Honda CR110 Cub Racing
In case you missed last week’s episode, motorbike’s weekly iM Cubaholic series covers everything about the iconic Honda Cubs. The Cub is one of the most important bikes in both the motorcycle and Honda’s history. Honda changed the way people look at riding motorcycles with the introduction of the Super cub and the ad campaign “You meet the nicest people on a Honda” back in the 1950s. Since then, Honda has sold over 100 million Cubs with a large Cub lineup/variants where some models are barely known. In this series, we cover everything from both known and unknown Cub models to their; history, specs, features and many more. Are you a Cub addict? well, this is something you wouldn’t want to miss!
On this week’s episode of iM Cubaholic, we are featuring one of Honda’s earliest race machine, the Honda CR110 Cub Racing from the 60s. Does it have the credibility to carry the name, “Racing”? Well, let’s find out.
In 1962, nearly 13 years after the world championship was founded, a 50cc class was introduced to the World GP. In this class, most of the manufacturers were all about 2-stroke engines that pump out a lot of power. Honda’s RC110 Grand Prix racer, on the other hand, featured a 49.9cc DOHC 4-Valve single-cylinder 4-stroke engine.
The development of the CR110 began in 1960 and the RC110 was prototyped and developed based on the roadgoing Honda Sports Cub. However, referred as the “Precision machine”, the Honda RC110 featured a smaller cylinder 4 valve race-ready engine compared to the Sports Cub. In case you never heard of the Sports Cub, check out our previous episode where we featured the Honda Sports Cub.
Following the development, in November 1961, Honda showcased the RC 110 during the Tokyo Motor Show. The RC 110 made its first GP debut at the 1962 Spanish GP in Barcelona where Honda fitted the bike with a 6-speed gearbox. However, the two-strokers overshadowed the 4-stroke RC 110.
For the French GP, a week later, Honda suited the bike with an eight-speed gearbox! And no, it didn’t stop there, three weeks later, a new bike arriver with 9 gears and it was capable of revving up to 17,000 rpm! The bike managed to hit an average top speed of 120 km/h around the TT course and finish 2nd and 3rd at the Finnish GP.
While the RC 110 was battling on the race track, in May 1962, Honda went on to manufacture a 50cc race-spec bike called Honda CR110 Cub Racing for the public. Honda’s aim with this bike was to deliver a race-ready bike to get people interested in fast machines and racing.
Honda went with the name “CR 110 Cub Racing” because the bike featured a 50cc engine and at that time the 50cc engine class synced in with the Cub’s name. Aside from this, the crankcase was based on the Sports Cub C110, so Honda added “110” in the name.
Speaking of the Honda CR110 Cub Racing, the CR110 Cub featured a 49.9cc DOHC 4 value engine just like RC 110 Grand Prix racer. Mated to an 8-speed gearbox, the CR110 Cub Racing was capable of producing 8.5 hp at 13,500 rpm.
On the other hand, the Super Cub and the Sports Cub featured a 49cc OHV 2 valve engine and produced 4.5 hp and 5 hp respectively. The CR110 . weighed only 61 kg and Honda spec’d the CR110 for racing much like the current “HRC Variants” with race-ready chassis, bodywork, handlebar, seat and other necessary racing components. As an option, Honda also offered a full aluminium race cowl with the CR110.
Honda also released a roadgoing scrambler version of the CR110 which retained essential safety components and weighed 75 kg. Aside from this, the Scrambler variant came with a 5-speed gearbox, side muffler and a roadster style handlebar suited for city riding. Featuring the same engine as the Cub Racing, the roadgoing Scrambler variant made 7 hp at 12,700 rpm.
The Honda CR110 was sold in Japan and markets outside of Japan as well. It was sold for 170,000 yen [ 1,600 USD / MYR 6,748 current exchange rate] in Japan whereas the Honda Sports Cub C110 was sold for 58,000 yen [ 553 USD/ MYR 2,300 current exchange rate]. The Honda CR110 Cub Racing instantly became popular among youngsters, however, with the hefty price tag and the limited production run, the CR110 Cub Racing was only seen on magazines and circuits mostly. According to sources from Japan, only 246 units of CR110 Cub were ever produced, making it one of the rarest and most desirable Honda Cub on the planet.
Source: MotorFan Japan