Collecting 101

Revving Up

The first motorcycle to appear in Japan was a German import from Hildebrand & Wolfmüller in 1896. It was proudly demonstrated outside a central Tokyo hotel to great acclaim, and so began the Japanese love affair with the motorcycle.

In 1901, a Thomas motorcycle and tricycle were imported from America and promptly became two of the three entrants in the first ever Japanese motor vehicle race. Rarely ones to lag behind in technology and industry, the Japanese quickly followed in the footsteps of the Americans and Europeans developing their own home-grown machines.

The first successful motorcycle builder in Japan was Narazo Shimazu who, in 1908, built a petrol-powered two-stroke single-cylinder 400cc engine and installed it on a frame that he had cobbled together from recycled bicycles. His later endeavours were less haphazard, and in 1926 he constructed the Arrow First, a 250cc side valve single-cylinder of which he eventually sold 700 examples.

Despite the pioneering engineering of the Japanese, vehicle development was slow partly due to the terrible road conditions. As a nation inclined to travel only local distances on foot, even inner-city streets were considered hostile to motorised vehicles and it was not until the need for efficient military mobility in the early 1900s that any great improvement of infrastructure was seen in Japan. A catastrophic earthquake in Tokyo in 1923 led to a country-wide overhaul of the road system which quite literally paved the way for the burgeoning Japanese vehicle industry as well as attracting big names such as Ford, GM and Chrysler to establish factories there.

Post-war Boom and Bust

Following Japan’s defeat in WW2, the country was ceremoniously banned from researching, developing or manufacturing aircraft for seven years. Despite the impact on its aerospace industry, this allowed some of Japan’s greatest engineering minds to switch gears and turn their attention to the automotive industry.

Companies such as Meguro (later Kawasaki) and Honda, after some initial financial wobbles, blossomed and moved rapidly from underpowered motorised bicycles to all-out racing machines. Honda in particular seemed unstoppable, and by 1964 it was the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and had achieved their first two Grand Prix wins and World Championships in 125cc and 250cc classes.

Suzuki was making similar strides in the motorcycle industry. Having started as a silk loom manufacturer, the company diversified into passenger cars only to have them declared a non-essential commodity and therefore outlawed for production during the war efforts. Thankfully, the need for affordable and reliably personal transportation grew enormously post-war, and Suzuki began to manufacture ‘clip on’ engines which could easily be attached to a standard bicycle. The simply constructed and maintained machine named the Power Free was enormously popular, and by the end of 1954, Suzuki was producing 6,000 motorcycles a month and was the recipient of a government grant to support continued research into motorcycle engineering.

The Big Four

Since its nascent days, the industry has been dominated by four major manufacturers: Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki. All four were founded to create something other than motorcycles, ranging from pianos to bicycles, but had immense success in their post-war diversification efforts.

Japanese manufacturing processes (many of which are inspired by the lean Toyota methods) are reliable and efficient, so production and sales have continued solidly for decades. The Honda Super Cub has been in continuous production since 1958 and passed the 100M example mark in 2017, making it the most produced motor vehicle in history. While Honda has cornered much of the reliable and affordable market with models such as the Rebel, they have not shied away from creating machines fast enough to make your mother worried - models such as the CBR1K Triple R and The Blackbird are among the fastest production motorcycles in the world.

Kawasaki have long been known for their visionary, spaceship-esque designs, and their hugely popular Ninja range of models are loved by those looking to bring a touch of the racetrack to the road. Sensible commuters they are not, but outlandish they most certainly are.

From Suzuki, the Hayabusa is certainly one of the best known and more controversial models. Considered by many to be the fastest production motorcycle of its time, it has also been lauded for its rounded performance without compromising the comfort of the handling at sheer, dizzying speed.

On the Track

Almost as soon as motorcycles arrived in Japan, people decided to race them. The novelty of going fast on two wheels was irresistible to Japanese enthusiasts, and the first motorcycle race took place at the Hanshin Racecourse in 1913. The fact that the circuit was little more than a dirt track is testament to the speed with which the Japanese fell in love with motorcycles - they didn’t even have time to build an official circuit. It is quite the opposite now, with several established circuits across the country.

Perhaps more telling of the nation’s love for motorcycle racing is that it is one of only 4 sports on which Japanese residents are allowed to gamble. In addition to hosting MotoGP races and large events, they have created their own unique version of circuit racing called Auto Race (オートレース, Ōto Rēsu) which usually involves eight riders completing six laps of the hard, flat asphalt surface. As in Speedway, which remains popular in the UK, the bikes have no brakes and are designed with the left handlebar slightly higher than the right to maintain stability around the corners.

On the Market

With thousands of model variants produced by the Big Four manufacturers alone, it is important to have in mind what exactly you would like to get out of motorcycle ownership before heading to the saleroom. Will you be using your motorcycle to get to and from work in a bustling urban landscape, or will it be kept for sunny Sunday blasts over hills and dale? Will you be carrying passengers or heavy kit, and will going off-road ever be an option?

Once you have established what you need your motorcycle to do, the next question is the thorny topic of budget. While some Japanese motorcycles reach bids in excess of £320,000, the beauty of efficient Japanese product methods means there is a huge range of options for those not looking to spend more than a few thousand pounds or indeed remortgage. A fun, bouncy enduro dirt bike such as the Honda CRF 250 X6 can be had for under £2,000, while an excellent example of something as legendary as a Honda CB750 (arguably the world’s first ever superbike) can be snapped up for about £7,000. Even more modern and hair-raising superbikes can be had for a reasonable sum – the 1989 Suzuki GSXR 750 is a modern classic on the cusp of greatness and can still be purchased for around £4,000.

Finally, be sure to take advantage of the encyclopaedic knowledge of the specialists on hand. They know these machines inside and out and will be able to answer even ‘silly’ questions – as fellow enthusiasts, they will happily discuss motorcycles with you and guide you through the buying process. Buying a collector’s motorcycle is a dream come true for many, so the process should be as enjoyable as the riding experience!

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