HONDA Birth to 58

Honda was founded in the late 40's as Japan strived to rebuild itself after the war.

A Blacksmith in Hamamatsu Japan had a son born in 1906, that boy was Soichiro Honda. The Blacksmith also worked on bicycles.As a young man Soichiro worked as an apprentice in garage in Tokyo. In 1928 Soichiro returned to Hamamatsu and opened his own auto shop. Loving speed he built his first race car and started racing. 1936 saw Soichiro injured when he was involved in a racing accident. In 1937 he started a company which made piston rings, having no training in metallurgy the company had a rather shaky start. After a bit of trial and error and diligence the product and the company took off, he became the key supplier of piston rings to the Toyota Auto manufacturer which had just started in the car industry themselves (formerly a loom making company).  In 1946 Soichiro sold his Piston ring business and started a new business, mounting war surplus military two stroke engines (designed to run generators for portable phones) onto bicycles.

In 1948 he formed the Honda Motor Co.Ltd. and he focuses on the engineering aspect of the business while the financial end of the business was handled by Takeo Fujisawa.

The first Real motorcycle built by the company was in 1949, it was powered by a 98cc two stroke. An employee watched the first bike roll out of the plant he declared it was like a Dream. The name Dream was born and classed as a Model D.

While Soichiro Honda was in love with motorcycles he hated the noise smell and fumes issued by the two-stroke engines and in 1951 the company produces the Dream E, the companies first four stroke engine (146cc).

Mister Honda did not like primitive power plants but continued to work with them, in 1952 Honda sells the "Cub F" 50cc clip on motor to thousands of bicycle shops in Japan. The power plant is only made for two years but the name Cub was there to stay.

In 1953 Benly Motorcycles were builtd with a Honda four stroke 90cc engine powering them.  

In 1954 Mister Honda declared he will participate in a TT race once he has a stable corporate structure, facilities and a superior product.  In 1958 Honda introduced the Super Cub, the CA100, C100, or Honda 50. It is a pressed frame 50cc four stroke motorcycle which will produced later in the 70 and 90cc classes. It will become the most popular motor vehicle (of any kind) built.

to be continued....