Honda Super Cub

Honda Super Cub
Manufacturer	Honda
Also called	Honda Cub, Honda C50
Production	1958-present
Predecessor	none
Successor	Honda Wave series
Engine	49 cc SOHC 2-valve 4-stroke air-cooled
Power	Template:Auto PS @ 7,000 rpm (2007 spec.)
Torque	Template:Auto Nm @ 4,500 rpm (2007 spec.)
Transmission	3-speed
Suspension	Front: Leading link; Rear: Swingarm
Fuel capacity	4.0 litres (1.1 US gal)
Related	Honda C70

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 motor vehicle in history. 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.

Specifications

(The following refers to current 2007 model line: note: earlier models differ.)

Total length (m): 1.800
Total width (m): 0.660
Total height (m): 1.010
Wheel base (m): 1.175
Dry Weight (kg): 75.0 kg
Engine type: AA01E air-cooled 4-cycle SOHC single-cylinder
Displacement (cm3): 49.0
Compression ratio: 10.0:1
Bore x Stroke (mm): 39.0 x 41.4
Max Power output (kw[PS]/rpm: 2.9 [4.0]/7000
Max Torque (N m [kg m]/rpm: 4.7[0.48]/4500
Max speed: 80 km/h (50 mph)
Carberator type: PB3L
Lubrication: Forced pressure wet sump combined use system
Fuel tank capacity (L): 4.0
Fuel Consumption (km/L): 146.0 (30km/h fixed area travelling test value)
Clutch: Wet multi-plate, operated both by centrifugal action and by gear-lever.
Transmission type: 3-speed rotary type (4-speed some models)
Gear ratio (1st, 2nd, 3rd): 3.272, 1.764, 1.190
Reduction gear ratio (primary/second): 4.058/3.076
Starter: Kick (electric start optional on some models, such as Custom, Little Cub and earlier export models)
Ignition: Capacitor Discharge Ignition (CDI Magneto) system (earlier models Flywheel contact-breaker points)
Suspension (F): Leading link (also known as Bottom link)
Suspension (R): Swinging fork (also known as Swing arm)
Tire sizes (F/R): 2.25-17 33L / 2.50-17 38L
Brake (F): Drum, cable operated
Brake (R): Drum, rod operated
Frame type: Low floor backbone pressed steel tube system

Model history

The first Super Cub: Honda 50 CA100, a Honda Super Cub C100 based model for export

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. Though the basic design of Cub remained unchanged, slightly new styling features and improvements were integrated along with larger 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. Though many experts on the Cub testify to the fact that Honda used the CDI system for better reliability and fuel efficiency, with the emissions improvements being an appealing by-product of these goals.

In the 1980s, a larger 100 cc GN-5 engine model was introduced especially for Asian markets. The newer 100 cc model branched off from the Honda Cub model design, 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 Honda Cubs. These changes were not incorporated into the Honda Cub line-up, not interfering with the timeless and dependable design of the Cub, but rather, were integrated into new models such as Honda Dream in Thailand and Honda EX5 in Malaysia. These bikes were never intended to compete or replace the Cub in the very strong Japanese domestic market, but were more suited for the lucrative Asian export market.

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. Though not Cubs, these bikes sold consistently well particularly in European countries, where the production of Honda Cub models had been previously discontinued. However, the production of Honda Cubs in Asia, Africa and South America still continues today even though the newer Honda Wave Series and other designs have been introduced alongside the Cub.

In Japan, where some of the world's most discerning and demanding customers reside, the Super Cub is stronger than ever. Sales of Honda Super Cubs are thriving and continue to grow with the 50 cc models leading the way, promising a long future for the versatile and timeless motorbike. The introduction of more options on existing bikes, more accessories available, and a new model, the Super Cub "Street" testify to the staying power of the Cub and ongoing love affair the Japanese have with their home-grown design.

Honda will continue to offer the latest innovations in their bike line-up, but will wisely, it seems, not interfere with the unquestionably simple and successful design of the classic Cub.

Honda Super Cub "Standard" model 50cc
Honda Super Cub "Standard" model 50cc
Honda Cub C50

Honda Cub C50
Honda Little Cub model 50cc
Honda Press Cub model 50cc

Current popularity

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, and offshoots, such as Wave, etc, 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 in Japan. (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. As has Suzuki with their own version of the Super Cub, the Birdie.)

In Vietnam, the Super Cub used to be so popular that people still call every kind of motorcycle "xe Honda" (meaning: Honda motorcycle). In Malaysia, the terms of kapcai(which means underbone motorcycle) are original from the Honda Cub.

In 2006, in a show on the Discovery Channel, "The Greatest Ever", 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".

Honda released a television commercial advertisement featuring the Andy Williams' hit recording "Impossible Dream". The choice of music, from a musical version of Don Quixote, was not random since Soichiro's hard-won journey from humble beginnings to one of the world's most famous names was, some would have warned, impossible. The ad cleverly displays Honda's milestone products in chronological order from the early Super Cub 50 all the way up to a stunning finale involving a hot air balloon and a waterfall. If the commercial were made today, Honda would be able to proudly add their newest product, a jet to the lineup.

Reasons for success of Honda Cub series

Competitive pricing with other motorcycles. (New: approx. USD$1400)
Automatic centrifugal clutch and semi-automatic gearbox make it a great beginners motorcycle. Both items virtually maintenance free, even better than a manual clutch.
Very low fuel consumption (up to 146 kilometres per litre (340 mpg_‑US) as of this writing: 2006 Super Cub).
Robust and capable of carrying heavy loads, including agricultural products, livestock, and in some cases, entire families.
Easy manoeuvering in heavy or stationary traffic.
Cheap maintenance and abundance of spare parts.
4-stroke engine able to meet and exceed strict emission standards.
All-weather design.
Regularly achieves very high mileages logged before any breakage or replacement of parts is necessary.
Featured in a very catchy song by the Beach Boys and The Hondells, and covered by Yo La Tengo.

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.

External links

Specifications

Model history

Current popularity

Reasons for success of Honda Cub series

See also

External links