We’ve already brought you the new 2018 Gold Wing and the Neo Sports Café Concept from Honda’s stand at the Tokyo Motor Show, but the Big H has far more on display.
Much of the firm’s stand is devoted to the legendary Super Cub, which has just celebrated the almost inconceivable production milestone of 100,000,000. That’s 100 million Super Cubs and their derivatives that have been made since 1958. It’s no exaggeration to say it’s the single most popular form of personal transport worldwide since the horse.
To mark the occasion Honda has revamped the Super Cub in both its 50cc and 110cc forms for 2018. At Tokyo it has also added a new version of the funky Cross Cub 110 to the line-up and revealed a concept bike proposing a new Super Cub C125.
Another bike that passed a milestone this year was the Honda Z50 Monkey, which hit its 50th anniversary. However, new emissions rules introduced into Japan in September – effectively equivalent to Euro4 limits – meant that as soon as the Z50 had blown out the candles on its birthday cake in August, Honda bosses took it to the back yard and shot it. No more Monkeying around.
But there’s hope, because the new Monkey 125 concept at the Tokyo Show reveals how the Monkey is likely to be revived. Using an emissions-legal 125cc single, the bike still has the classic Monkey look. And unlike its predecessor, which has been sold only in Japan in recent years, it could become a worldwide model, cashing in on the success of the MSX125/Grom.
Enough looking to the past, though; Honda’s Tokyo stand also shows some bikes of the future. While innocuous-looking the PCX Electric is probably the most important, as its Honda’s first serious electric production bike. Only to be sold in Asia, at least initially, it solves the problem of range anxiety by using quick-swappable battery packs. The idea is that filling stations will keep a reserve of fully-charged packs, so riders can swing by, switch out their batteries – for a refuelling fee – and ride off again. No waiting to recharge or searching for a socket.
Another new PCX scooter – the PCX Hybrid – is also set for production next year. It’s a halfway-house that combines an electric motor with a petrol engine, boosting performance and economy.
By Ben Purvis