The Super Cub Lives on in Japan...

Honda Releases More Details About the EV-Cub

Click here or on the image above to view an official Honda discussion of the EV-Cub, which had its debut at the recent Tokyo Motor Show. It's very interesting - if slightly flowery - reading, indeed! If Honda carries this vision from their concept department into production, the Super Cub will truly be the most unique mode of transportation in human history - it's already the only vehicle introduced in the 1950's that is still being manufactured today, and the EV-Cub takes it across the paradigm shift into the age of electric-powered transportation!

Electric Super Cub in the Works?

Honda recently revealed a prototype Super Cub that is powered by dual electric hub motors and (I assume) a lithium battery. If this is more than just an engineering exercise, we may see the venerable Cub lead the way to the next paradigm in 2-wheeled transport! More details here.

The First Honda Cub Advertisement

This is the first advertisement in the USA for Honda motorcycles - featuring, naturally, the '58 Super Cub.

A Brand New Honda Cub for $245! (in 1965, that is)

That kid looking out the back window could have been me. I was 8 years old in 1965. In recent years I bought one of those hitch-mounted motorcycle carriers for hauling around my Super Cub, but it just didn't work: the suspension on my Outback wagon couldn't handle the weight. I guess I could have installed stiffer shocks, but I decided to go with a trailer instead, which worked fine.

"Little Honda" performed by "The Hondells" - 1964

I had never heard of the "Hondells" before I ran across this video on YouTube. Apparently, they were one of those fictitious groups formed by a producer (in this case, Gary Usher) using studio musicians. They recorded and released Brian Wilson's "Little Honda" in 1964, before the Beach Boys did, and it was a hit. It looks like they used four white C100's, brand-spanking-new! I would have preferred a bit less bouncing, but I guess they were trying to give the impression of youthful kinetic energy or something, within the constraints of a studio stage. Did they rehearse? Not much, apparently - they don't all seem to be together on the lip-synching or choreography. Who did the lighting? Terrible! Nice balancing, girls - sort of, well, not really. Oh, and, "CUT! Girl on bike no. 1, TAKE OFF THOSE GLASSES!"

If you'd like to read more about the Hondells - here's their Wikipedia page.

Commercial Photography - Can It Get Any Better Than This?

This is probably my favorite Super Cub advertisement of all time. What simple genius - to put the bike and riders in focus against a motion-blurred background! The photographer must have been riding on a vehicle that matched the speed of the bike. Wonderful. It creates a fascinating effect: the Super Cub seems to jump out from the page, like one of those old "3D" photos. An invisible (but visual) force anchors the viewer's eye on the graceful lines of the Cub and the attractive young couple as they happily zoom past it all.