Synopsis: 
In 1906, Soichiro Honda was born in Hamamatsu, Japan. The son of a blacksmith who ran a shop repairing bicycles. Sochiro’s childhood dream was to be a champion in motor racing with a machine built by himself. Fast forward to the late 1950s and the grand prix motorcycle racing circuit is dominated by Italian and British motorcycle companies.

In 1959, after only 8 years of operation building affordable, low-powered motorbikes, the Honda Motor Company entered the famed Isle of Man TT motorcycle race for the first time in the “ultra-lightweight” class. Honda’s twin-cylinder, 125cc race bike finishes sixth overall, but captures the manufacturer’s trophy, sparking a watchful eye on Honda by the motorcycle racing circuit. The following decade led to heralded innovation in motorcycle technology by Honda that created a global pivot of racing and sales commanded by Japanese motorcycle companies over the British who had previously dominated the market.

This story captures a moment in Sochiro’s racing journey through one of his 60s-era prototype racing motorcycles that made its way to the U.S. after it was decommissioned and was considered long lost until it was discovered in the storage of a Honda dealership in the U.S. in the early 2000s. The 250cc prototype was a gift by Sochiro to an American motorcycle racer he recruited during Honda’s hey-day racing period in the 60s.

A unique “barn-find,” the motorcycle is now considered priceless.  Our story opens on a couple motorcycle enthusiasts who find the dusty bike that languished in storage for four decades. Their investigation of the bike’s origin and history unpeels several layers of Honda’s motorcycle racing triumphs not previously well-known to the public, and highlights Sochiro’s desire to build the best-selling motorcycle company in the world. 

Producers:
Falcon Media, Carousel

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