History of Honda Motorcycles
When you start paying attention to the other motorcycles on the road, you quickly realize how many of them are Hondas. The company is one of the world’s largest manufacturers and it’s bikes can be found in some of the farthest corners of the globe. But the company didn’t rise to its current status purely through mass production. Rather, the company earned a reputation for innovative, fun to ride bikes that also boast some of the best reliability in the industry.
Read on to learn more about how Honda grew into one of the most successful motorcycles manufacturers on the planet. When you want to look at some of their newest bikes, stop by Rick Case Honda. We’re located near Miami and Fort Lauderdale in Davie, Florida!
The Early Years
In the early days of Honda, the company was little more than the pipe dream of a very smart and extremely ambitious engineering school dropout named Soichiro Honda. Founded in 1948, the company originally produced engines that could be mounted to bicycles. The company soon graduated to larger, more powerful designs around which they built their first dedicated motorcycles. Then, in 1949, the company brought on the brilliant engineer Takeo Fujisawa who was able to take the motor designs to new heights. Their first complete motorcycle was released in 1949 and called the D-Type (the “D” standing for “dream”). It didn’t take long for the motorcycle to catch on in a big way, and within a decade, Honda was the biggest motorcycle manufacturer on the planet.
Entering the American Market
Honda took the step to a major international force when it launched it’s first overseas subsidiary, American Honda Motor Co., which as the name implies was located in the United States. From the early days after their 1959 launch, their success stateside mirrored their success in Japan. It took them less than a decade to round out a million motorcycles sold in America, and one of the ways they accomplished this was by bringing motorcycles to new demographics of riders. Honda was able to show that motorcycle riding isn’t just for outlaws and mavericks. They showed that riding is a pastime that just about anyone can enjoy, and the savings in gas and insurance alone make it an attractive proposition for many.
With a million motorcycles sold, Honda could have rested on their laurels and just “played the hits” by continuing to tweak older models. But Honda was ready to take on the challenge of making something truly new and unique. They accomplished this in 1969 with the release of the CB750, a motorcycle that would later be named the first true superbike. Honda took technology and engineering from their racing program to give the bike exceptional performance that had never been seen before on the consumer marketplace. It featured a four-cylinder engine with an inline cylinder arrangement, an overhead camshaft, and a host of other performance-built features that made the bike ride like nothing else around. Today, the bike is considered the most influential bike ever made.
Innovative New Bikes
With the same spirit of innovation that drove the CB750, Honda has continued to push the envelope in the design department with their newest line of bikes. Their bikes today span a wide range of styles and purposes. From true motocross bikes that tear up the dirt track to heavyweight touring bikes that bring a level of luxury and amenities never seen on a motorcycle before, Honda’s newest bikes carry the torch.
Come by Rick Case Honda when you’re ready to see what modern design and innovation really looks like. Set up a test ride today so that you can feel all the raw power and the precise performance that has made these some of the most popular bikes on the planet. We’re located near Miami and Fort Lauderdale, near Davie, Florida, and we’ll get you on the bike of your dreams today!