Unsurprisingly , over six decades of production , the Super Cub has some remarkable stories and achievements behind it . Here are just ten :
❒ The first prototype wasn ’ t drawn out on paper , but using a clay model , into which Mr . Honda himself had strong input , using some ideas from a factfinding trip to Europe in 1956 .
❒ The size 17 inch wheels ( relatively large in order to handle Japan ’ s uneven road surfaces ) were designed and made exclusively for the Super Cub .
❒ It had to avoid the need for a clutch lever so a delivery rider could ride one-handed with a stack of Soba noodle boxes on his left shoulder .
❒ The Super Cub has been produced in 16 factories across 15 different countries , and sold in 160 different countries .
❒ The Super Cub went on sale in the USA in 1959 , with a sticker price of just $ 295 . It took west coast surfing youth by storm and paved the way for much bigger things for Honda in America .
❒ It also starred in the ‘ You meet the nicest people on a Honda ’ ad campaign that changed the American perception of motorcycles away from being vehicles associated mainly with ‘ biker gangs ’.
❒ The Beach Boys made it even more famous in 1964 with their song ‘ My Little Honda ’.
❒ Also introduced to South Asia in 1964 the Super Cub became prized family transport that neatly dealt with the overwhelming traffic of the evergrowing major cities .
❒ The Japanese Patent Office awarded it a 3D trademark registration in 2014 , recognising its shape and design as an iconic Honda product , and making it the first vehicle to achieve this status .
❒ Original sales were projected to be possibly 30,000 a month , which was amazing at the time as total motorcycle production in Japan was around 40,000 units a month , but something of an underestimate in the end .
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