961, Takeo Fujisawa, Honda’s managing director at the time, talked about his business trip to the United States.

“I was asked if I would like to see an 8mm film that a user had shot. The first part was taken from an airplane, looking at a mountain, which was apparently over 1,000 meters high. After that, you can see the four men. They all have Cubs. They are loading up near their houses and laughing with their families. They load their four Cubs in their trucks, and drive to the foot of the mountains in the first cut. They unload the four Cubs, some with gasoline, or Mobil, some with groceries, and some with guns. Some are loaded with tents and blankets. Then they’re going up a 1,000 meter mountain with their Cubs. They can’t go up in their trucks. This is where they start riding their Cubs, but it’s sandy, and their stomping the sand to compact it. It has to be a Cub here. Then they come to a kind of cliff. The camp there, and at dawn, some of them wash their faces at the river, some are catching fish with fishing rods, some have been hunting, and some are roasting birds. I guess they are returning home in a good mood after a four-night trip, carrying a lot of fish and birds they had caught. I guess what I’m thinking here is that even though the Americans have the same Cubs, they’re planning ahead, not just a little, but a long plan to enjoy themselves.

“Watching that, I think it will start a new leisure boom in America. I have a feeling that our motorcycles will play a role in that. I think that if they were to start doing this in Japan, it would become a big fad, and people would be walking down Ginza Street in droves with blankets, firearms, and guns loaded on their Cubs.”

It is reasonable to assume that Fujisawa’s story led to the production of the leisure-orinented Super Cub in Japan.

Later, in October, an advertisement appeared that was seemingly a preview of a 55 cc model designed for fishing, with the copy "Big catch with a Cub!” The advertisement referred to the 8th All Japan Motor Show, and announced the unveiling of the product at the show.

At the 8th All Japan Motor Show held in Harumi, Tokyo from October 27 to November 7, 1961, three Super Cub C100 models, the Hunter Cub, the Leisure Cub, and the Newspaper Delivery Cub, were exhibited. The December 1961 issue of Motor Magazine covered the motor show, as seen in the following photograph.

In 1961 the Hunter Cub (55 cc) went on sale, and in a January 1962 advertisement, the name “Hunter Cub” appeared. This is apparently the time when the Hunter Cub name gained traction.