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Submitted via IRC for Runaway1956
The 20th century spawned a number of iconic long-selling motor vehicles, among them Ford's Model T, Germany's Volkswagen "Beetle" and Italy's Vespa scooter. In terms of total sales, however, none of them has come close to approaching the success of the Honda Super Cub, which has outsold the other three combined.
Designated model C-100, the Super Cub went on sale 60 years ago this week. Since then, it has enjoyed steady demand at home and abroad, particularly in Southeast Asia. Last year, Honda Motor Co.'s total sales of the Super Cub, including sports and commercial models adopting the same platform, shot past the 100 million mark; they account for about 30 percent of the 350 million motorcycles Honda has sold worldwide.
Rebutting the philosophy of "planned obsolescence" that some manufacturers have been accused of building into their products, the Super Cub's minimalist profile remains immediately recognizable, having changed only slightly over the past 60 years. And while nobody knows the exact number still in running condition, nostalgia buffs in search of an original C-100 have been known to bid over ¥300,000 on auction sites online — six times its 1958 selling price.
(Score: 4, Informative) by LoRdTAW on Tuesday August 07 2018, @02:03PM (6 children)
Well, if you want to talk about scooter culture, I'd agree. But aside from gay subcultures, scooters are pretty damn utilitarian for short runs compared to a bulky bike. A former co-worker used to ride one and we made fun of him as it was a chinese import the delivery guys would drive around so when he pulled up we heckled him for things like "where are my egg rolls and duck lo mein?." Joke was on us as he spent next to nothing in terms of fuel and insurance plus the cheap thing cost him only two or three grand new.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday August 07 2018, @02:42PM (2 children)
Heh - the kid got a tank of gas that made the bike run like crap. I think the tank held about a gallon and a half. I told him to put some dry-gas in it, and run it until it was burnt up. A week later, he was still complaining about that tank of gas. It ran, and ran, and ran, and ran some more on a gallon of gas!
The best mileage I've ever had, that was documented, was on the Silver Wing. 53 MPG sure feels good when you pull up to the pumps! Had a Kaw 440 many years ago that regularly topped 40 MPG, and could reach 45 MPG if I wasn't horsing it. Other bikes may have gotten a little better than that, but I never documented any of them. I happened to see a Kawasaki KZ 440 pretty recently. I walked up to it, and looked it over. It was like, "Oh, my God, that thing is so SMALL! How did I put 39,000 miles on one of these?!?!" For such a small machine, it sure is snappy though!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 07 2018, @02:51PM
A friend in England (who is gone now) rode BMW motorcycles in the 1960s, until he realized that his Mini (original tiny size front wheel drive car, about 1000cc) was getting better mileage than the motorcycle. He concluded that the Mini car had lower air drag than the motorcycle (and he probably went a little slower in the car...)
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Tuesday August 07 2018, @06:26PM
My Honda 700 gets 64mpg (US) when I'm nice to it, and over 60mpg even at highway speeds or going up and down the canyon to work. Not too shabby for 500lbs bike.
I filled up the other day and got back on a highway when I had to split crawling traffic for over 10 miles, and it told me 72mpg at the end.
Somehow Honda has figured out how to get the gas actually converted into motion, not just vibration and hated-neighbor levels of noise.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 07 2018, @02:53PM (2 children)
I'm not a strong cyclist and I've passed some scooters & mopeds on my pedal bicycle... Ignoring any social stigma, what is the point of this slowest class of scooter?
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Tuesday August 07 2018, @08:25PM
In genuinely congested cities, these are effective, cheap, and efficient (especially for parking*)
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-taipei-taiwan-december-2015-heavy-rush-hour-scooter-traffic-on-a-busy-92539574.html [alamy.com]
*only the US seems to have parking lots the size of farms [jcdecaux.com]
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Tuesday August 07 2018, @11:17PM
Those smaller electric scooters appear to fit your description. Why not use a peddle bike? Well not everyone can ride long distances throughout the day narrowing your labor pool. Next up is liability as these reduce the liability surface as the rider can not injure themselves via peddling (over exertion, exhaustion, etc). They are also very compact and are not petrol fueled making indoor storage possible and safer. Big win for the delivery business owner who I see operating them (the mexican joint by me has two).