Honda Super Cub: 0 to 60 million in 50 years
Marketing folks at Rover used to boast that the first car most people of the world ever saw was a Land Rover. That's a pretty spurious claim, but anyone who has travelled in Asia will agree that the first vehicle that most of Earth's residents *owned* was and is the venerable Honda Cub.
Fifty years ago, Honda knocked out just 24,000 of the ground breaking mopeds, but last year factories around the world built a whopping 4.7 million of the little blighters and now the 60 millionth Cub has rolled off one of Honda's multiple production lines.
To put things in perspective, 35 million Corollas have been sold to date, 30 million F-Series trucks have left Ford dealers and VW sold a paltry 21.5 million original Beetles. How many of those 60 million Cubs are still putting along is anyone's guess, but having watched The Discovery Channel try to destroy one, we think it's fair to say "most".
[Source: Honda]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Gary Lowe 5:51PM (5/22/2008)
One only has to go to Bangkok to see just how glorious Honda's line of motorcycles and mopeds really are. Spewing unbelievable amounts of pollution into the air and raising noise levels to unprecedented levels. Honda's "Green" credentials in Asia are a joke. It will take more than 300 Hydrogen cars to offset the environmental damage they cause in 10 nanoseconds in Bangkok
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Chris 6:05PM (5/22/2008)
Actually the Cub was updated with PGM-FI (programmable fuel injection), and it meets Euro 3 emissions standards. The bike gets over 160 mpg (in that video they claim 221). In Thailand and other ASEAN nations Honda's scooters, mopeds and bikes definitely rate in the more environmentally friendly half of the equation (unlike the guys running 2 stroke engines)
Johnny 6:17PM (5/22/2008)
"Spewing unbelievable amounts of pollution into the air"
Not exactly...
In the end look at the amount of fuel burned. This bike goes 221 miles on one gallon. No matter how this gallon is burned or what happens in the combustion process and exhaust system and so on 1 gallon of gasoline is turned into smoke.
A person driving a squeeky clean Ford expedition that meats CAFE and CARB and whatever else burns 1 gallon to go 12 miles.
Its best to burn less of something then to burn it cleanely. Burn 1 gallon by just putting a match to it. You will reduce X number of CO2 atoms to the air.
Burn 10 gallons and have the best exhaust and combustion process but you will still turn the same X number of CO2 times 12!
Dan 7:39PM (5/22/2008)
If CO2 is your boogeyman, yes.
In terms of smoggy crap you'd rather not be breathing, CO2 isn't the compound to worry about. All the CO2 from all the gallons of gas we've ever burned or ever will is trivial against the CO2 released through decaying plant matter.
Jeff Banks 8:31PM (5/22/2008)
I believe you are confusing 2 stroke scooters with this. The honda 50 uses a 4 stroke engine which although it doesn't have too much in terms of emission reducing equipment is pretty clean. No more dirty than the average lawn mower.
Iridium 6:14PM (5/22/2008)
They used to sell this in the states and it is one of the hottest things on Ebay. Honda should really bring it back to the US market instead of the Metropolitan scooter. The cub isn't a scooter or a moped. Really its an old school motorcycle.
My dad bought a 1982 Honda Cub and it is a blast to ride. 25 years old and the thing still starts in 2 seconds and runs like a dream. Even though it only has 70cc it can still get up to 40mph pretty quickly with a 190lb load.
Other than the fact that you look stupid riding it I actually think it is more fun than my motorcycle.
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broosewee 6:40PM (5/22/2008)
Honda really solidifed their rep in Asian countries. In Vietnam, --all-- of these types of bikes are called 'xe honda', literally meaning honda car. Just as common as automobiles in the US.
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Kotse 7:10PM (5/22/2008)
I had a neighbor who had a Cub used to do "doughnuts" on these...
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Flieger 6:46PM (5/22/2008)
I learned to ride motorcycle on a '79 Honda Cub! Gotta love that thing...
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pmiddle5 7:16PM (5/22/2008)
I would buy one....no joke! where the f are these things?
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Stuka 7:50PM (5/22/2008)
I used to have a cub 50 and a trail 90. Loved those bikes!
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Aki 8:08PM (5/22/2008)
Dang, 150+ mpg? If the thought of getting hit by an inattentive driver (lots of those in the bay area) didn't scare me then I'd give it a try.
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John Cressy 10:54PM (5/22/2008)
Take those 60 million and add all the copies and knock offs made in China. Then add the Yamaha, Suzuki, and Bridgestone two and four stroke look alikes that have been built over the last 50 years and that's alot of step-thru's. Don't remember any Kawasaki's that looked like that. Bridgestone only built them for about 20 years. The two-strokes may smoke alot but, they can be cleaner than a four stroke. Depends on what kind of pollution you mind. The one you see may not be as harmful as the one you can't.
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Lance Muller 3:15AM (5/23/2008)
I've ridden in one too! This was so popular even in Sri Lanka man... and can you believe that 5 guys (!) rode in one? Yes, we did... now we are all too old and too fat to attempt anything remotely like that. These came in 50cc and 70cc flavours didn't it?
I loved the little bugger... started with one kick and didn't ever let us down!
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Farris 10:37AM (5/23/2008)
I guess "Thanks for the tip, Farris" and "Source: TheKneeslider.com" were just a little too tough to add on to the end of the post...
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USAF97TMMK07 1:06PM (5/23/2008)
This just shows that a product that is designed well and built with quaility in mind can survive for a long time without many changes. Of course, the Honda was an affordable and didn't have to wow the customer, just not let them down
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RoamingGnome 1:47PM (5/23/2008)
I looked craigslist, I looked eBay - nothing. I want one to putz around in the city on. I mean the GTI's 25mpg I get looks like a joke compared to this little guy - and I bet it's a blast!
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josh 9:22AM (8/11/2008)
Does anyone know where to find these things here in the US? Can you buy them overseas and import them? I really want one. They were all over the place in the Dominican Republic and I came home wanting one. No such luck. Help.