Honda's European success began in the Netherlands. In Amsterdam. That was in the pioneering days at the very beginning of the 1960s when crowds of people were still walking around who were convinced that motorcycles and cars from Japan could never have any right to exist.
In 1959, Honda introduced the 250 cc C72 Dream in Amsterdam. This was the first Japanese motorcycle that was officially exhibited in Europe. The public was surprised by the unusual pressed steel frame, the hinged rear bridge and the front suspension, the aluminum OHC engine block, the starter motor and the flashing light installation.
And until long after that, the Netherlands and Honda remained firmly connected. The Netherlands was Honda's bridgehead in the conquest of Europe.
That piece of history has now come to an end. First came Honda Benelux. From 2017 the Dutch market will be supplied from Frankfurt.
Maybe it is time to capture the history of Honda in the Low Countries in a book.
