Today, August 19, is Motorcycle Day in Japan. The date of the holiday comes from a pun. In Japanese, an alternate pronunciation of eight is ba, one is i, and nine is ku. Put them together and you have baiku, so 8/19 is Bike Day. Two-wheeled vehicles are much more prevalent in Japan than they are in America, from postal carriers on Super Cubs to speed junkies on Hayabusas. The range of bikes available there is much greater than in the U.S. as well. In fact, Japan’s history of motorcycles is probably as great or greater than its history of cars.
What’s your favorite Japanese motorcycle?
The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What’s your favorite captive import?“.
There were many exceptional answers this week. All of the Big Three has some sort of captive import in their histories, but Mitsubishis sold as Mopars were a popular choice, from dankan‘s Plymouth Laser to speedie‘s Plymouth Sapporo to Lakdasa‘s Chrysler Conquest. The Blue Oval had Taylor C.‘s choice, the Mazda-built Probe GT. From under the GM umbrella came a diverse range of cars like nlpnt‘s Geo Metro, Ian G.‘s Chevy Sprint Turbo, and Negishi no Keibajo‘s Chevy Tracker, plus the kajillion names of the Isuzu Gemini, which daniel listed, and captive imports that went the other way, from the US to Japan, like Sammy B‘s Toyota Cavalier. StreetSpirit gave us an excellent crash course on the’Opel Manta B, which almost won.
The winner this week was returning champion Franxou, for his ode to the short-lived Asuna Sunfire:
My my, without a doubt it is the Asuna Sunfire!
Geo brought us the Geo Storm, a cheap and cheerful little sports coupe available as a fastback or as a shooting brake, but they only offered it as a cheap and cheerful little sports car based on the Isuzu Impulse. Good looking, too, and the 140hp 1.8 must have made for one fast Geo, Flanders’ would not have been able to complain!
But here in Canada, GM separated its dealerships into two teams -Chevrolet-Geo-Oldsmobile- and -Pontiac-Buick-GMC-. Every time one team got something, the other team complained about not having it too, which always ended with your typical GM badge-engineering.
But here came Asuna, it arrived in a burst of thunder, and was gone just as fast a couple years after, as a “the other team’s Geo”, with somewhat similar offering, but their Asuna Sunfire WAS the Isuzu Impulse, and this one could be optioned with the Lotus-handling, turbo engine and AWD! This was the one to have, but coming from a weird unknown brand that closed up shop after two years, it was forgotten very quickly.
But do not worry, little Asuna Sunfire, I remember you. I will always remember you.
Omedetou, your comment has earned you a set of decals from the JNC Shop!
It has to be the Honda 50 … this little bike got the (most) of the world riding. I say most due to the fact I, as a high schooler, never had one. This was due to the fact my late father had a motorcycle growing up and, prior to that, had lost the brakes while riding his BICYCLE down a hill in the Dorchester area of Massachusetts … a legendary ride that has not been duplicated, to my knowledge, to this day. So, the ONLY contact I had with motorcycles was twice.
The first one was when I had missed the bus in high school and, couldn’t call home for my Mom to get me … this was BC, before cell phones back in the 60’s! One of my friends, Jay, had a Honda 50 so he took my home. As I had never been on any bike before it was harrowing especially as we had to navigate a New Jersey traffic circle at drive time! We made it but, that was my last foray into motorcycles.
That is until I was in Kodiak , Alaska with the Coast Guard as a RM3. There one of my friends attempted to teach me to ride one of his bigger Hondas … a 100, I think. Anyway, we were going up trails on his bikes (rich guy … had 2 bikes) and, I DID learn to ride somewhat. Never got a bike myself … bought a micro mini for our daughter that was it. Guess I was more centered on four wheels versus two but, I did enjoy my brush, harrowing at times as it was, with them, especially with Hondas.
I don’t know the manufacturer, but the bike that Kaneda rides in Akira.
Bryan beat me to the response. This bike is way too cool.
I worked as a car insurance adjuster for a couple years and being that I was the new guy, I worked Saturdays. Part of my job those days was to make the callback time requirement for the types of claims I didn’t handle, get a basic statement, and let the person who reported it know the actual adjuster would call them on Monday. I would also set them up in a rental if needed.
Several times I got bike calls and the fact that I never spoke to the rider convinced me that my thoughts of learning to ride a motorcycle went by the wayside. The description of the accident, nearly always someone pulling out in front of the bike, left me feeling convinced that no matter how good of a rider I could become there is nothing you can do about how bad other drivers are.
But, to answer the question, despite me having no desire to ride a bike, my favorite has always been the CBR600RR. Having no actual experience with bikes, it seems like a really good all around sport bike. It’s the one I would get once I felt comfortable that I could handle 600cc.
“… no matter how good of a rider I could become there is nothing you can do about how bad other drivers are.”
I actually had this happen once, and I have never been able to put in words as neatly as you just did there, thanks!
I was not hurt and I still ride, but it makes one learn to ride and drive way more defensively than ever before. And even then, there can always be someone coming.
Same for me, that’s how I lost my 1985 CB650 Nighthawk. Young woman made a sudden left-hand turn immediately in front of me. She tried to blame me, claiming I was going to fast, but I pointed out to the police that I landed on the roof of her car and not way the street, so she lost that argument.
For me, it’d either have to be the Hans Muth designed Suzuki Katana or the GT750 aka the “water buffalo” or “kettle”. I wanted to get a motorcycle licence so I could get my hands on one of them but fear got the better of me and now all I can do is admire them from afar.
Finally, a question that’s up my alley, and a very easy answer- my 1996 Suzuki GSX-R750 in classic Suzuki blue/white, which is currently sitting as a bare frame and engine in my garage.
Not my utterly fantastic 2023 Kawasaki ZX-4RR which embarrasses bikes with twice the HP at the track with its screaming 400cc-4 cylinder, nor my gorgeous 1983 Honda CB1100F restomod with more work done to it than I can list here, but my piece of junk, leaky Suzuki that hasn’t run in over a year.
In fact, in the time I’ve owned my Suzuki, many “better” bikes have come and gone through my garage- a mint, low mile, all-original Honda RC51 SP2, a vintage Yamaha RD400 race bike, a 90’s FZR600 which I completely rebuilt during the early days of Covid, and a very sensible and logical CBR300R. I sold all of those, but the Suzuki remains.
Why? Because it was my dream bike as a kid, and I’ll never get rid of it. I’d sell all the other bikes I own, my Toyota Crown, and my daily driver Civic before I’d ever even consider selling the GSX-R.
My favourite is the one that brings back the most memories, my Dad’s 1984 Honda XR200 dirt bike. Growing up on a farm which had both cattle and irrigation, a dirt bike was an essential tool. Herding cattle (way easier than on a temperamental horse) and moving irrigation pipe, I logged a ton of miles on that machine in my youth.
The two pictured in the lead photo. Narrowing it down to one is Sophie’s Choice.
My ’72 Suzuki 80cc dual-purpose that I learned on as a kid runs close behind. It had a 100cc cylinder kit and had to be pop-started thanks to a stripped kick shaft. I used to pretend I was young John Connor and sneak it out for wheelie-filled runs through the side streets and alley, complete with a GnR tape playing on a boombox ziptied to the handlebars. I can’t hear “You Could Be Mine” without feeling the memory in my stomach.
In a semi-related tangent, I once toyed with the idea of buying an NOS NR750 piston to use as a garage ashtray, something like 15 years ago when they went for $450 or so. I don’t smoke anymore, but recently checked in on the fantasy and found that they’re NLA from Honda and now go for about three times as much… what a cool paperweight that’d make.
The original Suzuki Hayabusa, built to take on the world. Once the fastest motorcycle in the world, they went where others didnt go. This I would say was the Nissan GTR of the Motorcycle world in terms of being legendary. Yes the Supercubs and the rest took motoring to the public and made the Japanese motorbikes a household name, but the Hayabusa was the ultimate bike.
Though I dream of riding a lot of bikes, especially an original Yamaha V-max with its 80’s designed cruiser frame and V-4 engine from a full-bodied tourer tuned some more for good measure, my favorite bike ever is the puny Suzuki TU250X I have right now.
A small Universal Japanese Motorcycle themed bike with retro styling, a juice-box sized air-cooled single cylinder that requires next to no maintenance and usually found in riding schools. But it is so cute! SO CUTE!
While the bike is very tame for everyday riding, and having to downshift one or two gears to get up steep hills on a highway sucks, every stop, every traffic light can lead to an F1 race start without ever risking my licence or pissing people off with loud exhaust noise!
To those who think twisting the right handlebar and instantly going fast is sporty, try having to downshift two gears and laying down on the tank to earn that speed, and then working on to keep up that momentum! Extracting every last bit of each one of my 16 little horseys is sports riding at its finest!
All motorcycle roads in my area had their speed limit brought down in order to make more room for cyclists, so I found a way to make motorcycling enjoyable again, while my buddies who refuse to downsize are thinking of leaving the sport.
There’s only one option that fits my aesthetically obsessed excuse of common sense.
The Honda Spacy/Elite, I mean Honda really went all out on that one and a bit or two beyond.
Marketing featuring Grace Jones, Lou Reed and more, a pop u pheadlight ON A SCOOTER.
I can’t think of any reason not to love them.
There’s also Linda Hamilton rocking one in an ever so 80’s brown/goldenrod color perfectly matching her ever so 80’s haircut in the first terminator movie.
If anything it should have been a vision of the future and we should al be zooming about on pop up headlighted scooters!
Instead we got a too close for comfort approximation of Skynet in the form of rogue AI going off the rails like Tay the Microsoft twitterbot.
Now back to the Spacy/Elite, it counts as a motorcycle in my country because of displacement so I’ve not gotten one yet as I don’t have the appropriate licence yet (got me a Honda Vision for now).
The spacy/elite specifically would do so well as the ‘hero vehicle’ affectionately called ‘wink’ for a Netflix show about a young woman fresh out of college taking over their uncle and aunts lunchroom by the seaside in a vacation town due to their advancing age and for her to have something to fall back to while she gets het career as a signpainter/tattoo artist of the ground. Point is, it’s quirky, interesting and like so many JNC vehicles deserves a spot in storytelling!
Love me some hidden headlamps so the Keisei AE100 is incoming for national train day!
The T20 put Suzuki on the map in 66-68 often forgotten. A 250 two stroke was the first to feature a 6 speed.
The 1969 CB 750 was the ultimate game changer for Honda. Smooth four Stroke great handling and power. First versions blocks were cast in sand. They are most sought after.
The King Kong of bikes came from Kawasaki in 1972. The H2 a triple 750 two stroke. When you have been given the name of Widow Maker what bike can top that? Oldscholio from Ohio
A difficult question as I’ve had several Japanese bikes and currently own three. Sharing garage space with my ’95 Triumph Thunderbird is an ’06 Yamaha FZ6, ’14 Yamaha TW200, and a ’73 Honda CB350Four.
I think my all-time favorite of the ones I’ve owned is the T-Dub. Most fun slow bike I’ve ever had, and it can go anywhere. Little wonder it’s been in production non-stop since 1987. I mostly use it for errands on the farm and around two, but I have driven it to work a few times. Just not on the interstate. Oh, and one starred in the classic J-Drama from 2000 titled Beautiful Life.
RD350F AKA RD350LC
Without question, my Motocompo is my favorite Japanese motorcycle. It’s the easiest to store, easiest to start, easiest to ride, and easiest to maintain. Is it the fastest one I own? No, but it’s by far my favorite to ride – even though I’m 6′-5″ tall.
Honda VFR750R, the ‘RC30’ V4 homologation special street version sold to enable racing the type. A high water mark and classic.