At $11,760, Honda’s CB1000R may seem pricey—until you adjust for inflation. A 1970 CB750 would have run you $1,500, which is about $9,000 in 2012 dollars—not much less than the CB1000R, and it’s heavier, less reliable and a lot slower. So how much performance can you expect out of a bike that would have cost $140 in 1970 dollars—a time when the average wage was $3 an hour?
Meet Honda Motorcycle India’s Dream Yuga, which at 44,642 Indian Rupees has got to be the cheapest Honda ever built, correcting for inflation. That’s about $810, not much more money than even the shoddiest 50cc scooter from the most fly-by-night scooter importer in the USA. As you would expect, it’s a simple machine, with a 109cc air-cooled, carbureted, four-stroke single, good for 8.5 horsepower, but it still has motorcycle styling, a small windscreen, electric start and a real clutch and gearbox. Honda claims a staggering 170 mpg (72 kilometers per liter). Basic transportation at an affordable price point—just what a developing economy demands.
Honda Motorcycles and Scooters, India (HMSI) seems to be working feverishly to catch up to its old business partner, Hero Motors. That’s because Honda Motors (which wholly owns HMSI) and Hero’s joint venture ended recently after 27 years. The Dream Yuga is HMSI’s first foray into the low-cost commuter market, competing with even cheaper products like Hero’s $770 Splendor NXG or Bajaj Auto’s Passion Pro.
So what’s at stake? A market that’s orders of magnitude larger than the USA’s. According to the Wall Street Journal, motorcycle and scooter sales in India grew 14 percent in 2011 to 13.44 million units; 30 times the USA’s 2011 numbers of 440,000 reported by the Motorcycle Industry Council. Hero dominates that vast market with 6 million units sold, and Bajaj sold 2.5 million, but HMSI passed 2 million units and is coming up fast. The company operates two factories in India now, with a capacity of 2.8 million units, but a third factory—with an initial capacity of 1.2 million vehicles—will begin operation next year.
So why should we care? We’ll never see a bike that cheap from American Honda, true. But if you’re wondering why Honda seems to not be putting the effort into selling bikes to you and me like it did in the old days—when there were a myriad of models in each category, not just a few—think of the relative profitability of the two markets. Would you rather make three million nickels or 100,000 dimes? If you’re waiting for the old days to return, don’t hold your breath.
The old school Honda Civic with 2 wheels… And there’s nothing wrong with that Americans.
Small engine, plain, low power, but great gas milage with an even better price. Honda’s done this before and people laughed at the original Honda Civic too. We’re so American…
Bring it to the US. It will introduce people to Honda that otherwise would not have the money.
Riding a small displacement bike is a blast. My 1977 Honda C125S is such a change from my liter bikes. I can smell the air, look at the scenery, a nice change of pace.
Put some nobbies on it, and make it a cheap dirt bike. I’d get one to flog around a trail.
Whatever the emission level of this bike is, it has to be better than one of those horrible smoking 2-strokes that are so prevalent there…or for that matter a clapped-out, smoking 4-stroke. Perhaps this attractive retail price will induce some of the owners of these old bikes to upgrade themselves to this bike. Yes, it’s not as clean as an injected bike would be, but a big reduction in pollution over what they were riding.
Of course the next question is, what will happen to their old bike that they traded in? Without some kind of a “cash for clunkers” program (that I doubt exists there) it may be sold to some guy who is now riding a bicycle, and wants to upgrade himself to motorized transportation.
If this new low-cost motorbike works for Honda in this market, I wonder if a $2,995 Fit (or Fit-type vehicle) may not be far behind, for this market.
It’s already there. Tata motors Nano.
That’s not a Honda…
Quote:”If you’re waiting for the old days to return, don’t hold your breath.”
Indeed. The days of a modern CBX are long gone. All we get now are teaser concept bikes that make you reach for your wallet and when reality hits put it back. Shame that.
I like it and if things keep going the way they have been for the last 5 years in the U.S., there will be a market for this bike here. My first street-legal motorcycle was a 1975 Yamaha DT100. I purchased it new, OTD with tax tag and title for $550. It was all a 16 year old needed to get to school and work back then.
Heck that’s twice the motorcycle my first bike was (1965 M50…Italian 50cc Aermachi branded by Harley Davidson). It had drum brakes. No issues stopping even as crazy as I rode it. I wanted a Honda C110 50cc sport but my dad was a Harley riding WW2 vet and wouldn’t let me have a Japanese bike. When I turned 18 I got a Honda CL 77 305 Scrambler. It also had drum brakes. Heck my 2000 Honda 750 Nighthawk still has a drum rear brake.
At $810 and 170 mpg I’d probably buy one of those just for fun if it were available here. Heck I just spent 1/3 of that on TWO TIRES for my Honda ST 1300.
I think it looks pretty cool. My first bike MANY years ago was a Honda SL 100. It cost me $400 new. It got me to school, work, and out on the trails. It was a blast. You don’t have to have a big expensive bike to have fun with one.
Back then an SL100 was the bee’s knees. I used to race against ’em on my 60cc Yamaha. These days, not so much. I hear where you’re coming from but I’d still put the money toward something else … prolly used, with low miles. Something with at least a single disc on the front.
By looking at the pic & reading the 170mpg I thought this has to be fuel injected. Upon re-reading, it in fact says it is carbureted. Must be weed eater style carb, as I see no float bowl. Has anyone got the skinny on this?
There is nothing more pretentious than a 100cc four-stroke with a bikini fair. Sorry, but I would not hit my dog in the butt with that thing. If you ever see me riding one, just shoot me. Put me out of my misery.
But to a young kid and his first bike that might be very sexy. I don’t think it’s pretentious at all, no one’s going to think it’s anything other than it is.
And it sure beats walking across Calcutta or Mumbai..
I was going to mention that my mountain bike has a burlier front fork than this motorcycle. Then I realized my fork retails for more than the whole bike too… Pretty good job by Honda to get a bike like this to this price point.
What makes me wonder is where are chinese motorcycles; this particular one due to its ‘creative’ styling looks very Chinese (this must be asiatic taste in general). Are they not as popular in India, or they do not measure up to original?
India’s Styling preferences are actually very different from China’s. In India bikes have a “sport” inspiration, with many angles and edges. Chinese riders don’t seem to care very much about styling, as long as the bike takes them to work, and their bikes have graphics that are a little strange or old-school for western tastes, with lightning bolts, dragons or stripes added.
India taxes heavily foreign imports, that’s one reason why Honda and other brands manufactors locally. That’s a good reason why Chinese bikes may not be so common there.
People say these wouldn’t sell in the good ole’ USA…but I don’t know. I’ve seen a number of teenagers taking bicycles and strapping Chinese ICE motors onto them. I’ve got to think a $400. bicycle and a $200. motor is getting so close to $800. Maybe younger people would be interested in motorcycles again in America if they weren’t so expensive.
I would have killed for one of these as a kid! My first bike, a used CT200, cost more! I sure hope the NA market wakes up so that we can at least see some of the old Honda again. Someday?
What’s shipping cost from India to US???
I bet they will still have a blast riding the Dream Yuga in India. I wonder if there is going to be any aftermarket parts for the bike. A Two Brothers slip on might really bring the bike to life.
funny
For their latest fiscal year, Honda sold ~200,000 motorcycles in North America and 9.1 million in Asia: that’s ~45x as many. They made ~6x the profit on their motorcycle sales in Asia as they did in N.A.
In India, Honda prices the 250CBR around $2700US. In the USA, they price the same bike at $4100US.
In India, Honda prices the Aviator scooter around $860US. In the USA, they price their Elite, the same basic machine with some detail differences, at $3000US.
honda MB5 for the 21st century anyone…?
Never rode 1 of those but a friend of mine got 1 for ridng locally instead of his BMW R100. And he was way over 6′ tall!
BikerRandy, with all due respect to your advanced years, you may be confusing the Honda 750 price with the Mach III Kawasaki at $995, also in 1969. I was there too.
Gabe when the CB750s first came out in `69 they cost $995 MSRP. How did you jump from that to $1,500 in 1970? I was there. Doubt you had been born yet then.
I remember when the Honda 750 was introduced. My dad, younger brother and I rode up to see them (we thought them too complicated with all those cylinders and carbs ha ha) and at least in Cincinnati, they were $1499.00
Sounds like your local dealer bumped up the price. Nothing new still now in certain markets. At the time the CB750 was years ahead of it’s competition for the price wars.
Randy Singer, you are correct and I am wrong. I fixated the 500 Mach I price w/the CB750. Sorry, Gabe. BTW, I road raced a CL350 before the R5. Put CB350 pipes on it.
I saw two sources that listed them at $1495–one of them is the original Cycle Magazine road test.
I was born June 17, 1969, and having grown up in San Francisco and Marin county in the 70s, I have come to doubt the reliability of the memories of those who truly “experienced” the ’60s. 😛
Gabe 1
Randy 0
Sorry, Randy. If I had to bet on the price, I’d take Gabe’s number (born ’54, that’s 19, not 18!)
You are sorry. I was born in 1943, so I was 26 when they showed up, in the prime of my MC life. Looks to me someone younger than I has rewritten history. 8^ (
In fact at the time I was road racing my R5 Yamaha against CB350,750 Hondas, 750 Nortons, 650, 750 Triumphs, 500 Kawi. triples, 350 Kawi. Avengers in soCal.
I was also around and riding motorcycles in 1969. My clear recollection is that the Honda CB750 debuted with a retail price of $1,495. This is easy to verify with some quick Web research :
http://www.ehow.com/info_8717119_history-honda-750-four-motorcycles.html
http://world.honda.com/history/challenge/1969cb750four/text/03.html
The Kawasaki 500 Mach III triple debuted at $995.
At the time I was riding a Honda CL350 that I bought new for only $625. My friends, riding Yamaha enduros, Hodakas, and the like, thought that my CL350 was a huge bike. I thought so too. I rode that bike in the dirt, on trips to Baja loaded with gear…everywhere. It’s funny to look back and compare my current Suzuki SV1000 to that bike.
I have a collection of motorcycle brochures and posters that goes back to the late 60’s. I have in my hand a 1969 cb750 color fold-out brochure. On the back it lists the MSRP as $1495. I’m not sure if that means there is a discrepancy somewhere because I’ve also seem $1499. It was not $995. I don’t have one for the 1970, so I can’t comment on that.
Well, to compare Indian and US prices fairly, you’d have to adjust those $810 up by the factor of 10 (that is how much LESS money an average Indian worker is making). That would be $8100. Not cheap, for a 100cc bike!
“cheap” is a relative thing. We, americans, tend to forget that.
Actually, if you take out the outliers on both sides, the average pay in the U.S. is only about 5-6x more than India.
That disparity puts this 100cc bike @ the equivalent of $4-5k against their wage, still very expensive, considering what that buys in our market.
These markets do have the potential to provide a lot of revenue for Honda. A portion of that revenue, in turn, will go towards R&D and engineering of higher-end models like future CBR1000s and 600s. Older Honda halo models were developed with the funds obtained from the sales of their cubs/mopeds, I would think.
There’s also the competition from Chinese and Indian companies for Honda (and other Japanese manufacturers) to worry about. They’ve seen how Chinese manufacturers have monopolized the budget end of the Chinese market and don’t want to lose further ground in India.
How is it possible to produce (and sell with a profit) any kind of a motorcycle even in India? I paid a bit over $1000 for a Polini pocket bike 12 years ago (Which had 3.5 more HP than this Honda). Is India using all the foreign aid money it receives from other nations to subsidize bike purchases for their people?
My guess: lots of Chinese-built parts, very old basic design that’s amortized itself a million times over, robots doing the most skilled stuff (like welding and machining) and massive demand for products like this.
It’s possible the Indian government also has tax breaks that favor local manufacturers–I know there are steep tariffs on imported goods.
My guess is that it is assembled in India.
I don’t think the US (or any other country) regulates how the aid money is used so who knows maybe that’s exactly what they are doing! Reminds me of the old sayiny, “it’d be funny if it wasn’t true”.
You can go to the USAID and other websites and see that the USA allocated $40 million in foreign aid to India in 2010 (up from $28 million in 2009) and every penny of it goes to specific programs, none of which are subsidizing motorbikes.
It’s very cheap to manufacture in India. The market size is 13x that of the US so volume is WAY high (also drives unit cost down). I think the Honda CBR250 and some of the small KTM’s are India made. Imagine what kind of profit they’re pulling down @$4k+.
When I first looked at it I thought to myself “Where’s the front brake?”
drum on both ends.
Yes, I know, my point was that it’s puny.
Good — it probably won’t need ABS (can’t skid the tire…).
It probably won’t need Traction Control, either?
:^)