Tag Archives: motorcycles
VIDEO: 60 years of Honda at the Isle of Man TT
The Isle of Man Tourist Trophy is perhaps the world’s most famous motorcycle race. Honda won its first constructors’ championship there in 1959, thanks to their RC141 and RC142 race bikes. It’s been 60 years since, and today the marque … Continue reading
BIKES: Suzuki releases retro-styled Katana
Many Japanese motorcycle makers are coming out with retro-styled bikes these days. Kawasaki and Honda have made modern versions of the Z1 and CBX respectively, and now Suzuki has joined the fray. However, whereas Kawasaki and Honda referenced bikes of … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2019 Osaka Auto Messe
Everyone knows the Tokyo Auto Salon, the massive annual car show where the big brands and tuning houses of Japan’s automotive aftermarket goes all-out to show its wares. But, there’s an equally big show that’s not quite as well known, … Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged A90, Beet, bosozoku, c10, c130, c210, carry, century, Century GRMN, civic, Civic EA, crown, crx, ferrari, gt-r, Hakosuka, honda, jimny, jun auto mechanic, kei, Lapin, laurel, lexus, Lexus LC, liberty walk, mark x, motorcycles, NISMO 400R, NISMO Z-Tune, nissan, Osaka Auto Messe, porsche, r32, r33, r34, r35, Rays Wheels, s130, S200, skyline, soarer, supra, suzuki, toyota, vellfire, vip, volkswagen, work wheels, z10
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Honda celebrates Golden Anniversary in Australia literally
On February 4, 1969, Honda established an official subsidiary in Australia. Honda Australia was founded for the purposes of selling cars, but naturally Honda’s expansive lineup of thoughtfully engineered motorcycles, power equipment, and generators soon spread across the continent like … Continue reading
BIKES: Japan establishes Motorcycle Hall of Fame
The Motorcycle Federation of Japan has established a national Motorcycle Hall of Fame. For its inaugural year, it has inducted two important figures in two-wheel racing into its ranks. The inductees were announced Saturday, December 15, at an award ceremony … Continue reading
Posted in Motorcycles
Tagged honda, Isle of Man TT, kunimitsu takahashi, motorcycles, suzuki
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VIDEO: Watch a MotoGP champ ride through the history of Japanese motoring
Over the weekend MotoGP rider Marc Marquez was in Japan winning his fifth world championship. Before that, the star 25-year-old motorcycle racer made a promotional video for Redbull Racing that takes viewers through the history of Japanese motoring.
Posted in Friday Video
Tagged c10, dekotora, fd3s, Hakosuka, honda, mazda, motorcycles, nissan, RC213V, re amemiya, rx-7, skyline, SuperCub
4 Comments
EVENTS: 2018 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 11 — Bikes
Two-wheeled conveyances are an integral part of Japan’s motoring culture, much more so than they are in America. Go to any city in the land of the rising sun and you’ll see hundreds of motorcycles buzzing around — as transportation, … Continue reading
Happy 70th Anniversary to Honda Motor Co.
On this day 70 years ago, Honda Motor Corporation was officially established. The photo above is that of Honda’s first factory, in Hamamatsu, with 34 employees. The company’s first product was a small engine strapped to a bicycle, making it … Continue reading
VIDEO: Listen to the revs of this unmolested EG Civic SiR
We periodically like to check in with the Honda Collection Hall to see what the company’s museum is up to. If you’ve visited the facility at Twin Ring Motegi in Tochigi Prefecture, you’ll know that they take great pride in … Continue reading
Posted in Video
Tagged CB750K, civic, Civic EG, honda, monkey, motorcycles, nsx, super cub
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NEWS: Honda is coming out with a retro motorcycle too
With Kawasaki’s recent debut of a K1-inspired retro motorcycle, Honda is not about to neglect its own rich two-wheeled history. Internet sleuthing has turned up a Honda patent filing with Japan’s intellectual property administration that reveals what could be a revival of the legendary Honda CBX.
NEWS: Kawasaki’s retro-styled Z900RS Cafe goes on sale
Since its debut at the Tokyo Motor Show last year, the retro-styled the Kawasaki Z900RS has been well-received in its home market. The bike we called “the Kenmeri Skyline of motorcycles” for its place in Japanese motoring history just went on sale July 1 and … Continue reading
NEWS: Honda is bringing Cubs and Monkeys to the US
We were pretty torn up when Honda announced in April 2017 that it would discontinue its Monkey motorcycle by the end of the summer, especially when it was the 50th anniversary of the 50cc mini-bike. The reason given was that it was too hard … Continue reading
VIDEO: This is how Honda has made 100 million Super Cubs
We at JNC love the Honda Super Cub. Honda recently passed the incredibly impressive milestone of having sold 100 million units since the Super Cub’s debut in 1958. That’s the same sales figures as the Volkswagen Beetle, Toyota Corolla, and Ford F-series pickup, … Continue reading
Tokyo Motor Show: The Kawasaki Z900RS is the Kenmeri Skyline of bikes reborn
There’s just one more bike story to cover from our visit to the Tokyo Motor Show, but it’s an important one. The Kawasaki Z900RS is a glorious throwback to the heyday of Japanese motorcycling, going all the way back to 1972 … Continue reading
Posted in Tokyo Motor Show
Tagged honda, Honda CB750, kawasaki, Kawasaki Z1, Kawasaki Z900RS, motorcycles, tokyo motor show
7 Comments
Tokyo Motor Show: No one will ever catch the Honda Super Cub in sales
Some of you wanted more bike stories, so here’s one about the most popular bike in human history. A week before the Tokyo Motor Show the Honda Super Cub surpassed 100 million in sales, stretching its uncatchable lead as the most popular … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2017 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 02 — Because Race Car
In Japan, you have full-blown vintage racing events devoted to Nihon steel, factory sponsored motorsports festivals, and manufacturer exhibits. These things don’t really happen in the US with Japanese automakers, so JCCS is one of the rare opportunities for competition machines to … Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE?: Never-titled Suzuki RE5 rotary motorcycle
Given the strengths of the rotary engine, you would imagine that they would be a natural fit for motorcycles. Small displacement, high power and high revving, these are all prerequisites for a motorcycle engine. Surprisingly only a handful of motorcycle … Continue reading
MINICARS: Lego JNCs that need to be made into sets
Did you know that Lego has an Ideas website where you can submit models for a vote, and if you receive enough, the company will consider making the set? It takes 10,000 votes to get a model reviewed, and combing through … Continue reading
EVENTS: New Year Meeting 2017, Part 07 — Motorbikes
The New Year Meeting is an amazing show, but there is one element missing, one that’s just as much a part of Japanese classic culture as the cars we love: motorbikes. Unlike in the US, where two-wheelers are mostly a … Continue reading
