Topic: What Kind of Bike did Sochiro Ride???

[754]

Before there were Hondas ...Sochiro rode another popular bike..  :oThe guy that started Shoei also rode one of them!!


Guess what they rode and where they were made??

[Raul CB750K1]

Don't tell me it was a Harley. I guess Honda have paid millions for the right to burn that photograph...

[andy750]

Im sure he rode a lot of different kind of bikes before building his own, but he did have an Indian Scout 101 - reference is here:

http://www.wimausa.org/WMA_Indian.html

cheers
Andy

[my78k]

A Schwinn?

[dusterdude]

rikuo

[Glenn Stauffer]

Before there were Hondas ...Sochiro rode another popular bike..  :oThe guy that started Shoei also rode one of them!!
Guess what they rode and where they were made??

From The Honda Myth by Masaaki Sato - this is a bit long, but puts the motorcycle mention in context:

"Soichiro's breakthrough came in 1931 when he invented an automobile wheel with cast-iron rather than wooden spokes. ... Before going independent, Soichiro had dreamed of saving a nest egg of one thousand yen by the time he retired.  No sooner had he struck out on his own than he found himself receiving royalty checks in excess of one thousdand yen every month.  Elated, Soichiro tore around town on a new Harley Davidson."

[dusterdude]

glenn,you  just burst a whole lot of bubbles.

[Bob Wessner]

glenn,you  just burst a whole lot of bubbles.

I think it's fiction.

[andy750]

Here is a photo of Honda and "a" Harley...not sure it was his.....

Caption for photo reads;

"Honda was 21 when he opened his repair shop named ART in Hamamatsu in 1928. This photo, owned by Ito, shows him seated in a Harley sidecar in front of ART in 1931 or 1932, with Honda fourth to the right from Ito (with both hands in his pockets)."


More info found here - http://www.marusholilac.com/ml2.htm

cheers
Andy

[edbikerii]

Harley was probably the best on the road in 1931.

What year did Honda actually start making motorcycles?

[Bob Wessner]

According to this http://www.outerbanksfreepress.com/hondahistory.html it was this 1949 Model-D, Dream.

[BobbyR]

Having that Harley was a blessing. He quickly found out what a Bike should not be. He then had a blueprint for success.

[c91x]

I read a book about the history of Honda..... some things i remember  are Soichiro Honda went to school over
here short while and originally started making piston rings which were junk... Before making any full on motorcycles he went to the triumph and Harley manufactures and toured their facilities and shortly after got a grant from japan to import machining equipment from the US i think... the rest is history

[754]

As far as I knew both of them had 101 Scouts.. if you know that bike you can see that it is a good fit!!

One of the only bikes I know that can do a figure 8 with no hands on the bars!!.. many stunt riders would set the throttle and stand on the front end spring and hold their arms outstretched!!

 I find it odd that folks would get upset about someone riding other makes of bikes, that would NEVER be a Problem to TRUE motorcyclists.... but to each their own!!

BTW that Shoei ad I saw with the founder on an American bike was in a mag in the last 5 years or so..

[Sam Green Racing]

According to this http://www.outerbanksfreepress.com/hondahistory.html it was this 1949 Model-D, Dream.

What about the A model in 1947 and the B and C models in 1948.  sorry Bob

Sam.

[Raul CB750K1]

OK, OK, before your blood start to boil, let's get things straight.


1. Rikuo in Japan was building HD clones under licence in the early 20th century. It could very well be that it was such a bike.

2. So the company that Soichiro founded was named ART? I guess that's the reason why Honda did use ART pistons.

3. As Krazee Eyes Killah would have said -in the "Curb your enthusiasm" series") Wadda fack? Wadda fack? Waddafackwaddafack?



Who can put their money about who in the pictures is Mr. Honda? He could be anybody or nobody at all!!!! 


Even if Mr. Honda bought a Harley right from the showroom, just adds more charisma to his personality. Imagine a dirty rich man, that could have any bike from his factory -in fact, could have one example of each bike in the portfolio- spending his pocket money buying a bike from the competitors and riding it, for all to see. Not only shows strong confidence in your products, but respect for the competition. It could also be taken as a marketing strategy: if japanese buy american, why can't americans buy japanese?

[andy750]

 I find it odd that folks would get upset about someone riding other makes of bikes, that would NEVER be a Problem to TRUE motorcyclists.... but to each their own!!

You must be reading a different Forum as I dont see anyone getting upset about someone riding another make of bike.

Why you keep trying to stir up this anti-Harley sentiment or act like YOU are the only REAL biker here is beyond me....must be trying to compensate for something

cheers
Andy

[Glenn Stauffer]

1. Rikuo in Japan was building HD clones under licence in the early 20th century. It could very well be that it was such a bike.

You might be right - Rikuo started in 1935, though they were assembled in Japan from American parts in the early years.  Sankyo did make all of the parts in Japan later - production stopped in 1960.

2. So the company that Soichiro founded was named ART? I guess that's the reason why Honda did use ART pistons.

No.  Soichiro worked for Art Shokai, an auto repair concern in Tokyo.  Later, Soichiro opened a branch of Art Shokai in Hamamatsu.  The ART pistons (or piston rings) came out of a venture that Soichiro started in 1936, Tokai Seiki and the Art Piston Ring Research Center.  He still operated the Art Shokai branch at the time, but left there in 1939 to devote himself full-time to running Tokai Seiki.  That concern was taken over by Toyota (yes, that Toyota) and the Japanese Govt. in 1942; Soichiro stayed on as Senior Managing Director until the end of the war.

The Honda Technical Research Institute was founded in late 1946 to make auxiliary motorized drive systems for bicycles.  They weren't making their own engines at the time, just re-working war surplus generator motors and fitting them to bicycles.  Soichiro designed an engine that became the A-type.  Honda Motor Company was founded in September 1948; the Dream D-Type was launched in August 1949; and Takeo Fujisawa joined as a more-or-less equal partner in 1949; by the end of the 1950's, Honda was the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world.

It could also be taken as a marketing strategy: if japanese buy american, why can't americans buy japanese?

Honda was certainly a leader amongst Japanese companies in thinking international.  I believe the first to start making products in Europe - opening a plant in Belgium in 1963 - and the first Japanese company to make cars in the US with the opening of the plant in Ohio in 1983.

[754]

Andy I was referring to comments like, Honda would not want that pic  published and surprise that Honda rode other bikes..

My point being, you can be a dealer or manufacturer of bikes and still try out or own other makes and enjoy the experience  for what it is.... simply enjoying motorcycles..


Sort of like Trev Deely..  from up here.. was the first to import Honda into English speaking counties.. also early at bringing Yamaha out here.. also a Harley importer at the same time and eventually was on the board of directors of the Motor Company..

His  greatest accomplishment in my eyes was the worlds largest free motorcycle museum.. something that even after he passed away, that Harley-Davidson took steps to keep going and put some of the displays on the road for all to see.

I said to him once, For a Harley dealer you sure have a lot of Indians in the museum!!.. he replied something like  they sure were fun too look at and for everyone to see them..

Thats what I am talking about.. some people can enjoy (and understand) a wide variety of motorcycles, yet prefer or mainly ride one brand

[andy750]

Thats what I am talking about.. some people can enjoy (and understand) a wide variety of motorcycles, yet prefer or mainly ride one brand

I think you`ll find that this idea applies to most on this Forum.

cheers
Andy

[Gordon]

754, you gotta stop taking the bait so easily!

[dustyc]

Thats what I am talking about.. some people can enjoy (and understand) a wide variety of motorcycles, yet prefer or mainly ride one brand

If it's your intent to open peoples' minds, you'd probably do better to preach that same gospel on a Harley site.  I think most of us here have the mindset that there are alot of great bikes from different manufacturers.  I think the Harley riders need the enlightenment. 

Our local bike night has Hondas, Triumphs, BMWs, Ducati, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki, but strangely no Harleys. 

Go forth and spread the good news that there is more to life than Harley to the leather vested, chap wearing masses.

[dustyc]

I have met a some cool Harley riders, don't get me wrong.