The Honda SS50 is a

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

manufactured by the

Honda Motor Company is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...

. Predecessors were the

OHV An overhead valve (OHV) engine, sometimes called a ''pushrod engine'', is a piston engine whose valves are located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier flathead engines, where the valves were located bel ...

C110/C11/C114 and

OHC An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion cha ...

S50. Produced from 1961 onwards, the Honda 50 Sport (type C110 and C111) variant of the Super Cub, laid out the basics of all future models: It had a pressed-steel frame, hydraulic front and rear forks, a OHV

four-stroke engine A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directio ...

. The cylinder was laid horizontally to optimise cooling. The final drive was

chain A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A c ...

running in an enclosed chain case. The S50 featured an all-new OHC alloy head engine. The SS50 replaced these in the late 1960s, using a new T-shaped frame with separate rear mudguard, and

telescopic A telescope is an instrument designed for the observation of remote objects. Telescope(s) also may refer to: Music * The Telescopes, a British psychedelic band * ''Telescope'' (album), by Circle, 2007 * ''The Telescope'' (album), by Her Space H ...

front forks to replace the leading links.

SS50

The SS50 replaced the OHV C110 and derivatives, with the SS standing for "Super Sports". Basically with the same form as the S50, it had a few upgrades: The first SS50s in the late 1960s, were delivered with chrome panelled tank, and frame painted in the same colour as the tank's paintwork. Later on they got a longer, thinner petrol tank in red, blue or yellow and a grey frame, and chromed mudguards. Introduced with a four-speed gearbox, the handlebar controls and switches corresponded to the high level of other Honda motorcycle models, made from cast aluminum, and a standard rear-view mirror. All three of these bikes came complete with a chromed high level exhaust and heat shield. The later five-speed SS50 had an extra gear and the engine was also tuned up making it faster and more competitive in the UK market. The frames of the later five-speed models were black differing to the grey of the four-speed. The last five-speed versions had a front

disc brake A disc brake is a type of brake that uses the calipers to squeeze pairs of pads against a disc or a "rotor" to create friction. This action slows the rotation of a shaft, such as a vehicle axle, either to reduce its rotational speed or to hol ...

instead of the twin drums used earlier.. As a

moped A moped ( ) is a type of small motorcycle, generally having a less stringent licensing requirement than full motorcycles or automobiles. The term used to mean a similar vehicle except with both bicycle pedals and a motorcycle engine. Mopeds typic ...

, to comply with the legal requirements in the United Kingdom and some other European countries, the SS50 was available with a pair of

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

-like pedals. The special pedal cranks allowed both pedals to be rotated forward, so that the pedals would form motorcycle-style footrests in normal operation. All Mopeds registered in the UK after 1 September 1977 were restricted to a maximum of , but did not legally need bicycle pedals.

Competition

The Honda SS50 varied greatly from its competitors in using a

, its global competitors the Suzuki AP50 - A50II and the Yamaha FS1E "Fizzy" used

two-stroke engines A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of t ...

. This made the SS50 slower on acceleration, but more reliable and economical.

Related models

The SS50 49 cc engine was also used in numerous related models including the ST series (minibike) and the Z series "monkey".

In Vietnam

The Honda SS50 is commonly known as a Honda 67, later Honda 72 (SS50V 1972 model) in Vietnam, particularly in the South.

References

;Footnotes ;Sources * SS50 Motorcycles introduced in the 1960s {{motorcycle-stub

SS50

Competition

Related models

In Vietnam

See also

References