Honda Dream Type D
Honda's first complete motorcycle paired a maroon pressed-steel frame with a clever clutch that let the rider change gear using one foot.
Honda Dream D.jpg · Rikita · CC BY-SA 3.0
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More than a set of wheels.
Honda launched the Dream D-Type in August 1949, only a year after Honda Motor Co. was founded. Unlike the firm's earlier auxiliary bicycle engines, the D-Type was conceived as a full motorcycle, with its own engine and pressed-steel frame. Honda also experimented with a powered assembly conveyor. The easy clutch initially won buyers, but holding the pedal down to stay in low gear tired riders on hills; combined with recession in Japan, that weakness helped cause Honda's first business crisis. The lessons mattered: Honda learned that an ingenious idea still had to be comfortable in everyday use.
Look a little closer.
The lever where riders expected a clutch was actually the front brake—the D-Type had no hand-operated clutch at all.
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Easy to start riding, tiring to keep climbing
Honda connected a wet cone clutch to the gear-change pedal so a beginner did not have to coordinate a hand lever. Pressing the pedal one way selected low and the other way selected high, but the mechanism returned to neutral when the rider released it. That meant a long hill demanded constant foot pressure. The idea made the motorcycle approachable, yet the awkward hill behavior showed why ease of operation must be tested over a whole journey.
Source: Honda Heritage · The Appearance of a Full-fledged Motorcycle, the Dream D-Type ↗Pressed steel was a manufacturing decision
Most Japanese motorcycles then used tubular frames. Honda formed the D-Type's open channel from sheet steel, reducing welding and helping keep parts consistent when good steel tube was difficult to obtain. The same production-minded approach included die-cast engine parts and a step-moving conveyor. The D-Type therefore records not only a new motorcycle but Honda's early attempt to design the factory and the product together.
Source: Honda Heritage · The Appearance of a Full-fledged Motorcycle, the Dream D-Type ↗Where these facts come from
- Honda · Dream D-Type 1949 period-catalogue facsimile
- Honda Heritage · The Appearance of a Full-fledged Motorcycle, the Dream D-Type
- Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan · Honda Dream D-Type
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed October 2, 2026.