The Greatest Motorcycle of All Time? A Brief History of The Honda Super Cub
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 เม.ย. 2020
- The history of the Honda Supercub, over 100 million made and no signs of stopping! But how did this everyman bike come to be? Find out in this short documentary.
The Honda Cub, C50, C70, C90, C125 or any of it's other variations, has touched every corner of the world. We explore a little of the story behind how it came to be. - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
the story of that bike has never been told better
My brother bought the Honda 90 and drove over 2000 miles during a single easter. But I have a very special reason for being in love with the bike. A girl bought one when finishing high school. Being new and inexperienced she came to a motorcycle safety rally. I was there on my own small bike. I was the only other one with a small bike so she sought me out to ask questions. That was 50 years ago now. And I really did meet the nicest person on a Honda. The sound of it still reminds me of the joy of her coming to visit. ( in the days before we were married I mean ).
Thanks so much for this wonderful video! I am 70, and still using my 1982 C50 every day! I have used many bikes over the years (including a Kawasaki 500cc), but the Cub is so humble, and SO reliable - I just cannot leave it. MIne is still in almost perfect running condition, but I am planning to restore it as it deserves. We also have a 1973 model (which belongs to my elder brother), that I also plan to restore - to celebrate its approaching 50th birthday - and as a tribute to the great Mr Honda and his fine team! My good wishes to all Honda fans of the world!!
My dad had a new Honda 50 in 1964, he used it for work every day. He worked for the "gas board" as a gas man, fixing boilers etc. He used to carry 2 large ex army panniers & 2 big tool rolls on the back rack & if you put 1 finger under each handlebar grip you could actually lift the front wheel up & off the ground because of the weight . He did his own servicing & said if you change the oil regularly, keep the rear chain adjusted & oiled & grease the front fork nipples it will be reliable , which it was. The 6volt system was not brilliant if you used the indicators a lot as the poor tiny battery struggled to keep up .
First motorbike I rode was a C50 over the fields, totally nuclear bomb proof.
I still have the original Honda guarantee somewhere & the return address was a residential street in chessington, surrey!
Long live the Stepthru. Best bike on the planet.
Yep,, I fell in love with step throughs when I lived in Laos. I bought a locally made one and rode its wheels off for eight years. it never let me down. Moved back to Australia and bought a 2019 Honda Super Cub C125 to zip around town on. The best urban transport on the planet.
I had a Honda C100 (50cc) in the 60s, and various cubs (C50, C70, C90) through the next decades. Each one was so much fun.
We had a Honda 50 and decided we would ride it around the fields until it went bang, never did go bang fantastic little bike!
My first bike; shared purchase with a mate. Then went on to a Yamaha RD80 LC. Nearly 40 years on and they both still raise a smile when I think of them.
I purchased a brand new C50 in 1967 for the grand sum of £75 on the road.
£75 wuddnt get you a tyre now lol
ok, but 75 quid in 1967 was more like 1500 pounds now.
Wish I'd have done the same , I had mates who worked on the railway and used the little hondas to get to work on , they where ideal for the job and never let you down , winter summer and everything thrown in between . Great 👍
I had a Honda 50cc in Jersey in 1967 it was a fantastic we bike great fun to ride
When everyone else was either riding SS50s, Yammy fizzers, or the rarer Garelli, Puch or Fantic peds, I bought a K reg (I think) C50 in ‘75 after learning to ride without being a total idiot, at the local Sunday morning ACU affiliated bike club training centre set up by volunteers, long before the gov had the idea.
My C50 was a decent performer immediately, but over the next few months I played around with the carb, head, timing and exhaust to get just a little bit more out of the little bugger.
I must have annoyed my mates with my tuning tales, because one day a workmate I’d known since school challenged me to a race on a mile long section of road that ended in a long sweeping bend followed by some industrial railway lines. My mate on his Yammy YDS7?
Now, Bri was a bit on the lardy side, whilst I was a whippet. So even though he did everything to make his fizzer go faster, he could keep up with me on most journeys.
I had the other advantage of the leg shields acting as streamlining (??) and the willingness to lie flat on the thing, using the pillion seat and rear pegs. He got off much quicker. Then I caught up, overtook him 50 yards before the big corner, transferred my weight back to the correct riding position as I got there, causing the characteristic corner wobble, and screamed round at top speed: somewhere over 50 - hard to tell.
Fatboy lost his rag. Pretended that the finish line was at the junction! Just a bad looser. He also spent the next several years sabotaging my bikes at work whenever he got the chance.
Then I left that line of work (engineering), got into graphic design and founded an ad agency. The US Honda campaign was always my inspiration. Apple used the same technique. It only works for truly iconic superior products.
Consequently, whilst most people just look at the numbers and hype to determine who the greatest businessmen are, I look at originality, vision and innovation and the ability to truly disrupt a market. Soichiro Honda and Steve Jobs changed everything in their games.
Thank you for sharing this great story. The reminder is uplifting.
_I would like to add Elon Musk to that list of 'Disruptors'_
_My 2019 Super Cub 'Blue on Blue' will hang off the back of my new 2022 CYBRTRK_
Ivan Kuljis Elon Musk is a psychopathic freak that stole the name of the greatest scientist who ever lived. He’s not worthy of being mentioned in the same context as Honda and Jobs.
@@G58
_That's fair enough!_
_My birth certificate shows me to be Communist born to a 16 year old mother; before she gave birth to me, she travelled from the Island of Vis to her small Village near Karlovac, that's a little way from Zagreb the location or close to the birth place Of the Croatian Nikola Tesla!_
_Today, l am an Australian writer and l occasionally 'borrow' words from Past Masters!_
_Perhaps Elon 'borrowed' the surname of a man he admires!_
_The Company was already taking shape when Elon came on board, so someone else may be given credit for 'Tesla' the Car Maker!_
BTW They're actually a 'Tech Company'_
Ivan Kuljis You have an interesting history. Thank you for sharing. What subjects do you write about? What is life like where you are under the crazy lockdown rules?
When we study Tesla’s life we discover that everything he was about was not only different but the complete opposite of what the present day ‘tech company’ using his name is involved in.
He was dedicated to exploring hidden secrets, discovering and sharing free energy.
JP Morgan withdrew his funding from his programs and the lightbulb guy Edison stole his inventions. Subsequent history has been intentionally distorted to falsely credit Edison for Tesla’s inventions, and exclude him from the official records. I find that to be normal business practice, but despicable none the less.
This is all very well documented, yet most people are totally unaware of the truth.
But the behaviour is in common with the way towns, sports teams and companies in the USA are named after the people genocided out of existence by the ‘Christian’ settlers. Even their ‘Thanksgiving’ day is an amalgamation of several such days originally celebrated by playing a game of football with the heads of killed natives!
Again, more history that the USA would rather we don’t know.
My grandfather was born in Chicago in 1893, but my mother was born in England. I was born in Wales. We are all brothers and sisters - except the psychopathic elites. 🧐😎😜
Peace
Just bought a C125 Super Cub; the first Honda I’ve ever owned. Love it! Got rid of my Suzuki VStrom 1000 and bought the Honda. I’m not disappointed at all... I just wasn’t using the VStrom.
Man that is some jump from 1000cc to 125cc and still be happy.
They're simply a joy to ride. No one ever seems to mention the Ag bike variant though. It had 200cc.
1st bike I threw my legs through as a 13yr old doing a bit of dirt riding 🤣. Owner asked if I’d ridden one before( bravado said yes) but in reality I didn’t have a clue. My mate Billy got on the back, owner told me the basics, revved the nuts of it and slammed it into gear. That cub 90 took off front wheel reaching for the sky, Billy screaming in terror and promptly fell off the back after 20 yards, I was howling with laughter and finally after another 20yrds I bit the dirt as well. Fun days indeed 😆eventually owned one proper for the road commuting to work.
Lol I did the same after I rebuilt the carburetor on mine; revved it up and dumped the clutch and went ass over teakettle. I guess that meant it was fixed though!
wish they would bring back the 50cc version of this bike i would buy it right now
Been in traveling to japan 4 years except this year because of the "thing". Everytime we head out to rural areas or sometimes in the city you can still see the old and new super cubs roaming around. Either in shops or kombini right across the street they are super reliable and can't wait to have one on my own
Don't recall any ads here in the UK back in the day but vividly recall nightly news showing events unfolding in Vietnam at the time...and being mighty impressed by whole families plus their home contents, stacked up & fleeing on crazy, tiny, wee motorbikes that I knew nothing about until several years later. Bought a C50 for 10 quid....wrapped string around between throttle rubber & switch gear so's to be able to lock the throttle wide open & then spent endless days of bliss zooming around empty country lanes....sat on the back of the seat, feet on rear pegs, arms out wide...even used to get up onto the seat on my knees as I rode & do likewise.
T'was pure Heaven for a 16yr old & I learnt so much about riding/control on that wee bike....passed my test on it & rode straight to Reed's in Leytonstone to buy a 750 Kawasaki H2 Triple. Would surely have killed myself on that monster had I not learnt to breath motorcycling on that wee Honda first.
Funny how often "The Wild One" clips show up when talking about Harley Davidson and the Harley outlaw biker image even though Brando rode a Triumph Thunderbird in the movie.
Indian was every bit as much Outlaw.
And notice that the Matchless bikes ridden by the Beetles had their tank badges turned upside down, to look like a “W”. Companies didn’t want to be associated with the biker image at that time.
First bike in 1970, a red Honda 90 stepthrough. Had it a couple of years, and had to sell it. Missed it forever. Fast forward to 2009, where 39 years went, doesn’t matter. Kids all grown up, and I got a second bike. Red Vespa 250 GT. Loving it, but who knows, good things come in threes, and I still miss the Honda.
I have just purchased a mint example of the C90 cub. It only has 3,000 miles on the clock and has taken its place in my garage between my Honda GL1100 and Kawasaki Z900.
C50 C 70 C90 have to be the greatest of bikes ever! Never let me down!! Easy to repair and easy to service!!
Well done. Great video on a great bike. It belongs up there with the likes of the Model T, the VW Beetle, maybe even more so given its ubiquity and long lasting appeal.
GREAT overview and history of the Cub! Thank you and have a Happy and Safe Easter!
I had 1964 Honda passport a C50 rode it for a few years had a lot of fun with it
Nerdy note! Was called bizarrely the C100 at first, that was the 50cc Pushrod engine. always a great bike, fast for its size and so dependable. Used one for a commute for years and how many of us has one for our first dirt bike at 12 years old. Good vid...keep them coming mate.
I learnt to ride a C50 in my friends back garden riding in circles in 1967. Recently stopped riding my now sold ST1100 Pan European and CBF650. I need a Cub, great video very professional.
It is outstanding that 100 million have been made but from 1958 till now has also got to be the longest production of a bike or step through as well ! .
I'm enjoying these history episodes.
one of the best .under rated bikes ever. pure class. love them to bits. thay just keep on going.
Underrated bike ?.., this is one of the most regarded bikes in the world!
First bike I had a chance to ride at 14/ 15 years old around the fields. Brilliant little machine, crashed it into hedges and trees, got up bent the bits back and off again. If I remember correctly the step-through lever was a set of molegrips!
Seen family's, luggage, and animals carried on same out in the far East, that and a few drunk sailors back to their boat😉
Would I buy one, yes👍🏻
Really enjoyed this one and learnt something as well. it must take ages to put the content together and remember it all! Well done 👍🏻
I had a 1979 Cub restored. It was painted light sky blue, white upholstery and a basket. I put a USN 1941 roundel on it and called it Butch O'Hare.
It turned heads wherever I went.
I got my first super cub in about 1962 or 1963, I can't remember, but it was a great first motorized bike. I could load two of us on it and would still be able to hit 50 Mph. I didn't have to worry about roads and being under powered as there were very few freeways back then. For a quick jaunt to the grocery store they were ideal. the large diameter wheels helped in its stability as compared to say the Vespa from Italy. The larger diameter wheels were the best design feature they could have come up with, as it actually stabilized the bike. I loved it and wish I had one now.
my dream bike was always a good honda cub & recently I got myself one as a gift from my father in law, it was a honda ex5 high power, a 90cc tough bike with the most reliable engine. I am still in the process of restoring it right now & can't wait for the restoration to be completed.
Loving these little snippets of biking history.
I rode mine around the property until I was 15 then I rode it all over the streets. I'm 43 and I'm still riding it.
Well done 👍 you've more than had your money's worth , and if you decided to sell it you'd get more than your money back , but why would you sell it , it's an icon in engineering, ride safe .
I had no idea they were this popular.
I enjoyed this video.
Thanks for making it.
I'm 70 years of age and have had a Honda SH300i for the last 5 years. A beautiful Machine .. somewhat larger than the little Cub .. but then, the heritage is the same.
hours of fun when we were kids and not a care in the world,i loved Honda c50,c70,c90
Thanks, that brought back some good memories. Its the first video I have seen with that windscreen on. I had a C90 in the late 70s. It had the same windscreen carrier and box. It was brown, old enough to have the knife splitter number plate on the front and had the chrome arch between the metal chassis and the start of the legshield.
One of ya best video's yet, right on point.
Cub, Wave, Blade...nearly every other bike on the roads of Vietnam...had the pleasure of riding them daily!!
2nd video I have watched and dude you are a natural and the ending is brilliant, you've been told...
Nice one thank you had one of these when i was 17 back in 1982.
My first time to view your channel. Super video, so well written and edited. First rate.!
Great video, great story.
Best info about cub on you tube! Thanks
There is a youtube channel called C90 adventures, that guy has been all around the world on his, always fun and worth a watch, I think Honda should sponsor him, as for the cub 90's I had two in my time in London, the most fun rides ever to be had.
I had one of the first of these. Started first time, never let me down and would pull 2 up with a piston the size of a cotton reel. Absolutely amazing.
Nice review! There are even rallies just for the little Hondas!
Fantastic video. Well done!
The greatest motorcycle manufacturer ever. Nobody comes close. Honda Cub to Honda Fireblade to Honda Gold wing to Honda Motox bikes to MotoGP RC 213CV . And they build brilliant cars and the odd aeroplane too. They sell 20 million bikes annually...... Crazy.
good bikes and reliable im looking for one to do up as a winter project!
Great job yet again,
A buddy of my brothers gave me one when I was 14 or 15. I went over to his house to get it and had to dig it out of the side hedges because it had been it the same spot for so long that the hedges literally grew through the bike. I pushed it home and it took me maybe 2 or 3 days to unstick the carburetor slide and flush out the gas tank. I also didn't have a key so rigged up a simple on/off toggle. once that basic stuff was taken care of it ran great for 3 years! I finally broke the shift lever off on our farm when one of my brothers hit a rock at speed.
Great video! I love my 50 year old C90.
VERY, VERY ,VERY-GOOD CLIP !
Had a c90 in the particularly appealing elephant grey
Kinda looks like my 84 GL1200 Gold Wing... handles close to the bikes 🏍 I learned on... 68 Honda trail 90... 73 Kawasaki 90... and more... but recently finding the Gold Wing.. deals... two fer.. yes indeed two 1984 Honda GL 1200... Gold wings! Dusty and Rusty... both made in USA 🇺🇸! Dusty is signed by Big Al... from the USA 🇺🇸 Factory 1984... Rusty...well ... sat outside for 16 years... ? 42 k miles...but the Gold Wing GL1200 handles like a dream... it’s test drive.... the Orange 🍊 Blossom Trail... up the River.. Pine Flat Lake California.. back down the mountain 🏔 and not quite running right... loaded up and Backfire kaaaBooom.... blew that carbon from the baffles... and Whoaaaa Dusty! What a Rocketship! Handling like a Honda Trail 110?
Great history. Please do more history!
Maybe an overview of all the wild Honda's in the 80's?
Because those who are uncool, conquer the world... This was absolutely stellar!
Beautiful video 👍🏼
Arguably the greatest motorcycle ever.
You might enjoy having a look at a race series called BOBL (Battle of Bottom Link) in Japan, which is more or less exclusively the early pushrod engined C100, C102, C105, C110s being raced. Lovely video mate, thankyou!
Nice one Paul
Great video
I had a 90 too get to work in 1978. Perfect. Excellent in every way
Honda is just so charming.
CT 110 Aussie post bike. Cub variant.
Still used today.
Yeah,, our postie delivers our mail on a CT 110 every day.
@@jurgentreue1200 indestructible units they are!
These are the sort of bikes that I gravitate towards; bikes with an interesting history or globally popular but are relatively obscure here in the 'States. The Honda SuperCub, antique "shifty" Piaggio Vespa, Royal Enfield Bullet, etc.
Great vid !
I had a 1965 C100 with the OHV pushrod 50cc engine. This had the skinny rectangular exhaust and it was lots lighter than the later OHC engines bikes. It was thrashed unmercilessly for a couple of years off road when I was 15 and as a commuter when I became 17. Really liked the OHV engine as it loved to be be revved.
The one thing I hated was the indicator switch which was up for right and down for left (or was it the other way round?). Now older ones are getting to be really expensive, probably because when we were kids in the 70's, a few of you could chuck a few quid in each, buy one for £15 and have a summer of fun racing it around the fields (having cut most of the exhaust off) until it was wrecked or blew up through total abuse.
Very interesting. I have a 1969 s 90. Last year they were sold in the U.S.A. I really enjoyed the way that you explained it.aloha friend.
Had a C50 when I was a teen. Rode it off road, and as it was old it had oil leaking. Getting really pissed at my failed attempts at fixing them, I took all the oil covers off let the oil run out and continued riding off road. A day or so later, it started to resonate at higher revs slowly getting worse till it got so bad I couldn't rev much above fast idle. I promptly put all the cover back on filled with oil and it was like new. Back over the fields with a new lease of life. Guess which bike I bought when old enough to ride on the roads? Yep, a brand new C50. Certainly deserve any best bike titles, IMO.
C70 Step-thru. Excellent bike.
On yer bike, get set, go!
How are you mate .. love your videos and not seen any new ones for years
Love the little Hondas. I rode a variation, the CB125S Which looks more like a motorcycle, but basically the Same. I was the second owner. Rode it for 20 years!
I honestly cannot believe I have never heard of this bike until this year! They don't sell them in Canada, and I've never seen one in person, or at least I wasn't looking for them before. The design through me off for a bit, but I've grown to love that motorcycle/scooter style! Now I really REALLY hope Honda will sell the new Super Cub 125 in Canada! I desperately want to ride on of these beauties down the nice country roads near my house in Ontario.
They stop making it long time ago !
But you can find it in other countries especially in Asia that make a copy of it !
Have you seen the CT90 & CT110 trail bikes that were exported to the US & Canada? It's a stripped down variant of the C90.
@@Free_Ranger_CT110 I've actually fallen out of love with motorcycles this year... I had a bad stressful experience during a training course and I never want to ride one again.
@@Takayama-sama oh that's a shame, hope all is well.
I have an early Honda 50cc called a Honda C100 and a motorcycle equivalent a Honda C114 both needing restoration at the moment but I would think they are reasonably rare. Thanks for the video. Regards, Bob M. South Wales, UK
Honda Cub stay away from it Noodle gunners, but noodle delivery, is approved! 😂😂 Great Video!!!
I bought a Honda 50 Scrambler model in 1968, just before I turned 16. I rode it to high school, used the scrambler features to ride in the woods, used it the *one day* I ever cut school to go visit a girlfriend. Fantastic bike. Now I ride a Suzuki C90. But, I am thinking about buying a Honda Cub 50 Hunter when it gets to the US. It would be a great "around the city bike" for a senior citizen.....
Don’t worry fella barbers are opening soon! And good vid!😉🇬🇧
best reply and i agree...... but 666 yeeeesh
I love it gary skiller
This type of small motorbike has had a far bigger impact on personal transport in Asia than Model T Fords and Beetles had in NA and Europe. Even today where I am in Southeast Asia, small 'Cub' type bikes are everywhere.
Me and my friend used to rent these for $2.00/hr., plus $2.00 for insurance, every Friday(weather permitting) back in 1967/1968. Had a ball riding around with these.
memories of my Honda 90 which never let me down. Then some scumbags nicked it :(
The Honda 50 was my very first "motorcycle". A 13 yr old's dream! I didn't have my license yet
Parents had one and i rode it a lot. This was on a small pacific island, dirt roads. Seemed everyone had one.
Fun story 👍
I never had one, but rode and worked on several. What an extraordinary machine!
C50, C90 and various Monkey iterations.
Was anything ever easier to work on?
The 2-wheeled Renault 4L or Citroën 2cv.
Through 1980s London it was also wicked fast.
Cable drums, all pressed steel, enclosed chain that was nonetheless easy to adjust and replace, cheapo plastic shields. Breaker's yards full of cheap spares.
Pretty much the perfect urban motorised transport.
I would prefer a Guzzi to cross the Alps, but for the city there is little better.
Beast !
I loved my c90. No wonder the British motorcycle industry took the nock. They just couldn't compete. I had a 160cc Honda in 1965 with ELECTRIC START and 12volt lighting
i never wanted one, but owned more than any other bike and I've had 60. but they are great little cycles
It was born in '58 ... as was I ! 😊
My older sister bought one, fell off it after a month & sold it 🙄
Me ? I went on to be a motorcyclist for 15 years ... my last one being a Honda Goldwing GL1000... 😎👍☘🍺
Marvelous machines. If you did a high millage you had to be able to strip down your engine with your eyes closed. I often carried a total weight of over twenty stone over the mountains of Ireland and no matter what happened if the engine was any way reasonable it would always get you home. Apart from the odd crankshaft or valve going, the engines were bomb proof except when a worn timing chain was left on too long and it would strip the teeth from the oil pump sprocket and......then get stripping!
I had the 90cc one when I was 15. 35 years on I still have it! ...............and a Fireblade.
With slight modification you had the trail 90. Had one back in the early 70's
It was brilliant back then and it's still brilliant now.
Your average Italian bike would look great but being Italian would drip oil and break down every week.
Hondas were focused on simplicity and reliability with ease of use.
A Honda super cub é a moto que fez história no mundo como uma das mais vendidas no mundo. Super econômica, versátil, ágil e resistente ! É a moto do dia a dia !!!
My first mc was the Honda S50. White 1963.
The Honda CT110 Trail aka the Postie Bike, has gained iconic, cult status here in Oz. And rightly so!