Autos were his primary love, but Soichiro Honda’s destiny was to develop the motorcycle that bore his name. He enjoyed driving fast, as well as enjoying racing, and since he worked in an auto repair shop as a teenager, he knew the mechanical things. He could tell a lot about operating motorbikes, being the owner of a Harley as well as an Indian.
Honda ran a repair shop in 1928, but was 41 years old in 1948, when he originally started the Honda Motor Company. He paid a lot of attention to good quality, because he believed that to compete he needed well-designed products that were made well. In 1953 Japan was experiencing a depression, and, although sales of motorcycles were on the up, the success of his company was in jeopardy. He kept his factory going so as to avoid laying off people, even though only a small number of motorcycles were actually selling. It was subsequently a good decision, because the C100 Super Cub was launched in 1958, and it became the world’s most successful motorcycle. The transmission was proficient at only three speeds, and the motor was 4-stroke, but it really was versatile, cheap and everybody could use it.
Women specifically popularized it for the purpose of commuting, but novice riders of both genders loved it for its ease of use. Honda arrived at the position of the largest manufacture of motorcycles by 1959, simply because of the success of this bike. This led them to decide to start extending around the world. They believed that if they could initially capture the United States market, it might start the ball rolling. Approval by the American public would indicate acceptance by the rest of the world. Honda had been first offered to the American public in June, 1959, in Los Angeles, and by 1960 you could buy a Honda from any of more than 75 stores.
Honda developed more trust for their products with their community involvement, when they provided half of the funding for two organizations. Those with a passion for motorcycling identified and appreciated the value of these organizations, namely the Motorcycle Industry Council and the Motorcycle Safety Council. In the 70′s the Honda company kept developing new models that people just couldn’t resist, and they stayed number one in the industry. In 1973 Honda bikes were the victors of over 70 races around the globe, and they were soon famous as the speediest available. The revolutionary GL1000 Gold Wing was launched in 1975, making touring bikes comfortable and stylish, and the idea was hurriedly emulated by Honda’s rivals.
Revolutionary motorcycles, appealing to different cultures, have continued to be produced by Honda. In addition they try to keep a good reputation with the public by donating many motorcycles each year to causes that are deemed worthy. Bike safety keeps benefiting by Honda’s continued funding of training programs and dissemination of valuable information for the promotion of motorcycling safety. Honda have established a history of trustworthiness over the many years they have been available. They have become iconic rulers in the motorcycle industry, in no small part because of their readiness to innovate irrespective of the circumstances.