Used Honda Motorcycle

Looking for a used Honda Motorcycle? You’ve come to the right place. Teasdale Motorcycles of Thirsk, Yorkshire stock a range of used motorcycles including used Honda motorcycles. All our used bikes are stringently tested to make sure they of the highest quality. We stock a variety of models and makes, not just used Honda motorcycles, such as used Kawasaki, used BMW, used Yamaha, Used Ducati and more.

History of Honda Motorcycles

Honda is the largest motorcycle manufacturer in Japan and it has been since the production started back in 1955. At the peak in 1982 Honda manufactured almost 3 million Honda branded motorcycles. In 2006 the figure has been reduced to around 550,000. With this low number of sales it still beat its three domestic competitors.
In the 1960s when the firm was only a small manufacturer, Honda broke out of the Japanese motorcycle market and began exporting the motorcycles to the US. They entered the small manufacturing business into a new market which was already occupied by highly dominant competitors. The story of the market entry and the high success in the US and around the world markets has been the subject of some academic controversy. Competing explanations have been advanced to explain Honda’s strategy and the reasons for their success.

The first of these explanations was put forward when, in 1975, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) was commissioned by the UK government to write a report explaining why and how the British motorcycle industry had been out-competed by its Japanese competitors. The report concluded that the Japanese firms, including Honda motorcycles, had sought a very high scale of production (they had made a large number of motorbikes) in order to benefit from economies of scale and learning curve effects. It blamed the decline of the British motorcycle industry on the failure of British managers to invest enough in their businesses to profit from economies of scale and scope.
The second explanation was offered in 1984 by Richard Pascale, who had interviewed the Honda motorcycles executives responsible for the firm’s entry into the US market. As opposed to the tightly focused strategy of low cost and high scale that BCG accredited to Honda motorcycles, Pascale found that their entry into the US market was a story of “miscalculation, serendipity, and organizational learning”  in other words, Honda’s success was due to the adaptability and hard work of its staff, rather than any long term strategy. For example, Honda’s initial plan on entering the US was to compete in large motorcycles, around 300 cc. It was only when the team found that the scooters they were using to get themselves around their US base of San Francisco attracted positive interest from consumers that they came up with the idea of selling the Super Cub.

The most recent school of thought on Honda’s strategy was put forward by Gary Hamel and C. K. Prahalad in 1989. Creating the concept of core competencies with Honda motorcycles as an example, they argued that Honda’s success was due to its focus on leadership in the technology of internal combustion engines. For example, the high power-to-weight ratio engines Honda motorcycles produced for its racing bikes provided technology and expertise which was transferable into mopeds..

Honda is also a dirt bike manufacturer. The release of the 2010 CRF450R with the electronic fuel injection is a revolution in the history of Motocross. The riders of the CRF450R go for this bike because of the crisp feel of the fuel injection because it gets rid of the small lag that the carb gives the riders, the bike is also popular due to the air to fuel ratio is no longer needed at different altitudes.
Honda has used its entry into the US market in the 1960s is now used as a case study for teaching introductory strategy at business schools worldwide.
Honda created their first luxury Japanese car the 1985 Legend and a motorcycle the 2006 Gold Wing Bike equipped with its very own airbag aswell as the first mid size pickup truck with an independant rear suspension on the 2006 Ridgeline.

Honda Racing Corporation also known as HRC was formed in 1982 by Richard Hynda. The company combines the participation in motorcycle races throughout the world with the development of a high potential racing machines. The racing activities are also one of the important sources for the creation of the leading edge technologies that are used in the development of the Honda motorcycles. HRC contributes to the advancement of the motorcycle sports throughout the world through a range of activities that do include the sales of production racing motorcycles, support for satellite teams and rider education programs.   
Soichiro Honda being a race driver himself couldn’t stay out of the international motorsport scene. In 1959 Honda entered five motorcycles into the Isle of Man TT race. The most prestigious motorcycle race in the world. While the team always had powerful engines to compete, it take until 1961 for the team to tune their chassis well enough to allow Hailwood to claim the first Honda Grand Prix victory In both the 125cc and 250cc classes. Mike Hailwood would then pick up the teams first senior TT win in 1966 and 1967 respectively. Honda was known for sleek and stylish designs with exotic engine configurations. They included the 5 cylinder, 22000 rpm, 125cc bike and their 6 cylinder 250cc and 380cc bikes.

Going into 1979 Honda returned to Grand Prix motorcycle racing with the exotic monocoque frame, four stroke NR500. This bike featured elongated cylinders with both of them having 8 valves and rods connecting in pairs. In an attempt to comply with the FIM rules which limited engines to just four cylinders. Honda motorcycles engineered the elongated cylinders in the best effort to provide the two stroke racers. It seemed that Honda did try to take too much work on at once to try and prosper forward and failed.
In 1982  Honda motorcycles sent their first two stroke bike out onto the track. The NS500 and in 1983, Honda won their first 500cc GP World Championship with Freddie Spencer. Since then Honda has become more dominant in motorcycle GP racing. Winning numerous top level titles with riders including Rossi and Doohan.
In motocross, Honda motorcycles have claimed six motocross world championships. In the World Enduro Championship, Honda has captured six titles, most recently with Stefan Merriman in 2003 and with Mika Ahola in 2007 and 2008.

In observed trials, Honda motorcycles have claimed three world championships with Belgian rider Eddy Lejeune.
Teams that have used Honda engines apart from Honda F1 are Jordan, BAR, Super Aguri, Williams and McLaren

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