SOICHIRO HONDA: King of the Motorcycles (Full Documentary)

Soichiro Honda is one of the most significant figures in automotive history. He overcame repeated failure to establish Honda Motor Company, a dominant force in both motorcycles and automobiles. His company was founded in the ashes of postwar Japan and grew to become the planet's largest producer of motorcycles. They also became champions on the racetrack on both two and four wheels. And he oversaw an unlikely entrance into the world of cars and laid the groundwork down for one of the most dominant automakers in the world. This is the story of Soichiro Honda: King of the Motorcycles.
SOURCES: pastebin.com/a0D4FzhV
00:00 Introduction
01:26 A Lifelong Dreamer
12:18 Trial and Error
17:40 From Ashes
24:04 Opposites Attract
38:05 The Most Dangerous Game
44:24 You Meet the Nicest People
54:11 Two Wheels More
1:04:51 Like the Wind
1:22:24 The Ultimate Sacrifice

[@saitama34]

I’m a Japanese and love the story of Mr.Honda (and his business partner Takeo Fujisawa). There are a lot of books about his life in Japan. I’ve read a lot of them since i was a student in elementary school. This video is one of the most detailed content I’ve ever met. I’m really surprised to watch this detailed story in English. There are very few content in this deep even in Japanese. Great video.

[@michaelbrogan7537]

Honda is a hero of mine. He made cars and bikes reliable and affordable for everyman. And as a Honda owner and rider, I can say it's superior to anything else. Starts every time. Performs excellently. And looks great. Easy to work on too. 🤘

[@JO3BID3N-is-a-P3D0]

i love how there so easy to work on as well!!!!

[@theonetruegreg]

I am from a multi-generational Honda family. My grandfather bought every Honda motorcycle model built begining in the early 60's with the 305 Superhawk and 160 "babyhawk". My father and siblings always got the hand-me-downs, and continued to buy new Honda models for decades. Me, my brother, and my cousins have since continued buying Honda motorcycles since the early 90's. And now, my sons, having had Honda dirt bikes since they were young are now buying Honda street bikes for themselves.

[@VictorFlores-yv6zc]

Soichiro Honda was a mechanical genius. Thank you for your great Honda vehicles.

[@jackdon1206]

Success is 99% Failure, Mr.Soichiro Honda.

[@arlandgaylor]

Bravado!!!! I was at work when Mr, Honda passed, we were told he said for us to continue on, not to stop. So we did. Amazing time in my life. I will never forget.

[@edcampbell1658]

This is a fine, in-depth documentary of Mr Honda and his company. But curiously missing from this tale of the "King of the Motorcycles" is the story of the Honda CB750. I can remember the impact of seeing and reading about this amazing, groundbreaking machine. Four cylinders! Four carburetors! Front disc brake! Electric start! Reliable! Smooooth! No puddle of leaked oil every morning! And reasonably priced to boot. In short, a masterpiece of Honda engineering.

[@calysagora3615]

Oh yeah... I used to own one, a sweet machine.

[@txrick4879]

Scared the Harley company so a import tax was put on motorcycles over 750!CC but they were the new standard in motorcycles . Great bikes had 2 550 and one 750 .

[@jacktheaviator4938]

​​​@@txrick4879that tariff is why you never see Japanese bikes that are actually 750s..they are always slightly less, 747cc, 745...etc. There is a similar one on imported 2 stroke powertool engines over 50cc. That's why there are so many 49cc weed wackers on the market.

[@txrick4879]

@@jacktheaviator4938 Correct that's what the Honda was made in 700 cc and still had the power of a 750 . Now most new and some old bikers use 600 cc bikes . The old 3 cyl 2 strokes were halted by the EPA . They are rare and expensive now . I had a 500 Kawasaki hi it was a beast .

[@jacktheaviator4938]

@@txrick4879 to the best of my knowledge, Honda didn't build any 700cc bikes until 2012. Everything before that was either 600 or 750.

[@henrymorgan3982]

What a story! I remember Mr. Honda greeting Ayrton Senna at a dinner in a video. To have witnessed all that Mr. Honda had up to that moment must have been like a Dream. RIP Honda Master.

[@RememberingMaryEvely]

Nice! The audio could be better--I had to wear earphones to follow it. Not a paean, the man's genius and failings are explored equally here. One nit: I worked in Japan in 1969 and '70 and owned a well-used S500. It had an inline-4, not a V-4 as stated at about 1:02. It was rear-wheel-drive, but the differential was not live. Rather, there was a pivoting chaincase at each rear corner of the car to allow independent suspension travel. I've never heard of anything like that since.

[@cerealtiller]

they used that method to maintain the Wheelbase and keep the Height down...Typical Honda..and rather Clever.

[@skraggle]

This was incredibly well done. I've learned bits and pieces about Honda over the years, but never had a full grasp on the history and rise until now. Appreciated!

[@robinwells8879]

It takes a special person to develop a new company and it takes a different special person to run that new company. I have a strong feeling that, in these two people, the whole was greater even than the considerable sum of their parts. The “keep it simple stupid” ethos of Honda engineering lives on after the passing of the team. Wonderful memorial to an inspired pair. Yin and yang squared!

[@rawbacon]

The Honda 50 Super Cub was one of the best things ever made, I've owned the same one for over 40 years. I've also owned a few other Honda's over the years, couple of 3-Wheelers and a CX500 that I still own too..........I spent a few years in the construction industry and those Honda engines they use on things like soil compactors and mini dump carts always worked flawlessly.......Honda has always had a reputation for quality, I hope they continue that way.

[@lothre]

Some of my best memories from childhood till now are on a Honda, with friends and family. In 1979 on our ATC90 through the 80s on several other Honda ATCs, my first Honda Cub, then Honda Monkey, then Honda Dream, and now my Honda Grom. Thank you for every one of those wonderful memories, Soichiro Honda!

[@cerealtiller]

My First Honda ay the age of Sixteen was a Honda C92 Benly... 56 Years later I ride a Gold Wing Interstate.

[@alexcarter8807]

I'd love to have a Honda 90, that one bike that's almost eternal. I did have a CT70 for a short while and it was neat.

[@Johnny1.0]

Got my first z50 at 3years old and I've been hooked ever since. My first ride on my xr 80 was life changing. I've bounced back and forth between Kawasaki and Honda over the years but those first 2 bikes I still remember those experiences even with the concussions because helmets in the early 80s were shit! Lmao

[@rolandohistoria3532]

Jabson Hector may 25¢(Mississippi) NASA San Juan mission from A to Z with respect in general (textile Mills) Mapua institute of technology is my ladder Angelou de Leon (Anyang)sa pagkawala ng lalaki Generoso Historia (Dennis)☯️ Ben Turko

[@rolandohistoria3532]

Siapno Magdalena Cendaña Aster may Batangas Datu Puti may aliping namahay at aliping sagigilid ayaw ng dagger Luftwaffe by Willie Kasner

[@d0nant0ni0]

Please keep up the good work! You put out amazing, well reaearched and informative videos with great flow to them.

[@babulbala8882]

Respect to Honda.

[@jokernepalm]

Thank you for this detailed history of Honda and life of Mr.Soichiro Honda.

[@steveburke3923]

Some people are destined to rise above those who we thought were the best. Honda-san, you were one of those chosen few. Well done.

[@adamchess4543]

That was in-depth. Thank you for you're good work!

[@stpstudios]

RIP Mr. HONDA, the best times in my life was on my 84 CB700SC NIGHTHAWK SPORT! Thank You from South Texas! All HONDA'S go to HEAVEN! 🚲🛵🏍🏎

[@michaelbrogan7537]

1976 CL 360 here! 🤘

[@brandonseagrave3085]

I subscribed about halfway through this video... Excellent content, looking forward to more!

[@adamweston4152]

this is the most enjoyment I've had watching KZbin in ages, thanks for this excellent video.

[@Sedegaming]

I don't write comments, but this video and your whole channel is just great. Doing these long and deep dives into automotive history is just super interesting and I can't imagine how much work it has to be doing all the research on them. Would love to see more Design History and Company History, hope you keep it up!

[@Barchetta]

That really means a lot. These longer-form videos take a while to put together (this one took a little under 3 months), but I really enjoy getting into a particular topic and including as much information as I can into my projects. I've got more projects in the works as well, including a remake of my Chris Bangle video, a piece on BMW Designworks, and a look at how much of a role design played in Nokia's rise to prominence in the late 90s/early 2000s. Thanks for your support!

[@natureartandbeauty]

That's a lot of work no doubt. Kudos to him.

[@swayzer9949]

Your videos are so good, your channel deserves much more attention! Please keep up the good work, I enjoy it a lot 👍

[@Barchetta]

Thank you. That means a lot!

[@aidenblevins4041]

I don't know how anyone would dislike this. You are the most underrated youtube in history!

[@trevorjameson3213]

Well, the history documentary is really great, but the narrator's fast, garbled speech makes this difficult to listen to and understand. The content is excellent though. I think some people gave it a thumbs down because of the weird garbled speech of the narrator. Slow down and speak clearly and distinctly, and this would be really good.

[@eddieg849]

Man you really put your heart into this video , thank you!!

[@patthewoodboy]

My best mate was studying at Imperial college , he was part of a team that got together a motorcycle display , Mr Honda was visiting and tore himself away from his entourage to speak to the people running the Motorcycle display , his enthusiasm was obvious ..1985 ish.

[@th3frs3h]

Excellent content. I will say, it's hard to hear you and understand you at times, sometimes there's a slur. I mean this in no disrespectful way, I'm just trying to understand everything you're saying. Could you turn your voice volume up, and also put your own words in the video? KZbin CC doesn't do a good job. Again, thank you for the excellent documentary.

[@44degreesmotorcycleadventures]

Same here I thought it was only me that could not understand

[@xl250mon5]

@@44degreesmotorcycleadventures same here put me off the video "persian to leave " ?

[@daleolson3506]

Kill the unnecessary background music

[@DanTheRazorRamone]

The company wash shmud pudameh lol

[@Danfranco]

Totally. This should be redone tbf.

[@marcoshonda3599]

Fantastic research and execution work! Kudos!

[@josephsaia5527]

I really admire Honda’s life

[@Alanoffer]

What an incredible story of hard work and ingenuity ,

[@monkeydink9933]

This is a cool video. I appreciate the depth of information. Very nice job my friend.

[@henrychubbs2823]

Very well researched and presented. You presented the good and the bad which is rare and I appreciate that approach. This clearly took a tremendous investment in time. Please do more extensive essays like this one based upon significant historic automakers of the past.

[@kronos350]

I have had many motorcycles but mostly Honda, I ve tried many brands, but the vote on Honda is 8 on everything, engine, gear, brakes, overall performances, details. Just love them

[@stanza77]

Awesome top tier content dude!

[@antitunnelvizie5877]

In my opinion Honda is not a car in hart but a Samurai sword made to perfection and last for ever like the soul of Japan simply beautiful en eternal my Mother had a prototype Honda crx series 3 the moment this special person died it kept running for more then 12 years i can not say with words what his car mend for us what a guy Peace to him and his familie from Holland

[@roy7602]

You have a really great channel and you go into great depths to explore and explain various topics, awesome. However, as a non-native english speaker, some monologue is a quite tough to understand because you speak not just very fast sometimes, but also swallow a few syllables here and there. Your latest videos were a lot more understandable, but i'm really struggling with getting through the first 10 minutes of this video, sadly. And on top of that i'ma huge Soichiro fan :/

[@jayphilipwilliams]

I'm an American, so understanding English is easy for me. The narration in this video is terrible. He should really put some effort into improving his reading/speaking. The subtitles (auto-generated) help, but even the computer can't understand a fair amount of what he says.

[@zweisteinya]

@@jayphilipwilliams Yes yes but we luv it anyways

[@fredgarvinMP]

@@jayphilipwilliams I'm also an American. It wasn't that bad.

[@markdavis9148]

I know, the talking was terribly fast. I'm a native Californian, and it gave me huge headache to try to listen.

[@EverydayImTECHnIt]

Amazing Documentary About Amazing People! Video Production Is On Point Great Job With This Film!!!

[@theknifedude1881]

Thank you for the info on Honda. This was/is different than the other histories of Honda I’ve watched. It is a lot more interesting. Thanks again. You introduced other people to the Honda story.

[@dellasus6206]

I LOVE RESPECT HONDA. SOICHIRO HONDA SIR MAKE OUR MOTOR DREAMS CAME TRUE.

[@mrdaykurutakuchannel]

Thank you Honda-san for your blood, sweat & tears! Now 3 out of 4 motorbikes in Indonesia are Hondas and the go-to brand for motorbikes, and my daily driver is also a Honda too! Have wonderful experiences owning and eventually driving Honda cars, in 2 Civics ('01 & '08), a '11 CRV, last-gen BRV, and the Fit/Jazz!

[@davehyde6207]

A very informative and well explained insight into the determination of these men..the power of dreams live within us all, thank you for uploading

[@airplane1831]

Great video. Please make more videos like this.

[@thevoxofreason8468]

This is an absolute must watch for any fan of Honda, motorcycles, history, inventors or internal combustion engines. Fantastic.

[@nickl2852]

What a gem I have stumbled upon! This video lead me to your channel and my God are you underrated!

[@rightskit4887]

I owned and drove a 600 Coupe to college and beyond. Also owned a 70 CT 70. Now at 72, I am riding a Honda Rebel.

[@kallekas8551]

Another outstanding documentary!👍

[@samuelrodriguezrivera6856]

Great content! Great video!

[@theknifedude1881]

My first motorcycle was a’61 Honda CB77. I am fascinated by Soichiro Honda. We’re barely started and I have heard of a few drunken episodes and he died of liver failure. Kinda sounds like he might have had an alcohol problem. If that’s the case I feel bad for him. I’m 80 and have been in recovery 25+ years (10 years C&S June 7th).

[@gregkieser1157]

That was wonderful. Thank you.

[@kartickbauri3987]

Thank you for the informations you are doing great 😊👍

[@Barchetta]

Thanks for your support. It keeps me going!

[@kartickbauri3987]

@@Barchetta Good luck 👍

[@theoracle6005]

Mr Soichiro Honda is a great inspiration for all entrepreneurs. The man is a true inspiration...

[@barryphillips7327]

A very very good video! Excellent!

[@gregmesemondo1401]

Best engines are always Honda

[@kl4732]

No Yamaha is the best in reliablity rating Honda and Suzuki is no 2 Yamaha no 1 in reliablity rating s not honda

[@gregmesemondo1401]

Yamaha does not make as many engines as Honda. So no, Yamaha is not the best. It is a boutique manufacturer at best. Honda makes 20 million combustion engines in the world so their reliability is far better than Yamaha.

[@kl4732]

@@gregmesemondo1401 You are honda fan boy😀 so you can't find fault with your honda actually the best is Yamaha 😂 not your honda which is no 2 honda in reliablity ratings if a company is making 20 million combustion engine it means they compromise on quality and reliability 😂

[@gregmesemondo1401]

@@kl4732 lol you then must be a Yamaha fan boy. I didn’t say it is bad. I said that Honda makes significantly more combustion engines a year than Yamaha.

[@kl4732]

@@gregmesemondo1401lol you are a honda fan boy that is why you can't assimilate correct data your theory on your brand makes more combustion engine doesn't makes sense Yamaha is no 1 in reliablity ratings your honda is no 2 just think no 1 and no 2 which is the best if you still think your honda which is no 2 is the best you are foolled what else can I say i don't have time to waste for honda fan boys like you

[@Jackapoo1]

Outstanding video. Thank you so very much for the contribution🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@brianazmy3156]

I own a Honda motorcycle and an automobile for the sake of quality. The GOLDWING is the Cadillac of bikes. The wife finally said that if I don't sell the motorcycle she would divorce me.... I'm going to miss her.

[@michaelbrogan7537]

Strip that Goldwing down into a cafe and you get a freaking rocket sled! Trust me! 😁🤘

[@txrick4879]

My wife saw me cleaning the rims on my 750 Honda and told me are you going to lick it's muffler too . She was jealous .

[@razy7609]

I keep coming back to this video I just love it.

[@kentlarsen5834]

Mr. Honda was an amazing man, this documentary oozed excitement at every turn. Mr. Honda only wanted quality and would send a team of expert engineers to resolve the problem, not just look at the problem. That's why quality is one of Honda's best gifts. If it wasn't for Mr. Honda the car, motorcycle, and many other engine equipments wouldn't exist today. I don't think I'd be happy without hearing the name Honda because it represents quality and customer satisfaction. No Honda name, OMG my heart would hurt. The name Honda scares American manufacturers.

[@AndrewDasilvaPLT]

This is one of the most comprehensive videos of his.

[@GautamChatterji]

Nice video and great effort to put together. However narration is little difficult to follow. Little too fast and feels like narrator is having lozenge in his mouth whilst speaking. The playback speed had to be slowed down to 0.75 to make it little better.

[@rhinovirus2225]

I've always bought used vehicles but this year I bought a brand new Honda motorcycle and I'm in love. Now I want more, I'd like to get my hand on some older school bikes and some newer more powerful bikes as well.

[@MoreFormosa]

excellent documentary, take a bow!

[@michaelfleming40]

No Wonder I LOVED Honda motorcycles. Soichiro and I have the birthday-November 17. 😊 ❤

[@gimmeshelter1969]

I was a Yamaha guy (owned two two-stroke Yammies back in the 70s) but I always liked and respected Big Red. ;-)

[@WhatDemocracy]

Great content

[@daveinglis7080]

A really good documentary, have had many many Honda motorbikes over the years, 70’s bikes were the best ones in my opinion

[@powerstar1146]

Any honda bike users worldwide??

[@johnathan2684]

Great docu, I got a Honda cycle which is beautiful. Glad to know about history of the company.

[@metricstormtrooper]

Loved the video in spite of a few errors.

[@raywallace9771]

I sold Honda motorcycles at "Honda of Santa Monica" @ 10th & Wilshire Blvd on Saturdays in 1961. The biggest bike we had was a 305 CB-77. I worked at Vandenberg AFB during the week, as an Engineering Writer on the Atlas "D" InterContinental Ballistic Missile, (ICBM) and drove down to S.M. on Saturdays. One morning we are rolling our bikes out on the side walk. One model was a little yellow "trail" bike. As I was putting one out a lady asked me how much they were, and I said something like "$279." and she said, Good, I'd like four of them, so before 9 AM I had 4 m/cs out the door, and by 5 PM I had a total of 6 Hondas sold that day. Allen Fortney, the store owner, gave me a 20 dollar bill that night as we were closing up.

[@adrenaholic1]

Great video. What about Honda's involvement in motorcross racing? Let's get a part 2!?

[@MarcelHuguenin]

Great documentary!

[@zdave6083]

Very well done. I had no problem with narration cuz I have good ears and high comprehension . Some shocking details of Mr.Hondas early excess.

[@mybrotherkeeper1484]

Thanks for the good content and research. It seems no one else put together as much on Mr. Honda‘s life as you did. However, certain sounds you pronounce are rather strained, and render it almost annoying to try to understand.

[@TravisTerrell]

So informational! Thanks! And the music and presentation style makes it feel like Ken Burns!! (Btw, only halfway through, but I honestly have no idea what the others are talking about. I find your voice easily understandable.)

[@IMORTLKEN]

I own 3 accord's, 1 civic, 1 Goldwing, and 1 crf450rl. Cars for my family, motorcycles for me. I believe in Honda

[@mahboobahmed7612]

So beautifully put together. loved you nice pace narationion and visuals .🥰😍🤩

[@lyricnewmat7188]

"Nice paced narration..." Are you serious??

[@AtiqueMelic]

Honda was a legend of motorcycle industry! In terms of a brand that still stands today as the most innovative company

[@NoName-oj5pl]

I've had 4 Honda's come and go in my life, and I gots to say this documentary made those vehicles that much more special.

[@michaellorenson2997]

Well done.

[@timkis64]

i allways considered mr.honda a visionary like mr.ford. without them,life would be very different for so many people.& i will enjoy their old products until i take my last breath.thank you for this video.

[@3-body-problem]

I came here to find out the story of Honda, this story answered that question beautifully.

[@billmago7991]

I have always had a deep respect for Mr Honda.....btw I love my 1962 cb72 and my1970 cb175......my CB 72 has OEM ART pistons

[@michaelbrogan7537]

1975 CL 360. Love it very much!

[@dougrodriguez4977]

Awesome!

[@user-ny4bp4oe4j]

This complex storied life and hard work spells an inner strength and tenacity of great success and patience. A success on many levels at most stages of his life; and he was able to carry others further to their own successes as well. A greater story overall. Thank you for presenting this on KZbin! ~ in a small town, alaska.

[@Johnny1.0]

You had me at z50 Mr Honda!

[@6mtzhp55]

Came back to listen again - surprised to see people say they have trouble understanding you. There isn't a single word I missed, between your speed, pronunciation and cadence. Even listening on the highway with road and wind noise.

[@dougnash6316]

Wow, the Dream was an amazing styling exercize. 👍👍👍

[@GuySmith-tt6wo]

Based in Norfolk UK great bike . Have two 1996 250f hornets struggling to restore but can't wait to get them on the road. Great vid all the best

[@oknevals]

Very interesting.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Very fine script.. If you are using Adobe Premiere, you MIGHT fancy dropping Multiband Compressor onto your audio track and selecting Broadcast Compressor. I would prefer your audio that way. But this doesn't take away the fact this was / is superb.

[@aeror115]

After all this informations and background stories I love my Honda motorcycles more and more

[@rhinovirus2225]

I wish I could pick his mind about his insistence on air cooled engines. What made him so determined to make it work

[@michaelbrogan7537]

My 1975 Honda CB500 kicks to life in one stroke every time. Few other bikes of that vintage can do that!

[@Danger_mouse]

Thanks for a documentary. Nice to hear about Honda the man and his life. Honda the company seems to still have odd choices in direction like those mentioned in the video. They currently seem to be without a captain and loosing market share in the motorcycle and automotive sectors 😢 Sad given some of their innovations over the years.

[@billsmith380]

I agree. Honda has become comfortable with mediocrity and past success. They no longer innovate or push the design envelope.

[@pierogrossi518]

I'm from Australia and understand all English accents except for this. I have to agree with many comments relating to inaudible narrative. Put me off within first 5 minutes. Great pictures and content. Having some video production experience, I tried playback speed of 0.75x which appeared to somewhat improve audio quality. The downside will be longer programme time. 😲

[@georgerobartes2008]

ART Pistons are still alive and grown into one of the largest suppliers for performance engines including Triumph Motocycles in the UK .

[@princegroove]

As someone who unfortunately twice bought new BMWs, I’ll always go back to my first love, Honda cars. ☝🏻 Previously owned of a 2000 accord coupe, 2013 and 2016 civics, 2019 accord, and currently own a 2022 accord.

[@alexcarter8807]

A good read about Henry Ford is his own autobiography, "My Life And Work" written in the mid-1930s and free online. Ford was not a great writer, but you'll find it fascinating. I don't want to spoil it but he started out building one car a *year* and in fact when he became more successful he went around buying his old early cars when and where he could.

[@6mtzhp55]

I own an S2000 and am watching this documentary after taking it on a little drive. I always wanted to know more about the evolution of the motorcycle business and how they laid the groundwork for the first Honda S cars.

[@carlhovde9597]

It all started with the Hond dells hit song from 1965 "Little Honda" This was a brilliant advertising gimmick to launch the Honda 50cc moped in America. The Tonka toy cars soon flooded the US and their motorcycles were ubiquitous in High School parking lots and college campuses.

[@6mtzhp55]

​@@carlhovde9597that just makes me want to get a Super Cub and maybe a quicker Honda bike to get closer or that connection. I have gotten to check out an S600 at a car meet.

[@iamthemagnificentjar]

It really sucks that you sped up your narration. It makes it extremely difficult to understand what is being said

[@Bikerbuoy]

I agree. I'm a true Brit and I'm afraid that I had to slow playback speed to 75% to have any chance of understanding what the narrator is saying. This is a pity since the audio channel provides the majority of the information. Documentaries such as yours usually comprise of talking heads, contemporary footage and 2.5D photos. This one seems to rely almost 100 per cent on 2D photos and an overspeeding audio channel. This is OK for a short documentary but becomes quite tedious and boring for such a long feature. This is not said in malice but if you want to progress in this field, you need to read both good and bad comments. Sorry and good luck.