Honda Juno
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The Honda Juno is a scooter. Two versions were produced, the K-series of 1954 (K, KA, KB), and the M-series of 1962 (M80, M85).


Juno K

The Juno K was a deliberately elaborate bike in 1954. It was Honda's first scooter and would be competing with the well established
Fuji Rabbit The Fuji Rabbit is a motor scooter produced in Japan by Fuji Heavy Industries (now Subaru Corporation) from 1946 through 1968. The Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan rates the Fuji Rabbit S-1 model introduced in 1946 as one of their ''240 ...
and
Mitsubishi Silver Pigeon The Mitsubishi Silver Pigeon is a series of scooters made in Japan by Mitsubishi between 1946 and 1963.
. It featured the first electric start, a full windscreen with a tilt-back sun-shade, and built-in signal lamps. It also introduced
Fibre-Reinforced Plastic Fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP; also called fibre-reinforced polymer, or in American English ''fiber'') is a composite material made of a polymer matrix reinforced with fibres. The fibres are usually glass (in fibreglass), carbon (in carbon-fib ...
body construction to Japan. Only 5,980 were produced in a year and a half. Kihachiro Kawashima, who retired as executive vice-president in 1979, remembered the bike as a "splendid failure": it was too expensive, the engine overheated, the FRP body was heavier than expected and made the bike underpowered and clumsy, the new cantilevered suspension was problematic, and customers did not like the motorcycle-style clutch operation. The final Juno KB model can be distinguished by enlarged rear vents and new vents added to the windscreen. Technology developed for the Juno K would be applied to later bikes. The electric start was re-introduced with the C71 Dream in 1957, and the new Plastics department under Shozo Tsuchida developed polyethylene components that would distinguish the Super Cub.


Juno M80/M85

The Juno M80/M85 was a different approach, introduced in November 1961. Unlike the K-series, there is no upper windscreen, the engine is an exposed horizontal-twin rather than an enclosed fan-cooled unit, and the body construction is conventional
monocoque Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, ...
steel rather than FRP panels over tube. The M80/M85 also introduced a clutchless Badalini-type hydraulic-mechanical transmission which would provide the basis for the later
Hondamatic :''See also list of Honda transmissions for other Hondamatics'' The Hondamatic (also called the H2) was Honda's first semi-automatic transmission. It was produced from 1973 through 1988. The ''Hondamatic'' name continued to be used on fully-auto ...
motorcycle transmissions. The M80 and M85 are essentially the same vehicle, with the M85 designation indicating a mid-year engine enlargement. The Juno was discontinued by year-end with only 5,880 produced.


See also

*
List of motorcycles of the 1950s This a listing of motorcycles of the 1950s, including those on sale, introduced, or otherwise relevant in this period. * AJS 18 (1949-1963)


References

;Footnotes ;Sources * Juno K-series specifications from these Honda pages on 2008-02-22:
http://www.honda.co.jp/factbook/motor/SCOOTER/19810707/005.html


** ttp://world.honda.com/collection-hall/2r/junok_1954.html http://world.honda.com/collection-hall/2r/junok_1954.html* Juno M-series specifications from these Honda pages on 2008-02-22:
http://www.honda.co.jp/factbook/motor/SCOOTER/19810707/005.html


**[https://web.archive.org/web/20080130031207/http://world.honda.com/collection-hall/2r/junom85_1962.html https://web.archive.org/web/20080130031207/http://world.honda.com/collection-hall/2r/junom85_1962.html]


External links

*
Gallery detailing the restoration of a Juno M85
{{Honda
Juno Juno commonly refers to: *Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods *Juno (film), ''Juno'' (film), 2007 Juno may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters *Juno, in the film ''Jenny, Juno'' *Ju ...
Motor scooters Motorcycles powered by flat engines Motorcycles introduced in 1954 Motorcycles introduced in 1962