The Greatest Motorcycle of All Time? A Brief History of The Honda Super Cub

a.wayne said:
Everyone starts out on a clutchless Bighead 50 .... :)
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Well, not everyone but they should! Having a 4 hp, centrifugal clutch, reliable mode of fun transportation that was more than enough back in the day is simply laughable today for most. We need 200 hp motorcycles capable of breaking 200 mph barrier for every day riding now. The EGOs have grown beyond anything imaginable and we wonder why we have so many problems with our society.... People forgot what it is like to have fun. Everything is built to impress, to go faster, to have more power and most of it is a total waste.
 
TheOctopus said:
Well, not everyone but they should! Having a 4 hp, centrifugal clutch, reliable mode of fun transportation that was more than enough back in the day is simply laughable today for most. We need 200 hp motorcycles capable of breaking 200 mph barrier for every day riding now. The EGOs have grown beyond anything imaginable and we wonder why we have so many problems with our society.... People forgot what it is like to have fun. Everything is built to impress, to go faster, to have more power and most of it is a total waste.
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Not at 10 yrs old... :)
 
a.wayne said:
Not at 10 yrs old... :)
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My first bike was a Briggs/Stratton "few" HP powered mini bike with a chopper style fork. Riding it at 12 years old on NY city streets until the cops took it away from me one day... :mad: I was 15 when I bought my first DirtBike a Suzuki RM125 with my own money and 18 when I bought a first street legal bike, a Suzuki GS450. Many bikes since LOL


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I’m sure there’s as many buying big hp bikes to impress as there are those spending $$$ in the blingiest Harley to impress, but most of the guys i know on those fast bikes are Adrenalin junkies. I liked those old Yamaha ads in cycle world that showed The whole family riding motorbikes around the campground. I had those hanging on my bedroom wall.
 
I started riding in 1968 on a Briggs and Stratton mini bike. I soon bought a Yamaha 125 and from that point on I probably have had 35 bikes. Now I ride what they call "dual sport", which are basically enduro type bikes. I currently own all KTM's, a 2019 300xcw, a 2015 350xcw-f and a 2015 690r Enduro. I have certainly slowed down a bit and ride well within my limits. Nothing feels better than setting up for a corner, railing it and nailing it on the way out with with the rear end stepping out a bit and grabbing for traction.
 
When I started grad school, I decided I needed a form of transportation. I saw that a brand new Honda 50 was for sale for $99. It had been won in a raffle and the owner had no need for it. (This was 1967). So I bought it. Having a 4 stroke engine, it didn't burn oil and it was pretty quiet. The 50cc engine was quite an amazing piece of engineering. I remember in high school chemistry, the size of of a 50cc beaker - about 2 ounces. I drove around to shop, and sometimes even to class. I was at UC Berkeley and had my golf clubs. The course, Tilden Park, sits quite a bit above the campus in the Berkeley Hills, above the Lawrence Berkeley Lab (you can see the old cyclotron in the hills) and so I strapped my golf bag to the back of the Honda 50 and climbed the hill behind the campus to the golf course. It was slow, but made it up the hill many times. After many years of disuse after getting married and moving around, I gave it away.

Larry
 
Well some of us had to get around on a Cushman Silver Eagle, all 9hp worth.
Looks something like this one.



Then I upgraded to a Honda CB 305
 

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stereogeek said:
I started riding in 1968 on a Briggs and Stratton mini bike. I soon bought a Yamaha 125 and from that point on I probably have had 35 bikes. Now I ride what they call "dual sport", which are basically enduro type bikes. I currently own all KTM's, a 2019 300xcw, a 2015 350xcw-f and a 2015 690r Enduro. I have certainly slowed down a bit and ride well within my limits. Nothing feels better than setting up for a corner, railing it and nailing it on the way out with with the rear end stepping out a bit and grabbing for traction.
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Have had and used to ride dirt bikes and dual purpose as well as touring, sport, and sport touring bikes. At this point I enjoy leisurely cruises along the back roads the most. I thought long and hard what bike would be best for my favorite 35-40 mph roads and Triumph Bonneville was the choice that came to mind. Loving it
 

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Speaking of Honda, the only Honda I ever owned was a CBR900RR (Fireblade) back in the late 90's. Two Brothers Racing exhaust, titanium jet kit, ram air intake.
That bike would try to launch me into the stratosphere at every twist of the throttle... Have had many bikes since but none were so wild and adrenaline evoking. I was in my 30s then and when I got a Ducati 848 EVO a decade later in my 40s, it wasn't even close and I realized I am no longer even comfortable riding aggressively and fast. That's when the Harley Davidson phase kicked in. I enjoyed the Harley Road King and Street glide for some years. The much lighter and nimbler Triumph is perfect now that I am in my 50s.
 
Honda RC30. Legendary bike. I drooled over it as my local dealer had one on display but not for sale back in the 90's.

 
TheOctopus said:
Have had and used to ride dirt bikes and dual purpose as well as touring, sport, and sport touring bikes. At this point I enjoy leisurely cruises along the back roads the most. I thought long and hard what bike would be best for my favorite 35-40 mph roads and Triumph Bonneville was the choice that came to mind. Loving it
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I would love to have street bike but part of my deal with the wife was no street bikes. The local dealer carries Triumph and I always look really close at them when I go get parts for my KTM's. They are very nice bikes and are light and easy to handle. Congrats on the "Trumpet".
 
I am a bit of a motorcycle trivia buff so I figured I would fire out a few questions just for fun. BTW, Google is cheating. 1. What was Yamaha's first product? 2. What year were the controls on motorcycles standardized? 3. Who was "Fast Freddie?
 
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