Honda Super Cub
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Honda Super Cub, (originally the Honda C100 or Honda 50) also known as the Honda Cub, is a 49 cc 4-stroke model first manufactured by the Honda Motor Co. Ltd. in 1958, and the biggest selling motorcycle model of all time. The Honda 50 triggered the eventual domination of the world motorcycle market by the Japanese, and hence contributed greatly to the rise of their car industry. More than 50 million Honda 50s have been sold worldwide, primarily in Asia, although there were considerable numbers in Europe as well. The model is still in production almost 50 years later.
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[edit] Specifications
- Engine type: SOHC 2-valve 4-stroke 49 cc air-cooled engine (original C100 model: OHV 2-valve 4-stroke engine)
- Displacement: 49.0 cc
- Compression: 10.0
- Bore x Stroke: 40.0 x 39.0 mm
- Max Power: 4.0ps@7000 rpm
- Max speed: 80 km/h (50 mph)
- Transmission: 3-speed on a double-ended lever (4-speed some models)
- Clutch: Wet multi-plate, operated both by centrifugal action and by gear-lever.
- Starter: Kick (optional but rare electric start on early models)
- Ignition: Flywheel contact-breaker points, later flywheel CDI Magneto
- Frame Type: Step-through pressed steel tube
- Suspension (F): Leading link
- Suspension (R): Swinging fork (often wrongly referred to as "Swinging arm")
- Brake (F): Drum, cable operated.
- Brake (R): Drum, rod operated.
- Dry Weight: 75.0 kg
[edit] Model history
The Honda Cub debuted in 1958, 10 years after the establishment of Honda Motor Co. Ltd. The name 'Cub' was said to be the acronym of Cheap Urban Bike because the development of this model was aimed to provide a kind of cheap urban transportation in busy cities. The name also likely refers to the earlier Piper Cub, an affordable and extremely popular light aircraft from the 1930s possessing many of the same mechanical qualities of the Honda bike (note that improved versions of the Piper Cub were also called Super Cubs, with spacing in between the words).
Honda had discovered how to increase the power and efficiency of 4-stroke engines and the company set about breaking into a market sector totally dominated by the 2-stroke models of other manufacturers. So successful were they that the Honda Cub became the most successful motorcycle model in history, and made huge contributions to Hondas sales and profit. Honda used the slogan You meet the nicest people on a Honda as they broke into the English speaking world, until then dominated by British motorcycles.
In 1968, after 10 years of production, the whole motorcycle was uprated, the engine going from pushrod 4.5bhp to SOHC 4.9bhp. With new styling, Honda came out with bigger displacement (70 cc and 90 cc models) versions. In the 1970s, Honda fitted a new capacitor discharge ignition system (CDI) to replace the earlier contact point ignition, thereby helping to meet increasingly strict emission standards in markets such as the US.
In the 1980s, a larger 100 cc GN-5 engine model was introduced especially for Asian markets. The newer 100 cc model was a major upgrade of the previous Honda Cub models, with new features such as a telescopic front suspension to replace the older leading link suspension, and a more efficient 4-speed transmission to replace the older 3-speed transmission used in older Honda Cubs. The 100 cc model was known as Honda Dream in Thailand and Honda EX5 in Malaysia.
In the late 1990s, Honda introduced their newer NF series motorcycles, known as Honda Wave series which use steel tube frames, front disk brake and plastic cover sets in various displacement options: 100 cc, 110 cc and 125 cc. In European countries, the production of Honda Cub models was terminated to make way for newer Honda Wave models. However, the production of Honda Cubs in Asia and Africa still continues even though newer Honda Wave models have been introduced.
Not only are they continuing, but sales for Super Cubs have increased in Japan with new upgrades on the engine, making it even more powerful, more economical and cleaner than ever before. With all due respect to the newer, plastic body designs, the original Cub model is as popular and as stylish as ever. That's not including the delivery service market, which is what the Cub was originally intended for, unlike in the U.S. or Europe, where the bike was mainly used for leisure. One can't cross a street in Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe or any other city or town in Japan without seeing at least two or three of the classic designed Super Cubs.The plastic-bodied Wave was not designed for delivery or utility, but rather for leisure. Hence the interest in exporting the bike, while keeping the Super Cub design alive and well. (Yamaha has taken a cue from Honda and revamped their Mate series, which is a direct copy of the Honda Super Cub except it sports a 2 cycle engine. )
In Vietnam, the Super Cub used to be so popular that people still call every kind of motorcycle "xe Honda". In 2006 the Discovery Channel, in a fast-wheeling documentary on motorcycles, rating the best in a top-ten system, deemed the Honda Super Cub "Number One", declaring it "the greatest ever motorcycle". The Honda Wave series or other plastic-bodied designs, it should be noted, were not mentioned in the list.
[edit] Reasons for the success of Honda Cub series
- Available at a low price compared with other motorcycles. (New: approx. USD$1400)
- Easy to ride because of the automatic centrifugal clutch, making it great for beginners to learn riding a motorcycle.
- Very low fuel consumption (up to 146 km per liter as of this writing: 2006 Super Cub).
- Capable of carrying heavy loads. In developing countries especially in Asia, people use Honda Cubs to carry their agricultural harvests and livestock or their entire family.
- Easy to weave through heavy traffic during traffic jams.
- Cheap maintenance and abundance of spare parts.
- The usage of 4-stroke engines enable the Honda Super Cub to surpass strict emission standards.
- Extremely durable, all-weather bike.
- Regularly achieves very high mileages logged before any breakage or replacement of parts is necessary.
The "Super Cub" has sold over 50 million units making it the biggest-selling motor vehicle in history
It was named the "greatest ever motorcycle" on Discovery Channel's Greatest Ever series, topping preeminent manufacturers such as Harley Davidson, Triumph and Ducati.
[edit] See also
- Loh Boon Siew (Mr Honda, Malaysia)
[edit] External links
- Honda official website
- Honda Super Cub "Street" model official website
- Honda C100 Pictures and Specs
- Discovery Channel's Greatest Ever: Motorbikes
- Honda C70 (Passport) Yahoo Group
- Adventures of a Super Cub
