Report From Japan
REPORT FROM JAPAN
BY W. B. SWIM
JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE manufacturers continue to produce and export more and more machines, the latest official figures reveal, but the rise in production figures is beginning to flatten out a bit. The official statistics for the six months from January to July 1st this year, just released, show a production gain of only 11 percent, as compared with the same six months last year. This is somewhat less of an increase than the industry has become accustomed to in recent years. Exports continue to hold up well, however, with a jump of 28 percent by number of machines, but a big leap of 47 percent by value. More and more larger (and more costly) motorcycles are being sold abroad. Japan’s makers produced 1,110,545 motorcycles and 14,806 scooters during this six months and exported 609,192 plus 1,080 to rake in $123,631,823 in overseas sales.'As usual, the United States was the best market, buying 387,531 machines, or nearly 70 percent of Japan’s exports, for $87,926,200.
Honda (“world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer”) was way out in front in both production and export figures, with about four times its nearest competitor. Suzuki was second on the production end, but Yamaha was second in exports. To take the production figures first, Honda punched out 756,956 machines, followed by Suzuki with 189,893, Yamaha with 184,763, Bridgestone with 41,461, Kawasaki with 37,378 and Lilac with 94. Fuji Heavy Industry turned out 14,806 Rabbit scooters. The export line-up was: Honda, 393,267; Yamaha, 90,154; Suzuki, 82,962; Bridgestone, 29,392; Kawasaki, 13,325 and Lilac, 92. Scooter sales abroad were reported to be 1,080.
It is rather interesting to check the production figures by sizes of motorcycles. A quick glance shows the under 50cc class is still barely out in front, but the 90cc class has nearly caught up. Here’s a quick run-down:
A few bits of news can be gleaned from a close study of each company’s production figures during this six months. For instance, the biggest month for the over 251cc class of motorcycles was February’s 17,171 and production was down to 9,437 by June. Checking the makers, the reason is found to be a cut-back by Honda. Their figures for the six months were: Jan. 14,309; Feb. 15,483; Mar. 11,441; Apr. 7,818; May 8,154; June 7,069. Meanwhile, Yamaha ranged between a low of 1,644 in February to a high of 2,531 in May and ended with 1,917 in June. Kawasaki began with a handful of 15 in January, climbed steadily to a high of 460 in May, then dropped back to 421 in June. The 126-250cc class started with 16,676 in January, inched up each month to a high of 25,077 in May, and then dropped dramatically down to 16,247 in June. The reason for the June drop was a sudden cut-back by Honda from 16,543 in May to 7,314 in June. Meanwhile, Suzuki, maker of the hot-selling 250cc X-6, showed a steady monthly increase from 1,535 in January up to a high of 4,229 in June. Top month for the 51-125cc class, which is mostly 90cc bikes, was April with 117,912. This dropped to 111,095 by June, mostly from a decline from 22,058 to 18,713 by Yamaha, although Honda was also off a couple of thousand and Kawasaki was down 600 or so. The only significant item in the under-50cc category was a 20,000 jump by Honda in June, when the new OHC model of the step-through machine was begun. Honda’s May figure of 38,824 and June production of 60,390 tell the story, to leave this class on a high note of 86,301 bikes in June, well up from the low of 52,430 in February.
One of the reasons for the knock-down, drag-out fight developing between the two motorcycle sports organizations in Japan — the Motorcycle Club Federation of All Japan (MCFAJ) and the Motorcycling Federation of Japan (MFJ) — was the MCFAJ’s plan to exchange four or five top scrambles riders between Japan and the U.S. this year. MFJ, which is supported by Japan’s five big manufacturers, found it hard to stomach the sending of Japan’s top scrambles riders to Japan’s biggest export market with the resultant publicity (and extra sales for Japanese makers). The maker-supported MFJ ought to be doing such work itself on behalf of the manufacturers, rather than letting the sports enthusiasts’ group do it. Since the MFJ is FIM-affiliated and the AMA is not, however, the MFJ is not in much of a position to aid the Japanese makers in the American market. Rather than let the MCFAJ do so (and earn the appreciation of the makers), the MFJ let it be known they didn’t look with favor on the MCFAJ plan to send Japan’s top four scramblers to the U.S. to ride in AMA events. Since all top scramblers are factory riders, all the makers had to do was not allow the riders to make the trip to the U.S. and take their factory-owned scramblers with them. This then was the end of this half of the MCFAJ plan, and the trip to the U.S. is definitely off this year, although plans are already being made for next year. The MCFAJ still plans to invite top American scramblers for the 16th All-Japan Motocross national championship races, even though they won't be able to send Japanese riders to the U.S. until next year.
MCFAJ called an emergency meeting of its officials, to discuss the troubles with the MFJ. They decided to hold off taking any drastic action immediately, and hold another meeting in a month or so after all the districts have had a chance to hold district conferences and hear the opinions of the member clubs. The possibility of excluding maker teams from fu-
ture events was discussed, and one district already has informed its clubs that it will not accept entries from riders on factory payrolls at its future district races. Things ought to come to a head about ten days after this is being written, when the MFJ scheduled a big motocross event at Fuji Speedvyay, in conflict with a nearby MCFAJ-s^nctioned event. The MCFAJ was expected to do its best to keep riders away from the MFJ race, and this day promises to, be. a test of the. power of the two organizaTfons.
Honda’s Mike Hailwood won the 1966 World Championship in 250cc Grand Prix racing when he was first to the checkered flag at the Czech CP. He had won seven in a row, and only the best seven performances count toward the championship in this class this year. Honda, naturally, is quite happy. It is also quite confident of clinching the other three classes run at the Japan Grand Prix before that event is scheduled, so the factory will have a good excuse not to participate at Fuji Speedway. It will be easy to say there is no point in it if all the championships are already decided before the Japan GP. The real reason they don’t want to run at Fuji Speedway, of course, is because that is where the GP is to be held this year instead of at the Honda-built Suzuka Circuit, where all the Japan Grand Prix races have been held to date. Meanwhile, an official of the MFJ assures CYCLE WORLD the Japan GP can be held at Fuji Speedway without the participation of Honda. FIM rules require at least six entries in each class, and no other Japanese factory has contested a 350cc race. The MFJ has a budget three times as large as last year, an official told your correspondent, and can afford to invite a sufficient number of foreign riders from Europe to fill out the program.
(Continued, on page 116)
The only new machine making its appearance since the last issue is a 238cc scrambler from Kawasaki. It made a splashing debut by winning the open class at the rain-soaked 15th All-Japan Motocross races. Like all factory racers, details are hard to come by. Horsepower is thought to be around 28 hp at 6,000 rpm, and the torque is said to be the highest of any motorcycle made in Japan, bar none. The bore and stroke are secret, but the stroke is thought to be over 2.80 inches on this 2-stroke single. Weight is a low 198 pounds. The front fork is a Ceriani type, but slightly modified and made by Kawasaki. The scrambler mounts a 2.7321 front tire and a 4.00-18 on the rear. The crankcase is from the Kawasaki 175cc F-2 and the fuel tank from the 85cc J-l, with other bits and pieces, including the double-cradle pipe frame, being made especially for this new scrambler. For the present, this one is strictly a factory team machine, but Kawasaki has been good about turning out production scramblers for general sale, so there’s a chance we may be seeing a lot of them before too long, in Japan at least and possibly in the United States as well.
The new Kawasaki’s win in the open class was the only one they garnered at the 15th All-Japan Motocross races, held way up in northern Japan about as far away from Tokyo as you can get without running into the Russians. Suzuki had a good day, winning five races, and Yamaha ended up with three first place trophies. Cecil Robison of the TMA district’s Tokyo All Stars club, spun and skidded his Honda 305cc scrambler to sixth place in the novice 250cc race, for the only trophy won by the nine Americans who made the long drive up from the Tokyo area. It was also the only trophy taken by a Honda motorcycle that day. Of the five American entries from nearby Misawa Air Base, only Charles Hadley managed a trophy, with a 6th in the novice 125cc riding a Suzuki. The novice top club award was won by the local Tohoku Suzuki Speed Club, but the senior top club award went to Bridgestone’s Yellow Helmet Club, the first time it had been won by anyone other than Suzuki’s Johoku Riders Club.
The MCFAJ presented 64 trophies, and they went mostly to Suzuki riders, who took 27. Kawasaki garnered 15; Yamaha, 12; Bridgestone, 9 and Honda, 1. Riding the winning Kawasaki 238cc machine in the Open race was Takashi Yamamoto. Novice rider Michio Takahashi and his Suzukis found the driving rain and slippery mud to their liking and doubled by winning both the 90cc and 50cc events. Yamaha-mounted Seiji Soma copped the novice 250cc and Minoru Saito and his Yamaha won the novice 125cc race. All seven of the MCFAJ scrambles experts were participating, and they won all the senior events, wiping out the junior riders completely. The 250cc went to Suzuki’s Matushisa Kojima, the 125cc to Suzuki’s Kinjiro Yajima, the 90cc to Yamaha’s Kazuyuki Miyoshi and the 50cc to Suzuki’s Tateo Enomoto. The MCFAJ drew 263 entries to this national event, even way up north.
The MCFAJ’s First Fuji Motocross was the second race to be held on the volcanic ash Fuji Speedway course, following the 14th All-Japan Motocross held there a couple of months earlier. This district race drew 235 entries, including 37 American riders. Only three of the Americans trophied: Larry Pratte (KMC, Honda), 7th; Ed Tanner (SMC, Honda), 8th; and Cecil Robison (TAS, Honda), 10th in the novice 250cc race. Robison was 12th and Tanner, 14th in the Open event.
Junior rider Hidenao Ogawa won the Open riding his new 250cc Greeves, which is the only foreign motorcycle competing in scrambles events in Japan. He has only had it for about three weeks, and this was the first time he had ridden it after changing the controls over so they are now like the Japanese machines. He rode circles around some of Japan’s expert riders, which ought to shake the factories up a bit. Unfortunately, he was a nonentry in the All-Japan, because it was so far from his work in Tokyo, he couldn’t spare the five days required for the trip.
Expert Yamaha rider Kazuyuki Miyoshi was in fine form and won both the senior 250cc and senior 125cc races. Bridgestone riders nabbed the other two senior events, with Kazuo Shimizu in the 90cc and Masaru Akamatsu in the 50cc. Tatekuni Iijima found the volcanic hills just right for his Yamaha in the novice 250cc race and Tsuneo Miyashiro won the novice 125cc handsomely on his Yamaha.
Bridgestone rider Kenichiro Aoki won the novice 90cc race and Honda got its only win of the day in the novice 50cc, won by Izumi Sugimoto.
There was one rider with long blonde hair slipping out from under her helmet,
as a woman scrambler showed up for the first time in years. This was the first
time on a scrambles course for Tohatsumounted Mrs. Dian Tanner, petite 19year-old mother of three tots. A bit of
excitement for the dead engine start saw 35 of the machines get off the line in a cloud of dust. Mrs. Tanner’s Tohatsu wasn’t in neutral when the starter’s flag dropped and she was well in the rear by the time she got off the line, and couldn’t make up enough to get into the trophywinning first ten by the finish of the
five-lap race. This TMA race also saw
the first handicap race ever run on a scrambles course in Japan. The first six place winners of the four novice classes were put on the starting line and waved off by the flagman by class at 15to 20second intervals. Officials had been timing all of the day's races to try to handicap the different size machines, but the result was a run-away by the 125cc scramblers, who grabbed the first four places, with Yamaha-mounted Seiji Honma the winner.
Eleven American riders showed up for the 16th Kanagawa Motocross contested by nearly 200 riders in the bed of the rocky Zama River, but only one took a trophy home. Sagami Motorcycle Club’s Ed Tanner took 4th in the novice 250cc race, riding a Honda. ■
