Posts
221
Joined
8/16/2006
Location
Tokyo
JP
Fantasy
3874th
Edited Date/Time
10/3/2013 7:15am
I went to Honda's old bikes and cars museum, "Honda Collection Hall", in Motegi Twin Ring Circuit last week.
I had only 2 hours, and me being the only visitor the whlole time, a security guy was keeping close eye on me not getting inside or thatching anything. I couldn't get too close to the bikes, not that I know how to take photos, but here it is for you guys to enjoy.
Motegi is about 2 hour drive from Tokyo. middle of nowhere.... I had a meeting in the morning in town near by, had dumpling lunch which the town is famous for, and head to Motegi.
Welcome to TwinRingMotegi! 1200yen at the gate. Museum is free.
It was snowing in the morning and very cold day. whole place was empty.
Motegi has a few Road Courses, Indy track, Cart Track, Dirt Oval, Trial Park, Kids rides, Museum, Hotel, Restrant, Cafe.
Everything but Motocross track.
Wet Dirt Oval. Nobody rides dirt track here, but Honda build this quality facility.
I think Honda only build this oval because they sold a bunch of FTR250 in 90's. Back then, a famous actor rode souped up FTR in TV soap opera, then it became cool to looking like a monkey riding them in Tokyo. now they all switched to so-called big scooter. Honda closed all 3 of their own motocross tracks in Japan and build dirt oval so it stay empty.
anyway, to next photo....
Across the street from Dirt Oval, there is a very nice museum building. I have been to Motegi a few times, but never had time to check it out. It closes too early, open from 10am to 4pm. Did I say it was free once you get in the gate?
Entrance Hall.
Collection Floor. 1st floor is entrance, ECO crap, shop, library, meeting rooms. 2nd floor, production cars and bikes. 3rd floor race cars and bikes. This is the 2nd floor.
Early 80's Works MX Bikes. All ridden by 9 time National Champion Yasuo Tofukuji.
Honda Road Racers.
Honda Formula One Cars from 1960's.
Scooters from 80's.
Old K-Cars. 354cc 4cy DOHC mini truck. 1963.
2000 CRF450. Tortelli debut it in Japanese National and won in Okegawa, as seen in TWMX mag then.
Looks surprisingly clean build or production like, the bike being a works bike.
but side number plate was black plastic with white paint. not production at all.
MC's bike looks stock..... compare to everything surrounding.
This 2x4 frame makes my arm pump looking at it.
1991 RC250MA.
It has an Automatic Transmission. Miyauchi won a Japanese Championship that year. Don't know what happen then with this project. Maybe it wasn't too good or too expensive?
Shift pedal is missing. Check out the aluminum/steel frame too.
1980 RC250M. Said the first Japanese National Championship winning Honda 250. I didn't know that.
If you guys like it, I'll post more photos later.
I had only 2 hours, and me being the only visitor the whlole time, a security guy was keeping close eye on me not getting inside or thatching anything. I couldn't get too close to the bikes, not that I know how to take photos, but here it is for you guys to enjoy.
Motegi is about 2 hour drive from Tokyo. middle of nowhere.... I had a meeting in the morning in town near by, had dumpling lunch which the town is famous for, and head to Motegi.
Welcome to TwinRingMotegi! 1200yen at the gate. Museum is free.
It was snowing in the morning and very cold day. whole place was empty.
Motegi has a few Road Courses, Indy track, Cart Track, Dirt Oval, Trial Park, Kids rides, Museum, Hotel, Restrant, Cafe.
Everything but Motocross track.
Wet Dirt Oval. Nobody rides dirt track here, but Honda build this quality facility.
I think Honda only build this oval because they sold a bunch of FTR250 in 90's. Back then, a famous actor rode souped up FTR in TV soap opera, then it became cool to looking like a monkey riding them in Tokyo. now they all switched to so-called big scooter. Honda closed all 3 of their own motocross tracks in Japan and build dirt oval so it stay empty.
anyway, to next photo....
Across the street from Dirt Oval, there is a very nice museum building. I have been to Motegi a few times, but never had time to check it out. It closes too early, open from 10am to 4pm. Did I say it was free once you get in the gate?
Entrance Hall.
Collection Floor. 1st floor is entrance, ECO crap, shop, library, meeting rooms. 2nd floor, production cars and bikes. 3rd floor race cars and bikes. This is the 2nd floor.
Early 80's Works MX Bikes. All ridden by 9 time National Champion Yasuo Tofukuji.
Honda Road Racers.
Honda Formula One Cars from 1960's.
Scooters from 80's.
Old K-Cars. 354cc 4cy DOHC mini truck. 1963.
2000 CRF450. Tortelli debut it in Japanese National and won in Okegawa, as seen in TWMX mag then.
Looks surprisingly clean build or production like, the bike being a works bike.
but side number plate was black plastic with white paint. not production at all.
MC's bike looks stock..... compare to everything surrounding.
This 2x4 frame makes my arm pump looking at it.
1991 RC250MA.
It has an Automatic Transmission. Miyauchi won a Japanese Championship that year. Don't know what happen then with this project. Maybe it wasn't too good or too expensive?
Shift pedal is missing. Check out the aluminum/steel frame too.
1980 RC250M. Said the first Japanese National Championship winning Honda 250. I didn't know that.
If you guys like it, I'll post more photos later.
Honda works bikes (and cars) are so bitchin'. I'd love to see them back in the USA again.
The Shop
I'll make my trip to Yamaha museum in Shizuoka someday. I heard it's not quite as nice though.
1981 RC125M
1979CR80 and 1981CR250. I guess I'm too young to understand why this 250 is important enough to be on display, other than first production liquid cooled model.
Oil leaking from CR250. It is amazing that all of bikes and cars on floor do run today. They'll probably take this bike off the floor soon, and replace with something else while getting fixed.
An old national picture. No.5 Honda looks like Yoshifumi Sugio on a bike I posted the photo earlier. He's a member of state assembly in Hyogo. Check out his photo. Don't look like a motocross champion.
1955 Rikuo RQ. Harley-Davidson copy. Rikuo means, King of the Land. I remember seeing the photos of my grandfather riding one. I was amazed my grandpa knew how to ride!
Freddy Spencer's Daytona bike.
Loved looks of this RC1000. Won Suzuka 8-hours in 1981.
Kawasaki. when they were red. It said it was 1967 A1-R, production race bike for Daytona and Mann.
1995 EXP-2. 402cc V-Twin 2st Dakar motorcycle. Strange bike.
1989 NXR 750
I remember Honda people testing this or similar bike in motocross track in late 80's.
1992 XR650 for Baja. Remember when this bike was the shit for Baja?
1959 RC160.
Nice clip-on.
This bike won the first official motorcycle race in Japan, near Mt. Asama. I used to go ride at this place till couple of years ago. I might go again this summer.
Now all the tree has grown.
Foot peg.
Nice.
Rainbow inner fork on trial bikes.
1972 Elsinore CR250M
1973 Elsinore CR125M
1974 Yamaha YZ125
1978 Elsinore CR125R
I didn't know Maserati family made motorcycles. It is 1948 Maserati 48 IL Rospo.
1965 RA272
I think this pipe is famous.
1966 RA273
Pipe.
Nose part.
1968 RA301
1968 RA302
Satoru Nakajima, ex-F1 driver, F-2 car from Japan days. 1981 March Honda 812. John Player Special paint is really cool.
1987 Motul Civic Si for Japan Turing Car Race.
1968 S800. I think this car had a chain drive, instead of drive shaft.
I don't think F1 and eco paint don't really go.
Hunter Cub C105H. Nice.
It said, "Larger rear sprocket for more climbing power!" I asked the attendant girl how it works, but she didn't know. Maybe you carry around extra set of chain with you?!? but it only had one counter shaft sprocket, so it won't line up. I don't know, but I liked the creativity.
1970 Vamos Honda. copy of VW, little smaller, I think.
To answer your question about the 1981 CR250. It and the smaller CR125 were Honda's first watercooled production bikes. But more importantly, the 81 CR125, CR250 and CR450 were the last bikes to carry the legendary Elsinore name.
This museum exhibit not only Honda, but anything they have and historically important.
They got Harley-Davidson and others too.
About the automatic RC, I'm guessing that this bike isn't "Automatic" in regular way, rather electric shift manual transmission like F1 or late model Ferrari. It had tons of wires behind the fuel tank.
The bike won the championship (well, Japanese one) against regular works machines, so it should be good enough.
and more photos. I forgot to post the Mallarbe's (sp?) bike.
1984 RC500M
fuel pump inside the tank?
TURBO
1979 NR500 (0X). I think #5 is Katayama's WGP bike.
Carbon fiber frame bike. Forgot to take the whole bike photo.
It might be a carbon fiber study bike?
You can listen to the sound of race bikes and F1 cars. sounds of no muffled 4st, small engine Honda are just amazing.
Beautiful bikes.
1962 Yamaha TD-1
Compare to Honda's 4st motor, Yamaha's 2st are so simple.
1980 Yamaha TZ125
1969 Kawasaki H1-R. It said it is race bike based on street 500SSMack-III. I love the name!
souvenir shop. Mostly Formula One, some road bike, no motocross stuff.
Library. tons of old Japanese car magazines. of course, no motocross.
OK, that's about it.
Tochigi visitor info
In Ibaragi Pref. there is Tsukuba Onsen which might be little closer.
Also, I used to work for Showa. I was told that when Honda wanted to restore a motorcycle, they would have the suspension set up with full factory level equipment, even though the bike would probably never be ridden.
Pit Row
I took alsmost an hour of video and 800 or so pictures. One day I will post the video on you tube.
From Tokyo Station you take a train to Utsunomiya. From Utsunomiya you have 2 options to get to Motegi. Either catch a taxi cab which takes about 45 minutes from the train station to the front door of the Honda Collection Museum OR take the bus. The bus takes about an hour and a half. If you take the bus you then have to catch a taxi cab from the Motegi bus station to the Motegi racetrack.
I opted to take the taxi from the train station to the front door of the museum. It cost me about $85 (US) but it was worth it.
I would recommend if you are taking a taxi and don't speak Japanese that you print out this page:
http://world.honda.com/collection-hall/info/index.html
Taxi drivers use GPS and in Japan, they can find locations based on phone numbers as long as it is a land line phone not cell phone.
the NR 500 roadrace bike from 79 is unic becouse the oval shaped pistons 8 valve tecnology and the RA301 F1 car from 1968 that John Surtees Joakim Bonnier and David Hobbs drived is a real beauty.
My son stepped if front of Tortelli as he was about to head back to the pits after the moto causing him to stall the bike.. he kicked and kicked and couldnt get it restarted with the bike backfiring. It didnt make a good impression as MX started down the road of 4 strokes.
Here is that last great Honda 250 piston port 2 stroke married to a new generation aluminum framed works bike. In my opinion, this was the best works bike ever built.. 250cc 2 stroke and the best 2 stroke engine that Honda ever built in the best handling frame with the best looking body work.
Tortelli had hurt his back at an AMA race just before coming to Japan, so we was rolling this big jump in the back much of the time as it didnt have much of a run up to clear it. Here he is clearing the jump after the muddy track tightened up a little.
Japan used to be a great place for an MX fan to run into prototypes at the track as well as bumping into old works bikes in the strangest places. I would see protypes at the track on weekdays when there was no one there. It would usually just be a factory rider and his mechanic trying out different prototype parts and they would be so bored out there by themselves, they were always happy to chat about the prototype parts. In the 1990's we used to get the opportunity to ride next years new models 6-12 mths before any one else. In those days, MX was thriving with men and women. It is a dying sport in Japan now, thanks to louder 4 strokes and the recession. I can remember riding my bicycle in the back woods of a resort town in Karuizawa one time only to see an old man wheel one of Akira Watanabe's old works bikes out of a little barn. I stopped to talk to him about and he took me into the old converted barn where he had a collection of old works bikes. It was cool to touch them as well as look.
This 93 or 94 RM125 has a one off aluminum frame well before Honda made one for thier CR250. Nice workmanship, but I heard at the time that it didnt work out as good as it looked. It woud be more than a decade later before Suzukis would see production aluminum frames.
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