Report From Japan
REPORT FROM JAPAN
W. B. SWIM
MOTORCYCLE MAKERS in Japan have pretty well set up distributing systems overseas on a stable basis, and foreign manufacturers have about given up trying to break into the Japanese market. This was rather obvious to an alert visitor to the Fifth Tokyo International Trade Fair, held from April 16 to May 6.
Only three Japanese makers and one foreign company exhibited their goods at the Fair this year. In the past, both Japanese and foreign manufacturers have exhibited in great numbers at the international trade fairs which have been held annually in Japan for nine years. Tokyo and Osaka alternate as hosts to the fairs. In past years many foreign concerns laid on lavish displays, hoping to market their motorcycles in Japan. Since the locally produced machines have achieved international standards, however, fewer and fewer foreign motorcycles have been shown each year. Also, not many years ago there were more than 10 exhibits by Japanese manufacturers hoping to attract the eyes of foreign buyers, who flock to Japan for the yearly fairs. Now, however, many firms have gone out of business and most of the rest have built up worldwide distribution networks, so they find no need to fish for new buyers at the Fair.
Yamaha showed five machines, but two of them were racers—the 250cc road racer on which Fumio Itoh won the U.S.M.C. Grand Prix at Haytona in February and a 125cc road t racer. The for-sale motorcycles on display were the YG-1 75cc, YDT-1 250cc and YAT 125cc. All of these are new on the market in Japan, and it was obvious that the company hoped to impress not foreign buyers but rather Japanese visitors to the Fair. Tohatsu showed its new 125cc model designed for the American market, the LEtype Twin Arrow Deluxe, and its hot Runpet Sport 50cc and popular Runpet 50cc. In the Kawasaki Aircraft booth were the Meguro S-8 Junior 250cc motorcycle and 125cc B-8 type and 50cc B-53 type motor scooters with the Kawasaki brand. Meguro went under a few months ago as one of Japan's former big two makers, and was sold out to Kawasaki Aircraft. It is now a subsidiary of the plane maker. The only foreign two-wheelers at the 1963 International Trade Fair were three Lambretta scooters exhibited by the well-known Italian firm. Since Japanese scooters are not up to international standards, Lambretta apparently feels they may be able to break into the local market. Neither of Japan's two biggest motorcycle manufacturers, Honda and Suzuki, exhibited at the Fair. Both have solid distribution networks overseas.
American motorcyclists may soon be reading better company brochures, advertising copy, riders' handbooks, service manuals and other materials put out by Japanese manufacturers. A firm specializing in turning "Japanese English" into the type of copy foreigners are accustomed to seeing has recently been organized in Tokyo, and it is reported that the new company has already landed contracts with Honda and Tohatsu. Motorpub Ltd. is headed by an American with long experience in motorcycling and a solid background of newspaper work and writing, and the company claims it will employ only experts on motorcycles and not branch out into any fields other than motorcycle publicity and publications.
Following Yamaha's splendid showing at the U.S. Grand Prix in Daytona, Japanese machines and riders scored impressive wins in the Malaysia Grand Prix at Singapore, taking the 50cc, 125cc and 250cc races. Suzuki, Honda and Yamaha took one each. Both Yamaha and Suzuki sent machines and factory riders from Japan, but Honda depended on local racers to cop the 125cc race for them — which they did in impressive style, nabbing 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th before a Suzuki could slip in for 5.th. The three big races, 350cc, 500cc and Open class, went to a British rider, Christopher Conn, who rode Norton Manx machines.
Suzuki took one, two, three in the 5-lap 50cc race around the 3-mile circuit, with factory rider Isao Morishita winning in 15m 38.2s, followed by teammate Shukichi Masuda and local rider Cheng Teck Ming. The 15-lap 125cc race went to Honda-mounted Lee Wing Sang in 31m 07.4s, followed by Looi Im Heck and Soh Guan Bee. Yamaha's Fumio Itoh and Hiroshi Hasegawa topped the 23 entries in the 250cc event, with Itoh winning the 10-lap race in 26m 52.8s. They were followed across the finish line by another Yamaha, a Ducati and a Yamaha. M.K.P. Poh rode his Honda to a third in the 350cc race which was won by Chris Conn on his Norton in 27m 00.8s for the 10 laps. AJS-mounted F. K. Wong was second. Conn took 29m 59.2s to take the 10-lap 500cc event, followed by U. D. Jinadasa, also Norton Manx, and S. Currie on a Velocette. Conn won the 10-lap Open class race in 27m 00.8, second was Fumio Itoh on a 250cc Yamaha and Jinadasa copped third with his 500cc Norton. 1963 looks to be another Japanese year when the Classic Races get underway in Europe.
Japanese motorcyclists and men connected with the industry are most happy over the FIM 1964 racing calendar, which set the Japan Grand Prix for the first two weeks in April, probably the 5th. This gives Japan the second Classic Event after the newly-sanctioned Grand Prix at Daytona in February. This year Japan's Grand Prix, its first, comes at the tag end of the FIM calendar in November, and it is feared in Japan that all the World Championships will be decided by then and foreign competitors will forego the heavy expenses of shipping their equipment to Japan to run in a race that will have no bearing on the titles. Japanese enthusiasts fear that the 1963 Japan Grand Prix will prove to be a copy of last year's First AllJapan Road Race Championships, in which only Japanese motorcycles were entered, although foreign riders employed by Honda and Suzuki were flown to Japan to ride in the races. With the 1964 Japan Grand Prix coming second on the calendar, however, every factory and every rider competing for the World Championships will be forced to come to Japan and race regardless of the expense, or take a chance on losing out in the championship competition. This is the best news for Japan since the $5,500,000 Suzuka Circuit was completed last year. It is the site of the G.P. races.
Since the 1964 FIM calendar calls for 13 events counting toward the championships, it was learned that considerable concern was shown at the recent meeting in Luxembourg that there are too many races on the program, both from an expense standpoint for the factories and an endurance standpoint for the riders. There were suggestions that the calendar be cut to nine or ten events yearly, with about six countries hosting a race every year and other nations having races just once every other year. Japanese circles concerned are putting all the pressure they can to have the six yearly races sanctioned in countries which produce motorcycles, with nations which do not make motorcycles taking the every-other-year events. Japan, of course, is the largest manufacturer of motorcycles in the world, and would thus get a Grand Prix every year.
The local competition calendar in Japan has been very blank the past month — during the spring rainy season. Next month, however, events are scheduled nearly every weekend and the real motorcycle sports season is off and running then. The outlook is for more road races and moto-cross events this year than we have seen in Japan in the past.
Yamaha's 75cc Junior proved an instant hit when it went on sale in Japan in March. Initial monthly production runs were for 2,500 machines, but this has already been doubled to 5,000 a month, a company spokesman told CYCLE WORLD. The company is just waiting for current construction of a new factory to be completed before raising production again, probably in August. The factory building, now going up in Hamamatsu, is scheduled for completion in late May, and it will be filled with production lines to turn out the 75cc Junior.
