Hondas burgeoning company mass produced metal propellers during WW Ⅱ, replacing wooden ones. Allied bombing and an earthquake destroyed most of his factory and he sold what was left to Toyota in 1945.
In 1946, he established the Honda Technical Research Institute to motorize bicycles with small, war-surplus engines. These bikes became very popular in Japan. The institute soon began making engines. Renamed Honda Motor in 1948, the company began manufacturing motorcycles. Business executive Takeo Fujisawa was hired to manage the company while Honda focused on engineering.
In 1951, Honda brought out the Dream Type E motorcycle, which proved an immediate success thanks to Hondas innovative overhead valve design, The smaller F-type cub accounted for 70% of Japans motorcycle production by the end of that year. A public offering and support from Mitsubishi Bank allowed Honda to expand and begin exporting. The versatile C100 Super Cub, released in 1958, became an international bestseller.
In 1959, the American Honda Motor was founded and soon began using the slogan, You meet the nicest people on a Honda, to offset the stereotype of motorcyclists during that period. Though the small bikes were dismissed by the dominant American and British manufacturers of the time, the inexpensive imports brought new riders into motorcycling and changed the industry forever in the United States.
Ever the racing enthusiast, Honda began entering his companys motorcycles in domestic Japanese races during the 1950s. In the mid-1950s, Honda declared that his company would someday win world championship events--a declaration that seemed unrealistic at the time.
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