SENT THIS LETTER TO HONDA UK AND GOT REPLY AS SCANNED BELOW .
As one 'reader' summed up:-
"I think that this is the most vacuous corporate flannel I have ever read. Good luck with pursuing this."
Also see
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=143715.0Pursuing this further in the New Year. I will post any further progress.
Ash
East Yorkshire.
HU10
Tel. 07515121226
Honda (UK),
Customer services - Motorcycles,
470 London Road,
Slough,
Berkshire.
SL3 8QY.
16th November 2014.
By Post and eMail
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am currently restoring four classic Honda motorcycles from the late 1960’s and ‘70’s. A 1969 CB750K0, 1969 CB250K0, 1975 CB400F and 1969 CB350K1 model.
I represent the Honda Single Overhead Cam Owners Club online forum, which has approximately 1250 active members in the UK. (sohc.co.uk).
My CB750 is a rare 1969 model imported by Honda UK in January 1970 and was part of the very first shipment of 20 machines of that iconic model, officially sold in the UK.
In late 2008 I started restoring my CB750K0 and found that Honda,
commendably, were still selling some of the major new parts for my machine, most notably the exhaust system. However, I contacted you via telephone in 2009 asking if the original seat was ever going to be officially reproduced. Your reply to me then was that it would never be re-manufactured by Honda because it was superseded by a later model seat, still having the xxx-300- xxxx part number and that this part was still manufactured, readily available and a perfect fit.
In recent years the exhaust system has become NLA (No Longer Available) as has the ‘300’ part number CB750K1 seat.
Recently I have found that there are a couple of manufacturers in Japan who are faithfully reproducing the original pattern CB750K0 seat. One of these reproduction seats is, in fact, fitted to the CB750 sand-cast motorcycle exhibited in the Honda Museum collection in Japan. I am therefore dismayed that Honda Europe have prevented UK distributors selling the exact replica Japanese seats, within the UK and threatened them with legal action if they do so. The reason for this is that the item concerned is marked with the HONDA logo
The numerous restorers of your classic motorcycles, like myself, are in fact promoting your products and drawing attention to the fact that you were the first company to mass produce a 4-cylinder in-line ‘Superbike’ motorcycle. However, we are prevented from faithfully reproducing the original look of the bike because you no longer manufacture the part but prevent anyone else from selling a faithful replica of it in the UK.
It was Mr. Soichiro Honda’s ’dream’ that parts for his motorcycles would always be available. I appreciate that this is not a commercially viable proposition but you should allow a handful of manufacturers to submit exact replica items, reproduced for rare ‘significant historical value’ models and for you to approve their sales and distribution, worldwide.
What really annoys me is that the ban on selling the reproduction seats, carrying the HONDA logo is not policed worldwide; it only apparently applies to Europe including the UK.
I hope that you can find time to investigate this and give the matter some careful and compassionate consideration. If I do not get a reply or a standard ‘corporate’ reply then I can only assume that you do not care about the restorers of your classic models or the wishes of your founder Mr. Soichiro Honda.
I must point out that I not only speak for myself on this matter but also for a large number of sohc.co.uk forum members, who feel the same as me and are totally disappointed and annoyed at Honda’s actions, so far. If there is no satisfactory conclusion then I will copy this letter and any responses to the classic motorcycling press.
I can also add that in the last version of the Honda CB750K1 seat you officially sold, Genuine part number 77200-300-030A, there was a safety issue in that there was no form of security fastener on the screw retaining the pillion strap, which was present on the original part and is also fitted to the Japanese reproduction part I have seen. Therefore the fastening screw could easily unscrew. I did telephone you some years ago, alerting you of this fact.
Kind regards,
Ashley Derrick . East Yorkshire UK
Forum member ‘ashimotoK0’ on
www.sohc.co.uk [ Guests cannot view attachments ]
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