INSIDE LOOK: Honda’s Secret Museum

Honda is the best-known name in ATVs, but is also a leader in UTVs, motorcycles, cars and power equipment. Honda’s private museum is a closely guarded secret; access is by invitation only—and invitations are rare. ATV UTV Action got a chance to view the current display and see some of the more interesting and unusual products Honda has made, so you’re invited along on the tour too!

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Honda knows a thing or two about making fast four-wheel vehicles that handle. The collection of successful race cars represents a small fraction of Honda’s car-racing experience.

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Honda’s Fourtrax 350 4×4 was one of the earliest 4×4 ATVs on the market, and its incredible popularity proved how huge the demand for 4WD quads is. This 1988 model precedes Honda’s longitudinal engine concept, which puts the engine’s crankshaft and driveshafts in line with the frame. Note the routing of the driveshaft to the front differential.

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Four-stroke outboard motors are common now, but Honda’s GB30 was very unusual in 1964. The 170cc, side-valve four-stroke produced three horsepower.

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To many, the Polaris Ace single-seat UTV seems revolutionary, but Honda offered the first solo UTV, the Odyssey, in 1977. The machine had trailing-arm front suspension with a bit more than 4 inches of travel up front and no rear suspension, except the tires and seat. The throttle and brake controls were on the unusual aircraft-like steering yoke. The Honda museum had this ’79 Odyssey on display.

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We’ve run photos of Honda’s groundbreaking first ATV, the 1970 ATC90, in ATV UTV Action, but Honda has a real live example of the 90cc three-wheeler in its museum.

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Honda’s first car for the American market, the 1970 N600, sold new for $1395. It was powered by a 600cc, air-cooled, twin-cylinder engine with 36 hp. It’s smaller, lighter and less powerful than the Pioneer 700 UTV!

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Most riders are familiar with Honda’s Big Red UTV, but the first Honda Big Red was a utility three-wheeler. The unusual trike was introduced in 1985 and had racks and reverse.

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The Super Cub, a lightweight 50cc motorcycle, was the best-selling vehicle in history, with over 30 million units produced.

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The Honda museum is gearhead heaven, with race engines like this Indy turbo V-8. The 2.65-liter engine produces a healthy 750-plus horsepower at 14,000 rpm.

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Honda’s tiny, lunchbox-sized, 1964 640 generator used a 21.2cc gas engine to produce 40 watts of power, enough to power a portable Sony micro TV that was introduced in the 1960s. Note the car keys shown for size comparison.

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The first-generation Rubicon 500 4×4 was equipped with Honda’s unusual hydrostatic transmission, the first fully automatic Honda ATV transmission with a manual shift mode.

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Honda’s museum holds some examples of vehicle concepts for the future. The three-seat P-NUT (Personal Neo Urban Transport) micro concept car was developed to explore efficient shapes, seating and powertrains for city cars. Electric, gas/electric and gas power are possibilities. Who knows, some of the engineering and styling ideas could appear on a future Honda UTV

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This first-generation Odyssey is powered by an air-cooled, two-stroke, 250cc engine. The engine had a pull starter, and the automatic transmission didn’t have reverse.

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