See that simple mechanical beauty above? That's the Dream Type-D, the first mass-produced motorcycle from Honda. It came with a 98cc two-stroke single putting out 3 hp and weighed as much as a malnourished hummingbird. Sixty-five years later, Honda has sold its 300 millionth motorcycle: a 900-pound, 1,832cc behemoth with iPod connectivity.
Times, they have changed.
Since 1949 Honda has sold every two-wheeled conveyance you can imagine, from the Honda 50 Super Cub that mobilized the world to liter bikes that inspired countless squids. The term "superbike" was coined for the CB750 and the freakishly lovable Ruckus is now just slightly less adorable than the Grom. And then there's the bike that put Honda over the 300 million mark this year: the Goldwing.
That beast of a cruiser is celebrating its 40th birthday next year, complete with a five-speed (with reverse), a 66.5-inch wheelbase, cruise control, an airbag, and more electronic gizmos than a thoroughly spec'd Lexus. Even the damn clock links up with the sat-nav to change automatically when you ride into another time-zone.
I'm generally not a big fan of infographics, but Honda put together a great look back at how it hit that 300-million motorcycle milestone. Check it out below while considering that the best selling cars of all time – the Ford Model T, VW Beetle, Toyota Corolla, and VAZ-201 – only managed to sell a little over 97 million... combined.