Report From Japan
REPORT FROM JAPAN
W. B. SWIM
EVER HEARD of a l8O° opposed twin smaller than 250cc? Well, you will he hearing of one soon, as Lilac has completed a prototype of a 125cc which will be displayed at the Tokyo Motor Show and marketed soon afterward, it is reported. The company has a lot of experience with their 500cc opposed twin, and claims this was a big help in putting out this small version of the 4-cycle motorcycle. Price, production schedule and technical data will not be made public until the show, but the com pany is reportedly taking its present 125cc model, the C-8l, off the market when the new machine is put on sale.
This year's annual Tokyo Motor Show is shaping tip to be as gala and interesting an affair as the very successful exhibition staged last fall. Motorcycle makers expected to enter displays are Honda. Suzuki. Yama ha. Bridgestone. Kawasaki-Meguro and Lilac. Silver Pigeon and Rabbit motor scooters will also he on display. All makers are being rather secretive about what they will display in toe fall show, but industry circles expect to get a look at a new 125cc from Bridgestone. new 125cc from Lilac and new 80cc and 150cc machines from Kawasaki. although there is no firm news as yet as to what the Big Three are tip to this year. Expect a full report in the next issue of CYCLL WORLD.
A large new Kawasaki factory in Akashi, near Osaka. is scheduled for completion about the time this issue reaches you. When the new factory begins production, it will turn out Meguro motorcycles and the old Meguro factory will he used for other prod ucts. Kawasaki purchased Meguro when it went bankrupt some months ago, hut still keeps the two brand names, generally using Kawasaki for 2-cycle machines and Meguro for 4-stroke motorcycles. In the United States, these machines are marketed under the names Omega and Trojan. The new Kawasaki factory will produce 70-80 500cc. 400-500 250cc, 2.000-2.500 !25cc and 600700 50cc motorcycles monthly.
There may be a change in the semigovernmental association which keeps books on the motorcycle industry and publishes official production and export figures. etc. At present, this group is known as the Midget Automobile Manufacturers of Japan, although this is a lousy, but official, translation of the Japanese, which does not sound all that bad. In recent years dozens of association numbers have gone bankrupt and dropped out, while some of those remaining, such as Honda and Suzuki, are also producing 4-wheel cars and trucks. Manufacturers of 3-wheelers and small trucks and cars who do not produce motorcycles are also members. Now it has been suggested that the Midget Automobile Association be merged with the Automobile Manufacturers Association. If this comes about, a new association limited to producers of motorcycles and scooters, and parts makers, will be formed.
Although it didn’t really need proving, the durability of Japanese motorcycles was demonstrated conclusively recently at an 18-hour Endurance Race held on Suzuka Circuit, the course which is used for the Japan Grand Prix each year. Twenty-nine of the 45 motorcycles which started were still on the track 18 long, high-speed hours later, and another 7 had completed enough laps, 60% of the winner’s total, to be marked as finishers. Honda won all three classes. Over 25lcc, 250cc and 125cc, as expected, but none of the three teams which had been the favorites finished, a rather surprising turn of events as it was widely said that the Honda factory had given help to these amateur teams. The winning team headed by Kiyoshi Kamogawa, which fielded a Honda 300 Super Sports model CB-77, completed 311 laps of the 6.004 kilometer long circuit to cover a distance of 1,159.5 miles at an average speed of 64.26 mph. Next in the big class were a Honda 300 Police model CP-77 and a Yamaha model YES-II. Winner of the 250cc class with 307 laps was the Eiichi Nagata team riding a Honda 250 Super Sports model CB-72. Second and third places used the same model. Tamotsu Nakatani's Honda 125 Super Sports model CB-125 covered 279 laps to win the smallest class. A Honda model CB-93 was second and another model CB-125 took third. The only foreign motorcycles entered, two 500cc Triumph T-120 models, failed to finish because of mechanical breakdowns. The tightest race was in the 250cc class, where both the winner and second place machine had the same number of laps, but the winning machine got across the line just 28 seconds ahead. Twenty-eight seconds is pretty slim in a 64.800 second ( 18 hours) race. American servicemen from the OMSMC club at Yokota Air Base near Tokyo entered a Honda 250 Super Sport hut were plagued by mechanical trouble throughout the race and finished 29th (and last) overall and 16th in the 250cc class with 234 laps completed. The American team was headed by Richard W. Wisely and the three riders were Clifford W. Casner. Larry F. Shively and Jerry N. Brown, all 21 years old. Of the 14 entries in the Over 251cc class, 9 were Hondas. 2 were Triumphs and the other was the Yamaha which took third place. Sixteen of the 250cc class entries w'ere Hondas, and the other 4 were Yamahas. There were 14 entries in the 125cc class, hut the only Kawasaki entered did not start, so only 13 participated, 10 Hondas. 2 Yamahas and one Suzuki. The race started at 8 p.m. Saturday and ended at 2 p.m. Sunday. It rained three times during the night at the lighted Suzuka course and the race ended in boiling heat Sunday afternoon. The rain took its toll, with hardly any of the machines getting through the whole 18 hours without spilling at least once. Two of the three winning machines had scratches and dents testifying they had been dropped during the race. The event, w'here your reporter gave a hand as mechanic for a Yamaha YDS-2 which finished 9th. was run smoothly on the whole by the Motorcycling Federation of Japan. A crowd estimated at 30,000 watched the race, some 4,000 of them spending the whole night in the stands.
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Yamaha is running reliability tests of an improved version of its 250cc scrambler at the tough Asama volcano road race circuit. Not much can be told about the improved machine by an observer except that the exhaust pipe shape is changed, but a good stopwatch shows that the 5-speed machine is doing 93 mph on the straight.
Suzuki is in the midst of a hot marketing campaign in Japan with a prize of an allexpense-paid one-week trip to Hongkong, Macao and Taiwan to go to 30 dealers. Theme of the sales campaign is “Isle of Man T.T. Victory 3 Years Straight.”
Kazuo (Johnny) Honda, who many riders in the United States got to know in many road races there for three years as the Tohatsu factory representative, has started an export business selling Japan’s best motorcycle racers. The Aoi Trading Company will also handle new and used street machines, but prefers to deal mainly in racing machines and parts. Johnny, who is well known throughout the motorcycle industry in Japan for his years of racing in both local events and Grand Prix classics, is able to get racers where others fail, including factory racers used by name riders in European G.P. races. This new venture could prove quite beneficial to the Japanese makers by getting good equipment into the hands of riders overseas who otherwise would not have a chance to buy factory racers.
Lilac is putting on new workers and doubling its production schedule to keep up w'ith overseas demands. Production of the 500cc model R-92, which is being exported to the U.S., has been stepped up to 100 per month and I25cc and !50cc machines will be rushed through for a company total of 200 monthly. The firm claims that it still has plenty of room to expand as the factory turned out some 1,000 monthly with the same equipment during its peak years before going bankrupt in 1961. The firm was reorganized and resumed making motorcycles last year. Besides a contract for export to the U.S.. the company has received orders from Hawaii, the Philippines and other overseas markets for 140 of their 25()cc, 15()cc and 125cc models.
Yamaha is finding business just too good, of all things. Demands from the United States are so large that the company is in a quandary. If it fills all overseas orders. Yamaha will not have enough machines left to sell in Japan to keep in competition with Honda and Suzuki. Yamaha’s production is less than 70% of demand, and some 40% of the Yamaha motorcycles are sold overseas, a very high percentage. Managing Director H. Koike was sent to the U.S. to explain how things stand and make a market survey to give the head office something to go on in deciding how to treat the overseas orders they can hardly afford to fill without losing out in Japan. Yamaha has worked hard to build up markets in Europe,
Southeast Asia, etc., to balance the demand from the United States, but the sales in the U.S. have grown so fast they wiped out these other gains and the ratio remains the same. At present 5,500 to 6,000 machines out of Yamaha’s total production of around 22,000 per month are being exported to the U.S., with another 2.000 to 2,500 motorcycles going to other overseas markets. Orders from Yamaha International in the U.S. reportedly exceed the total allotted to exports by the company. Yamaha's new factory construction has fallen behind schedule, and until it is completed the company won't be able to fill all orders they get.
The first All Japan Trials were held recently. and drew 70 machines. The sponsoring Motorcycle Federation of All Japan had limited entries to 50 riders, but they were allowed to ride in both classes if they wanted to. Best ride of the day through the five observed sections was made by Toshiki Nishiyama on a Kawasaki 125cc scrambler. He lost 25 points to win the Over 50cc class. Takashi Yamamoto was right behind him with 26 points for 2nd and the 3rd place man lost 33 points. The first five machines in this class were Kawasaki
scramblers. In the 50cc class. Chikayoshi Okubo won on a Tohatsu with a loss of 35 points, but it was a close thing as the next three men all lost 36 points and the 5th place rider missed only 37. Makers split it up pretty well, with the winning Tohatsu being followed by a Yamaha. Su zuki. Bridgestone and another Yamaha. Winner of a special exhibition event with entries limited to riders over 40 years old lost 5 1 points. Seventy-five was good enough for 2nd and 81 points took 3rd.
Some 90 machines and 50 riders showed up in the volcanic ash on Oshima Island some 6 hours by ship from Tokyo recently for a MFJ sponsored mow-cross race. With five events on the program, five makers split it up and entered the winner's circle. The only Greeves in Japan took the Open class event, Kawasaki won the 250cc. Yamaha the 125cc. Suzuki the 90cc and Honda the 50cc race with a Tohatsu a close second. Some of Japan's top motocrossers had a field day running over the opposition. Masahiro Hasenii won the Open on the Greeves and took the 50cc on a Honda. Kazuyuki Miyoshi used a Kawasaki to win the 250cc and nabbed 2nd in the 50cc with a Tohatsu and a 5th in the 125cc, again Tohatsu mounted. Ken Araoka rode Yama ha all the way to win the 125cc. take 2nd in the 250cc and rack up a 6th in the 50cc. Motoji Kurosawa rode Suzukis to place in four different events, winning the 90cc and placing 3rd in the Open and 4th in the 50cc and 125cc races.
Suzuki won three and Yamaha took two events at the recent Second Speed Scrambles held on an airport course in Saitama Pre fecture about an hour and a half from Tokyo. There were 176 entries in the wellattended event. Three riders were all that stood on the winner's stand Kazuyuki Miyoshi Won the Open and 250cc races. riding Yamaha machines. Young Yasutomo Sugaya rode Suzukis to wins in the 90cc and 50cc races, and Kinjiro Yajiima won the 125cc with a Suzuki. Besides winning them all. Suzuki and Yamaha pretty well dominated the day all the way through 10th places in all events. In the Open it was Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda, four more Suzu kis, Tohatsu. Suzuki and Yamaha. The 250cc checkered flag saw a Yamaha, four Suzukis, another Yamaha and four Hondas. In the I 25cc race, first across the finish line were three Suzukis, two Kawasakis, and three more Suzukis. The 90cc event had three Suzukis, a Tohatsu. five more Suzukis and another Tohatsu. In the tiddler race, it was three Suzukis, five Tohatsus and two Hondas.
There were 145 entries at the 5th Abe kawa Moto-cross Races, with Yamaha tak ing home three victor's cups and Bridge stone and Tohatsu nabbing one each. Tadao Suzuki rode, not a Suzuki. but a Yamaha to win three all by himself, the Open, 250cc and 125cc. Bridgestone grabbed the 90cc and Tohatsu won the 50cc event. First through fifth places by makers in the five events were: Open. Yamaha. 2 Hondas, Yamaha Suzuki: 250cc, Yamaha, 2 Hon das, 2 Suzukis: 125cc, Yamaha, Suzuki, 2 Hondas, Kawasaki: 90cc, 2 Bridgestones, Yamaha. Bridgestone. Yamaha: 50cc, 3 Tohatsus, Honda, Tohatsu. So the makers pretty well split the top 25 places between them in this rough event. •
