The Honda Technical research Institute was founded in 1946 by Soichiro Honda. From a small workshop in Hammamatsu he began to produce motorcycles. In the postwar years the majority of the Japanese was unable to afford cars so motorcycles had a huge market.

Like so many motorycle builders he began with an engine and a bicycle but by 1947 was building his own 50cc engines. A couple of years later Honda was employing 20 people and building his first complete bike, the model D.

The model D was followed by the Model J Benly which had a 90cc single cylinder four stroke engine. Both of these bikes had been sold only in Japan but in the early sixties Honda began to export. The 250cc CB72 and 305cc CB77 or Super Hawk took on the sporty British bikes of the era and were more than a match with top speeds approaching 100mph.

Racing was important to Honda right from the beginning and they had secured a world championship win by 1961 with Mike Hailwood on a 250.

Honda's and the indeed the world's best selling motorcycle ever was the C90 Cub. This model has roots all the way back in 1958. The C100 Super Cub was a unique design that offered the handling of a motorcycle with the convenience of a scooter. Sold with the tag line "You meet the nicest people on a Honda" the C90/100 was a sales success in the US and just kept selling, all the way through to recent years.

Honda only really began to produce large capacity bikes in the mid sixties with the advent of the CB450. This was the model that signalled the beginning of the end for dominant European manufacturers of the time. It was not a great success but Honda learned quickly.

The CB series continued development throughout the sixties and seventies. Bikes such as the CB750 and CB400 had all the handling, speed and beauty of the European competition but were also reliable and built to the highest standards. The CBX 1000, released in 1978 had a huge 1047cc inline six cylinder engine. With 105 bhp the CBX was fast and it handled well for such a large bike.

Another legendary Honda from the seventies is the GL Gold Wing. Still going strong today this bike was aimed firmly at the US market. It's huge dimensions and flat four engine were designed for maximum comfort and long range. In the late eighties the engine was upgraded to a six cylinder unit of 1500cc capacity and a reverse gear to aid parking. For all it's weight Honda's continual development of the model ensured that handling and braking had been improved greatly. The Gold Wing has a loyal group of very dedicated owners for whom the bike is not just transport, it's a whole way of life.

In the eighties Honda began to develop the VF range of motorcycles. Featuring V Four engines which allowed for a narrow frame and low centre of gravity these models were to dominate the firms range for many years. The most successful of the VF models was the VFR750. Still going strong today in the guise of the VFR800 it is arguably the best quality motorcycle ever produced. With two decades of development this is a virtually faultless motorcycle with build quality that shames just about every other bike on the road. Equally comfortable with sports or long distance riding it really is the perfect all rounder.

The V Four layout was also applied to racing and produced some of the most memorable and successful of Honda's competing machines. The RC30 (VFR750R) and RVF 750 are still two of the most desirable motorcycles in the world. Honda also produced 400cc versions of these models that were like beautiful miniatures of the originals and shared all of the quality and desirability of their bigger brothers.

The V Four layout reached it's pinnacle with the NR 750 of the early nineties. This engineering tour de force had oval pistons allowing for 32 valves and remarkable power from a 750cc engine. All this came at a cost though and the bike was something of a corporate indulgence that could never have been viable as a high volume model. The very complexity of the NR 750 was it's failing and what was supposed to be the company's showstopper was ultimatley eclipsed by the simple and paired down CBR900 Fireblade.

The CBR900 was a revelation when it was released in 1992. This bike set a whole new standard for performance. Significantly lighter and shorter than any of the other superbikes available at the time it set a new benchmark for the competition. The Fireblade is still in production well into the 21st century and continues to be at the cutting edge of large capacity sportsbike design.