- Tough Japanese emissions regulations and the rising popularity of electric mopeds have doomed 50cc motorbike sales.
- Report says that Honda will kill off the iconic Super Cub 50 and other small-capacity mopeds.
- The Super Cub name will likely stick around for larger-capacity versions like the Super Cub C125.
Honda, a company founded on motorized bicycles, has revealed that it will exit the small moped market in 2025. The move is understood to be due to tough emissions regulations that will be in effect in the Japanese market later that year.
Japan has decided to crack down on the emissions emitted by motorcycles and mopeds with engines under 50cc. Due to the nature of these small-capacity engines, designing a catalytic converter for such mopeds would be challenging, both from technical and cost perspectives.
Read: Honda America Launches 2024 Monkey, Super Cub C125, And Three New ATVs
Thanks to the advent of e-bicycles, the sales of small mopeds have slumped. Nikkei Asia reports that last year’s sales of 92,824 mopeds were a shadow of the category’s peak in 1982 when over 2.78 million units were shipped. Honda still commands an 80 percent market share of mopeds in Japan.
Despite models like the original Super Cub—voted the world’s greatest motorcycle by numerous polls and media outlets—being a huge part of the Japanese company’s heritage, Honda doesn’t see a way to keep 50cc mopeds in production. Over 110 million examples of the Super Cub have been made since it was introduced, making it the best-selling motor vehicle on the planet.
In addition to dwindling costs, the additional parts required to make the small-capacity bikes compliant with the new emissions laws would push pricing up from around 200,000–300,000 yen ($1,250—$1,880) to the same price as larger-capacity 125cc bikes.
Honda Japan currently sells a range of mopeds under 50cc, including the Super Cub, Cross Cub, Benly scooter, and junior motorsports-oriented CRF50F. However, it won’t be the end of the Super Cub name just yet, with larger-capacity variants, including the Super Cub C125, likely to be kept on offer for the time being.
