Honda's Kumamoto Factory Resumes Motorcycle Production

Dennis Chung
by Dennis Chung

Honda‘s main motorcycle factory is back to full operation with the company’s motorcycle production lines up and running once again. The factory in Kumamoto, Japan, had been returning to operation in stages following a magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck the region in April. The motorcycle production facilities were the hardest hit and had been running on partial volume since June 6.

Volumes returned to normal on Aug. 22 with the return of the “FUN line” which produces most of Honda’s large motorcycles including the Africa Twin, Gold Wing and the CBR1000RR ( and likely its eventual successor) so the reduced production levels had serious consequences for Honda’s sales.

Parts supply was one of the first operations to return, with production resuming May 6. The Kumamoto factory also produces power products which resumed operations on May 13.

The plant also produced mini-vehicle engine parts which were then shipped to a separate facility for assembly. The earthquake disrupted that supply chain and mini-vehicle production is still behind schedule. To help catch up, Honda is transferring some of the work to its Suzuka factory.

Dennis Chung
Dennis Chung

Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.

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