Post by Rod Built on Oct 27, 2004 20:11:14 GMT -5
We speak of cruisers, standards, sport bikes, dual sports, and scooters in America, but for a large part of the world's population, the word "motorcycle" brings forth the image of a step thru!
One of the earliest step thrus was the Moto Guzzi Gallento of 1946:
Guzzi seems to have taken the attitude that the Gallento was just something to build after WWII until folks could afford "proper" motorcycles. There was a little company in Japan that thought the odd hybrid might sell in Asia. The Honda Super Cub of 1958:
Honda had been building small motorcycles for over ten years, and building scooters for around five. They took the step thru frame and shield from their scooter, and added the large wheels, forward engine position, three speed transmission and chain drive from their motorbikes. It turns out that the step thru was a proper motorcycle: Honda has sold 35,000,000 copies, making it the most popular motorcycle in world history!
Fun fact: the Honda Cub was the first motorcycle in the world with extensive plastic body work and fenders.
Honda introduced themselves to the USA with this little bike, but they quickly added larger, more powerful machines to their American and European line ups. In Asia, though, the little step thru became the dominant design and throughout Japan, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Malasia, Vietnam, the Phillipines and to a lesser extent India, they sell by the millions annually.
Today's architypical machine is the Honda Wave/Innova/Karizma/Biz. Sold throughout Asia, Latin America and Europe under one of it's many names, it's build from 90 to 125cc, with drum or disc brakes, and even, in this top of the range model, with fuel injection:
The Wave Alpha 90cc model sells for as little as $700 in Vietnam!
Hey, pull your clutch in before you shift that paradigm: there are sport-step thru's, too! Here's the Honda Nova Sonic 125RS, with dual discs, liquid cooling, and aluminum swing arm and rims:
The GSXR of the step thru world is the Suzuki Raider 150, with an air/oil cooled double overhead cam 4 valve engine and six speed tranmission:
If you look at the hundreds of millions of folks that will reach the point they can afford a motorcycle in the next ten years in Asia, Latin America and Africa, you can see why Briggs and Stratton partnered with Hero of India to turn out this new model, the 92cc Briggs powered Hero Sting:
Could the step-thru be the world's most popular design of bike? Perhaps!
Sometimes motorcycles of this design are called "Cub" style, after the famous Honda. Another term used is, hmm, how shall I put this delicately, well, they get this name from their frame design, but anyway, they're also called "underbones".
I don't mean to leave out Kawasaki; here the Kaze in Kawasaki green:
Yeah, Yamaha has a slice of the pie, too. Here's the new 125cc Spark Z, in Yamaha yellow:
A more traditional SYM Chin-Wang from Taiwan:
And the Bajaj Major from India:
Scoot safe,
Rod
One of the earliest step thrus was the Moto Guzzi Gallento of 1946:
Guzzi seems to have taken the attitude that the Gallento was just something to build after WWII until folks could afford "proper" motorcycles. There was a little company in Japan that thought the odd hybrid might sell in Asia. The Honda Super Cub of 1958:
Honda had been building small motorcycles for over ten years, and building scooters for around five. They took the step thru frame and shield from their scooter, and added the large wheels, forward engine position, three speed transmission and chain drive from their motorbikes. It turns out that the step thru was a proper motorcycle: Honda has sold 35,000,000 copies, making it the most popular motorcycle in world history!
Fun fact: the Honda Cub was the first motorcycle in the world with extensive plastic body work and fenders.
Honda introduced themselves to the USA with this little bike, but they quickly added larger, more powerful machines to their American and European line ups. In Asia, though, the little step thru became the dominant design and throughout Japan, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Malasia, Vietnam, the Phillipines and to a lesser extent India, they sell by the millions annually.
Today's architypical machine is the Honda Wave/Innova/Karizma/Biz. Sold throughout Asia, Latin America and Europe under one of it's many names, it's build from 90 to 125cc, with drum or disc brakes, and even, in this top of the range model, with fuel injection:
The Wave Alpha 90cc model sells for as little as $700 in Vietnam!
Hey, pull your clutch in before you shift that paradigm: there are sport-step thru's, too! Here's the Honda Nova Sonic 125RS, with dual discs, liquid cooling, and aluminum swing arm and rims:
The GSXR of the step thru world is the Suzuki Raider 150, with an air/oil cooled double overhead cam 4 valve engine and six speed tranmission:
If you look at the hundreds of millions of folks that will reach the point they can afford a motorcycle in the next ten years in Asia, Latin America and Africa, you can see why Briggs and Stratton partnered with Hero of India to turn out this new model, the 92cc Briggs powered Hero Sting:
Could the step-thru be the world's most popular design of bike? Perhaps!
Sometimes motorcycles of this design are called "Cub" style, after the famous Honda. Another term used is, hmm, how shall I put this delicately, well, they get this name from their frame design, but anyway, they're also called "underbones".
I don't mean to leave out Kawasaki; here the Kaze in Kawasaki green:
Yeah, Yamaha has a slice of the pie, too. Here's the new 125cc Spark Z, in Yamaha yellow:
A more traditional SYM Chin-Wang from Taiwan:
And the Bajaj Major from India:
Scoot safe,
Rod
