Super Cub, the Invention
In the 1950s, scooters such as the Silver Pigeon by Shin Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and the Rabbit by Fuji Heavy Industries (Fuji Industries until 1952) were popular in Japan. In 1954, Honda also debuted the Juno K which featured a body made of fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP), revolutionary at the time, and equipment designed for all-weather use, but it failed because among other problems, it was heavy and underpowered. President Soichiro Honda and Managing Director Takeo Fujisawa visited Europe in December 1956 and learned that many people used mopeds and scooters as their daily mode of transport. They recognized once again the need for a motorcycle that would serve as daily transportation for the masses and began developing a new model. The concept was a motorcycle that “the buckwheat-noodle shop delivery boy can balance his tray on one hand and operate the bike with the other” and that it could be ridden by “customers wearing skirts.”
To make the bike easy to ride and economical for everyone, Honda considered a structure and design that made it easy to stride and comfortable. Considering the environment, a 4-stroke OHV engine with high output, low fuel consumption, and clean emissions was mounted on a low backbone frame with the fuel tank under the seat, tilted forward to a near horizontal position, and equipped with a 3-speed automatic centrifugal clutch that did not require clutch operation.
In addition, the bike was equipped with resin leg shield that keep feet clean and a chain case that prevented oil splashes. The bike was also equipped with large 17-inch tires specially made for the Super Cub C100, making it comfortable to ride and provided a sense of security even on rough roads. When Fujisawa saw the prototype, he said, “We can sell 30,000 units,” to which a young designer asked, “In a year?” Fujisawa replied, “Monthly.” This was an impossible figure at a time when the entire domestic motorcycle industry was producing about 42,000 units per month, but Fujisawa’s intuition as a businessman led him to make the decision.
Super Cub C100 realized beauty through functionality
Not only was the Super Cub’s equipment and performance outstanding, but also its true functional beauty. The concept was, by satisfying functions and needs, product design would result in a wonderful form. At the time, Honda also said that if the bike looks good, it will always have a good engine structure and functionality. He liked his bikes to look “elegant, refined, and a little sexy.”
The Super Cub C100 which debuted in 1958, became an unprecedented hit, embodying the company principle of the time to respond to customers’ needs and manufacture products with superior performance at low cost, from a global perspective. Production that year was approximately 24,000 units, partly because of its August release, but the following year, production expanded to approximately 167,000 units. In 1960, living up to its promise of producing 50,000 Super Cubs a month and building a new factory, Honda’s Suzuka Factory started operation, resulting in sales reaching 564,000 units that year, 661,000 units in 1961, and 790,000 units in 1962, far exceeding Fujisawa’s expectations, and becoming the driving force for Honda expanding into the global market. As Soichiro said, “Good products know no national boundaries,” and the Super Cub subsequently expanded its production bases to 15 countries around the world.
In 1964, Honda launched the C65, the first Super Cub model in the series to be powered by an OHC engine, followed two years later by the C50, a 49 cc OHC engine-powered model. The OHC engine offered improved performance, fuel economy, and durability compared to the C100 series OHV engine, and the new “2-year 50,000 km warranty” system further boosted its popularity, with cumulative production exceeding 5 million units. The C65 was followed by the updated 72 cc C70 and the 89 cc C90. The OHC engine designed for the C65 continued to be used as the base design until the final carbureted models of the 2000s. It was also used as the base engine for leisure bikes such as the Monkey and Dax, the Benly series, and the CD business model, contributing greatly to the expansion of Honda’s small motorcycle lineup.
Super Cubs waiting for shipment at the Suzuka Factory
OHC engine-powered C50 spawns Super Cub series
Super Cub C100 in Action
Super Cub C65 in Action
CA100 Changes Image of Motorcycles in the U.S.
In 1959, Honda established its first overseas sales company, American Honda Motor (AH), as a foothold for its expansion. 1962 saw the launch of the Honda 50 CA100 for North America, with a bright red body color and a long seat that could accommodate two. The CA102 (with electric starter) and the 55 cc CA105 were also added to the lineup.
In 1963, the “You Meet the Nicest People on a Honda” advertising campaign completely changed the perspective and lifestyles then associated with motorcycles in America, the “black jackets” (or outlaws), and even changed lifestyles, especially among young people.
The nimble feel of the engine with its three-speed automatic centrifugal clutch, and the exhilarating joy of riding a motorcycle even became a hit song “Little Honda” by the Beach Boys and the Hondells. The Super Cub was also offered in a variety of styles, such as Roadster, Rally, Boss, and Student, and attracted the hearts of many young people.
Leisure models were also added, for enjoying outdoor activities such as hunting and fishing, spreading the Super Cub’s popularity to a wider range of users. In 1961, Honda launched the CA100T Trail 50 with heavy-duty equipment designed for off-road riding, such as double sprockets that could change the secondary reduction ratio by switching the chain to a larger sprocket ring, and block tires. It further evolved into the CA105T with a raised muffler and the 90 cc CT200.
The late CT90 Trail model released in 1966 evolved into a bike with a 4-speed + 4-speed dual-range sub-transmission. Based on this know-how, the CT50 Hunter Cub, a derivative of the C50, was launched in Japan in 1968, becoming the origin of the Hunter Cub to follow.
The Honda 50 CA100 changed how motorcycles were perceived in the U.S.
Leisure model CT200 Trail 90 with raised muffler
HONDA50 CA100 in Action
Super Cub Also Loved in Asian Nations
Following its launch into North America and Europe, the Super Cub entered the Asian market and began knockdown production in Taiwan in 1961. In Thailand, Thai Honda Manufacturing (TH) began local production of the Super Cub in 1967. In the 1980s, TH produced the C70 and C90 models exclusively for Southeast Asia, which gained popularity for their superior ease of use, low fuel consumption, and high durability. In 1986, the Super Cub-derived Dream was launched.
In 1995, in order to further grow the Thai market, Honda developed a new Super Cub-type model, the Wave, with a modern design for all genders and generations, which became a new hit product. The Thai-produced Super Cub originated series, the Dream, with its basic design, and the Wave, with its modern and stylish design, were rolled out not only throughout Southeast Asia but also in South America and other regions, evolving to meet the needs of each region.
In the 2000s, in response to market needs, sporty models such as the Wave were equipped with LCD odometer and lockable key shutter. In 2003, the Wave 125i was equipped with PGM-FI (electronically controlled fuel injection), earlier than the Super Cub series. This system realized smooth starting, even in a wide range of riding environments, as well as powerful, and comfortable riding and low fuel consumption.
Thai-manufactured C70 for the Asian market
Vietnam, Super Cub Heaven
The Super Cub was first exported to Vietnam in 1965, after receiving an order for 20,000 units from a local importer in what was then South Vietnam. During the Vietnam War, many people escaped with their families and household goods on Super Cubs to evade the war, and the reliability of the Super Cub was widely recognized by the Vietnamese people. The Super Cub series became a necessity of life for the Vietnamese, and since then, motorcycles, scooters, and mopeds, were all called “Hondas” regardless of the manufacturer.
Super Cubs exported to then-South Vietnam.Super Cub reliability led to the Vietnamese refering to all motorcycles as “Hondas”
In Vietnam, “Honda” has always been a dream of the people and an important common family property, and the Super Cub was regarded as a status symbol. Super Cubs imported mainly from neighboring Laos and made in Thailand and Japan, were especially popular in Vietnam.
In 1996, Honda Vietnam Company Limited (HVN) was established, and from the following year onward, the company began production and sales of the Super Cub-type Super Dream, the first motorcycle made in Vietnam, which was the dream of the local people. The Super Dream was designed with an emphasis on tandem riding due to the country’s demand for motorcycles as taxis. In Vietnam, the Super Cub series became a part of the Vietnamese people’s lives for half a century since 1965. By 2020, Super Cubs accounted for about 40% of HVN’s total production of 30 million units.
Super Dream produced in Vietnam
Expanding Demand
From China to the World
With Super Cub-Series Wave
In China, where social and industrial diversification began in the 1980s, Honda established a foothold in the market through a technical collaboration with Jialing Industry Co., Ltd. (later Honda Motor (China) Co., Ltd.) in 1981. In the early 1990s, when the Chinese government’s open-door policy was in full swing, the company established three joint ventures: Wuyang-Honda Motors (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd. (Wuyang-Honda), Tianjin Honda Motors Co., Ltd. (Tianjin-Honda) and Jialing-Honda Motors Co., Ltd. (Jialing-Honda), to produce 100 cc Super Cubs, 100 cc to 125 cc motorcycles, 125 cc scooters, and other products that were the same as those imported from Japan, but at a reduced price to a level that gave Chinese customers a sense of value for money. Motorcycles made by Japanese manufacturers were highly coveted by Chinese consumers, especially Honda motorcycles, with a strong brand image. Ironically, the popularity of Honda motorcycles led to the mass production and exportation of counterfeit products to Southeast Asia. The number of companies was said to be more than 200.
Tianjin Honda Motors then attempted to establish supremacy in China, which at the time produced the largest number of motorcycles in the world, by forming a joint venture with Hainan Sundiro Holding Co Ltd (Hainan-Sundiro), manufacturer of Honda-copies. In competition, Honda considered the enemy of its enemy as its friend.
In 2002, Sundiro Honda produced and sold the Wave, which quickly became a best-selling model. The Wave had the same radical form as the ASEAN*1 model, a 4-speed transmission, 97.1 cc engine, and heated carburetorfor use in cold climates. The Wave was especially popular among women and the elderly in rural areas, where men were away on migrant work, because they were easy to ride and not easily damaged in daily life. The Wave was also exported to countries around the world. In 2012, Honda also began producing and exporting the revamped Super Cub 50 and 110 for Japan, until October 2017.
- Association of South-East Asian Nations
Wave, manufactured and sold by Sundiro Honda, was exported from China to the world.
