The greatest Hondas
Honda’s Cub, built in its tens of millions, is 65 years old this year. The two-wheeled Beetle or 2CV, it’s a masterpiece, no question. But is it the greatest Honda ever built?
Sixty-five years ago the Honda Motor Co created a machine that has played a more significant role in the lives of human beings than any motor vehicle before or since. Launched in 1958 and produced ever since by Honda and under licence by other companies, total sales of the Cub in its many guises have passed 120 million.
Many companies might have been content to stick with making simple utilitarian vehicles but Honda was founded by a man with limitless imagination. Soichiro Honda was a firm believer in proving engineering on the racetrack, and within 10 years of launching the Cub he had shown the world what his engineers were capable of, in both two- and four-wheel racing. And in particular what they could do with the four-stroke reciprocating-piston engine. Jewel-like motorcycle engines, revving reliably to sky-high limits, raced during the ’60s and provided Honda with the knowledge to produce equally incredible powerplants for the road.
Honda has a following quite unlike any other company. There is a cult aspect, particularly for individual models like the Gold Wing touring bike and S2000 roadster. But also a deep respect for the engineering behind its vehicles. The late LJK Setright, although he appreciated the work of Ferrari, Porsche and others, had a very particular respect and admiration for Honda, and owned many of its products.
The late LJK Setright had a very particular respect and admiration for Honda
To celebrate the Cub’s birthday we’ve brought together a diverse selection of Hondas that perfectly illustrate the firm’s technical brilliance. Choosing which motorcycles should be included was particularly challenging. The original CB750 of 1969 that nearly finished off the British motorcycle industry or the amazing 1978 six-cylinder CBX, perhaps? Or the game-changing FireBlade, CBR600 or VFR sportsbikes? But the bike that we feel encapsulates Honda’s philosophy and technical brilliance like no other is the 2015 RC213V-S, the state of the V4-engined motorcycle art.
What a machine. It is as close as you can get to a road-legal MotoGP racer, sharing 80 per cent of its components with the Grand Prix bike. It has steel valve springs versus the race bike’s pneumatic activation, and it doesn’t have carbon brakes and quite the same steering geometry (thankfully). But that’s about it. It cost £137,000 new and is probably worth more than that now, especially given that this bike – owned by Honda – is immaculate and low-mileage.
Our choice of four-wheeled Hondas is t
