Honda Classics

[ST1100]

might be worth a look or two:

https://www.honda-classics.co.uk/

(I've bought tools and stuff in the past, and they're really well made...)

[Laverdaroo]

I've had stuff from them in the past, good firm and quick postage. I second the quality too

[Bryanj]

Regularly buy stailess caliper pistons, cheaer direct than via ebay

[AshimotoK0]

It's owned Roger Etcell  who was once high up at Honda UK. He also works for David Silver's museum (curator) and adviser to Bonhams auctions.

If you read the attached article featured in VJMC Tansha Magazine it tells you all about him.

It's a really interesting read and quite amusing  .. particularly the bit about about the actress  Liz Frazer

[Sesman]

Thanks for that article Ash. An interesting and amusing read.

[andy120t]

I like the early adverts on the website. Does anyone know of an earlier one than the 1959 one?

[AshimotoK0]

This letter to Maico UK in 1959 is a fascinating bit of Honda in the UK history.

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Ken Blakey's in Hull  were one of the 1st small Honda dealers. I got this below off one of his partner's sons.

" In the late 50s, British motorcycles dominated the market, and try as he might, non of the British manufactures were prepared to give an agency to Ken or my father. They had several agencies for foreign motorcycles, and in about 1956 took on the agency for a German firm called Maico, who produced the Micomobile, and the Micoletta. My father visited the Maico factory in Germany, to set up the agency, and while there, the chief executive said to him"We have some funny little Japanese motorcycles that you may be interested in" My father said we can maybe give them a try, and imported several of them into the UK, through a firm called "Hondis Ltd".(note not Honda) the first imports were C100s, C102s (C100 with an electric start) CB92 Benly's and a little later C72 Dreams. Sales took off like a house on fire, and the rest is history, much to the chagrin of the UK motorcycle manufacturers, who bent over backwards to ask my father to take on their franchises, but as you can imagine, my father told them where to put their agencies, after so many rejections in the past. It may be that my father was the first person to import Honda into the UK, and the rest is history. "

Below C100 step-through , 'Monkey' bike &  C115 Honda 50 sports

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

It's owned Roger Etcell  who was once high up at Honda UK. He also works for David Silver's museum (curator) and adviser to Bonhams auctions.

If you read the attached article featured in VJMC Tansha Magazine it tells you all about him.

It's a really interesting read and quite amusing  .. particularly the bit about about the actress  Liz Frazer

A very interesting bio - more so as I used to own a Maico Letta 250 scooter a 1964 model A regd..

[andy120t]

I have the Triumph book somewhere which includes the Edward Turner report about Japanese manufacturers and the threat they posed. Written in 1960, and clearly from that great picture of Blakeys they were already here selling their tiddlers. The thin end of the wedge, as we now know, and the British manufacturers were happy to think that the easy-to-start little bikes would simply form a stepping stone for learners to move up to an oily thumper without indicators or electric start!