Some time ago, an unexpected "little guy" appeared on the HONDA booth at the Chongqing Motorcycle Expo.
wikipedia
HONDA SUPER CUB。
When I saw it on the stand, my emotions were a little complicated, not surprising but also a little surprised. After all, the parallel import of cars at this price point is indeed somewhat unnecessary, and its own household attributes seem to make domestic dealers not pay attention to it.
Little Red Book
However, in recent years, with the retro resurgence and more and more quality of life content online, its domestic "twin brother" Jialing COCO has also broken the circle of popularity on the Little Red Book, so IT is indeed understandable that HONDA will bring it into China in this time period.
Rider Magazine
Although it came late, the feedback from the market was indeed positive enough, and after the Expo, various motorcycle-related accounts were "celebrating" its arrival, and some bloggers or accounts have even begun to estimate its price and manufacturer.
So what kind of car is the SUPER CUB? Why is there such a big charm? Like I said above, let's get to know it together.
△ Soichiro Honda (left) Takeo Yodosawa (right)
HONDA
Japan in 1958 is emerging from the post-war trauma, and Japan's automobile manufacturing industry is trying to break through, at that time has not yet grown into the Japanese automobile manufacturing industry leader HONDA is preparing to start with motorcycles, after all, can afford to consume cars is still a minority, and this "cake" also needs to be distributed to foreign companies that have become increasingly mature.
Soichiro Honda, who returned from studying in Europe, prepared to bring a useful vehicle with the new technology he learned and combined with the national conditions of Japan at that time. At first, Honda Soichiro disagreed with the super CUB research and development team, he hoped that this was neither a cross-riding motorcycle nor a pedal motorcycle, so he set the super CUB manufacturing concept after several collisions:
· High-power four-stroke engine with first-class performance, quiet and fuel saving.
· The size and shape of the chassis and body design make it easy for women to get on and off the bus.
· A new shift system that abandons the clutch of the left hand and can shift gears with only the feet.
· The frame exterior features an advanced design.
Under such a decision, the appearance of the SUPER CUB is determined. But what they don't know is that such an epoch-making product is gradually taking shape in their hands.
When the body is designed, it has been considered that this is not a playful vehicle, but a "labor force" that is actually needed by every family, so many designs take this as a starting point to consider, for example: changing the way the vehicle shifts, abandoning the clutch of the left hand, taking into account that "soba delivery workers can ride with one hand", and carefully selected body size is to hope that this car can really become a universal vehicle.
There are many details such as this, and after one workshop after another, Soichiro Honda and the team can always argue over some details, and then convince each other to achieve a unified goal.
Of course, all this is not as bland as I write it, and just to find the 17-inch tire that matches the body makes them think hard. Because even the largest suppliers at that time would not only provide products for one model, it took several twists and turns to find a manufacturer in Japan at that time who was willing to customize small tires for them.
Eventually, Soichiro Honda uttered a cry, "Baka-yaro!" Next, super CUB is finally available.
After seeing an equal-scale sample of the vehicle, Managing Director Takeo Fujisawa exclaimed, "I can sell 30,000 units a month." You know, at that time, the monthly sales of motorcycles in Japan were 40,000 units, but the results needless to say, SUPER CUB is currently the world's highest-selling motorcycle, as of 2018 its sales have exceeded 100 million.
IMDb
Under such a phenomenal sales volume, SUPER CUB has changed from a family car that everyone loves to a business card of Honda and even Japan, and you can see it in many films.
For example, in Makoto Shinkai's Weather Child, a pink SUPER CUB appears. In reality, HONDA also launched a special version of the SUPER CUB 50 displacement and the SUPER CUB 110 displacement in the same color as in the movie, limited to 2,000 units.
Some time ago, an anime called "Anime" was launched, and when you listen to the name, you know that the protagonist is naturally inseparable from our HONDA SUPER CUB, which tells the story of a girl with no father, no mother and no friends, who encountered a lot of wonderful things after getting a SUPER CUB.
Carlcoops
Of course, you may find this car very comfortable for daily use, but in today's society, the motorcycle has become a "tool" with fun attributes above practical value. Such an overly affordable car seems to be no longer up to the task.
But in fact, this is another attraction of this car to people.
carscoops
You only need to search casually on the Internet to find that both individuals and modification groups have modified this car, and there are all kinds of styles, whether it is sports style or outdoor style, this unique shape of the car can be driven.
With the advantages of the body design, it is like a piece of plasticine, which can be kneaded by players into the shape they want at will.
SINANA
All in all, such a small car that integrates multiple attributes, coupled with its domestic price of about 10,000 yuan, is indeed very suitable as the first car of your pit motorcycle.
Nowadays, when the electric vehicle regulations are gradually tightening, an electric car can no longer meet the souls of the wind-chasing teenagers, so don't hesitate to become one of the 100 million people, driving your SUPER CUB with the wind to the suburbs.