Honda Feels the Green

(This is an unchanged new 90cc for comparison.)



Well, File this under the heading, 'Fixed when wasn't broken'. Honda has made some, in my opinion unsightly, and misguided changes to the Super Cub Standard and Press Cub and Little Cub.

My precious Super Cub Street is unchanged as of yet, thankfully. But I fear it's only a matter of time. Maybe next year's model?

Yes, that big bad monster known as Global Warming (® Trademark) has forced Honda to implement some design changes to the Cub making it less powerful, slower, and with lower fuel mileage ratings. Wonderful. Sounds great, doesn't it?

It now contains an electronic computerized fuel injection system called PGM-FI (Programmed Fuel Injection System)

To achieve: "global environment-friendly for an even more dependable, more comfortable Cub series" "and the atmospheric conditions such as engine revolutions, the computer is always ideal fuel usage control. Optimal timing and amount of fuel supply, so the engine performance out efficiently."

Hogwash. In other words, performance is sacrified in the name of being green, so called. Here's an idea, why not just scrap the delivery bike all together, and go back to rickshaws and handcarts? You get green and in-shape at the same time.

Let't take a look at the new "improved" AA02E engine system:

Went from

POWER:
(kw[PS]/rpm) From 2.9 [4.0] /7,000 to 2.5 [3.4]/7,000


TORQUE:
(N・m[kg・m]/rpm) From 4.7[0.48]/4,500 to 3.8 [0.39]/5,000


FUEL MILEAGE:
(km/L) From 130.0 km/liter to 110.0 km/liter


FUEL CAPACITY:
(Liters) From 4.0 to 3.4


Now, that's progress! If that wasn't bad enough, and I'm not all a numbers guy, appearance is very important, so when they start messin' around withe the design, I take notice.

They've colored the engine black (why not green?) and added a cheap looking leg guard over the tailpipe to replace the bar type guard. The mount for the tailpipe is now a bumpy chrome, rather than black as it used to be.

Now, the bike looks more plastic and more like the Yamaha Mate.

And if that weren't enough, it's now more expensive than ever, breaking the 200,000yen mark for a basic barebones Cub. More for Custom, Deluxe, Press varieties.

Now, my bet is, this new bike will actually use and waste more fuel due to its lower power to weight ratio, and in the end contribute more to so called global warming than the previous model.

Soichiro would not be proud.

Links (note the cut off point in the pics on their splash pages. Clearly, they are using older photos that don't have the new black engine. What does that say?)

Super Cub Standard
Specs

Super Cub "Press Cub"
Specs

Little Cub
Specs
To be fair, the black engine with the black color scheme in the Little Cub matches well.



And the last holdout and UNCHANGED Super Cub:
Super Cub "Street" Type
Specs

UPDATE: Ok, scratch that. Honda no longer offers the "Street" designation of the Super Cub Standard. I guess that makes mine that much more unique and hard to find. :)