The Big Four Museum Tour. Welcome to Japan and our virtual walk around of Japan’s Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki motorcycle museums.
This guide is based on our motorcycle ride through Japan during our round the world trip. The guides on this website are constantly updated by us and with info from contributors to keep them current, up-to-date and as helpful as possible.
Japan’s Motorcycle Museums
By Andy Davidson
Mad or Nomad - RTW motorcycle travellers
Japan’s bike boom in the ‘60s was so loud it nearly wiped out both the British and American motorcycle industries with one punch.
Japanese production skyrocketed. Their rapidly advancing technology, innovative design and affordable price tags continuously obliterated overseas competition until they crumbled, leaving only four manufacturers standing – the Big Four: Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki.
The two-wheeled titans still dominate today’s markets, selling millions of motorcycles worldwide every year. Japanese bikes are now so intrinsically woven into British motorcycling’s fabric that we forget their roots.
So, we visited each of the Big Four museums for a peek at their humble beginnings, pivotal machines, legendary race bikes and eclectic mix of exotica.
Visiting Japan’s motorcycle museums is like walking around a bank of jewels, these machines are exquisitely preserved slices of history, and here’s the best of the bunch…
Honda Motorcycle Museum
As the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer, King Honda takes the Big Four crown and has the most impressive castle (museum). And it’s not just hiding away in some back-alley trading estate either. Honda lovingly built the museum in their Twin Ring Motegi race track facility. Spend a tenner to enter the grounds and you can stroll round the museum for free.
Like a sweet cake, the museum is brimming with layer upon layer of deliciously preserved treats. Walk through the front door and you’re met by the stunning 1959 RC142. It was the first Honda to compete in the Isle of Man TT races, where Naomi Taniguchi took the bike into sixth place, won Silver Replica and helped Honda win the Manufacturers’ Team Award in their first ever race.
Keep going and it just gets better with specials like Honda’s first auxiliary engine powered bicycle and their first ever motorcycle – the D Type. It’s not all meticulously preserved old-school show pieces though. Head upstairs and you’re met with a prestigious HRC line-up, including rows of Freddie Spencer’s and Wayne Gardner’s bikes, two-stroke GP machinery, a selection of RC212Vs, Dakar racers, off-roaders, Formula 1 race cars (including Sir John Surtees’ car), scooters, tourers, sports cars and even lawnmowers! Hundreds of beautiful motorcycles are shown off under spotlights, all delicately wrapped in gorgeous paint. Honda’s Collection Hall is seriously impressive and a must-do pilgrimage for motorcycle lovers.
Did you know…
Soichiro Honda built his first bike in 1948 by strapping a modified WWII radio generator engine to a bicycle to help his wife on her long bicycle rides for the weekly shop. He ended up buying a batch of them to sell on and quickly sold out. So, he began developing his own engine instead – the Honda A-Type. Honda bought a small factory and set up shop, calling it Honda Motor Company…
Yamaha Motorcycle Museum
Nippon Gakki (now known as Yamaha Corporation) was originally a musical instrument manufacturer. During WWII, the firm built aircraft propellers and the end of the war had to put its metal work machinery and expertise to use elsewhere, deciding on the motorcycle business in 1955. The YA-1 was the company’s first bike, its director, Genichi Kawakami, created Yamaha Motor Co. as a spin-off and set to work in a small wooden factory with 150 employees.
The YA-1 was immediately entered into and won Japan’s two most prestigious races. Kawakami knew he was onto a winner, cemented Yamaha’s place as a formidable newcomer in the motorcycle scene and pushed Yamaha into the forefront of sports models like the YDS-1 (nicknamed Japan’s first sports model).
Yamaha’s pristine museum is set-up to showcase its sporting lineage. Mint racers line the three floors with a complete timeline of proud YA-1s all the way up to Rossi’s YZR-M1. And to top it off, the pianist on the centre piece Yamaha piano complete with mini orchestra playing Mozart’s Seventh Symphony is a nice touch.
Suzuki Motorcycle Museum
Michio Suzuki started up a loom company in 1909, and like Honda, started building clip-on bicycle engines after the War. And, like Yamaha, was late to the game with its first motorcycle in 1953 – the Diamond Free. The firm’s museum showcases its beginnings in the looming industry all the way through to its first motorcycle and car manufacturing facilities.
Kawasaki Motorcycle Museum
The Kawasaki Heavy Industries museum is an eye-opener… but not for its bikes. The motorcycle section is tiny compared to what else the firm showcases. While Kawasaki is the oldest of the Big Four, (dating back to 1878) it was the latest to join the motorcycle scene (in1962). The firm has always been rather busy manufacturing a long list of heavy goods, including: planes, trains, industrial robots, spacecraft, submarines, ships, tankers, helicopters, defence equipment, energy plants and so on. Luckily, they managed to find time to squeeze in the original H1, which shot Kawasaki to success… literally.
How to Visit Japans Motorcycle Museums
Honda Collection Hall
Stars: 5
Where: Motegi. Exact location
Entrance fee: £10
Nearby accommodation: Motegi hotels
Yamaha Communications Plaza
Stars: 4
Where: Hamamatsu. Exact location
Entrance fee: Free
Nearby accommodation: Iwata hotels
Suzuki Cultural History Museum
Stars: 3
Where: Hamamatsu. Exact locaton
Entrance fee: Free
Nearby accommodation: Hamamatsu hotels
Kawasaki Good Times World
Stars: 2
Where: Kobe. Exact location
Entrance fee: £5
Nearby accommodation: Kobe hotels
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Thank you for this excellent article on the Big 4 Motorcycle Museums. I will do my best to see as many as I can in a few weeks when I visit Japan.
Hi Martin,
Thanks for your comment and I’m really glad to hear you found this article helpful! And that’s brilliant to hear you’re off to Japan – what a beautiful country!
My favourite was the Honda museum – so don’t miss that one! Please report back on here with how you got on 🙂
Cheers and all the best,
Andy
Hey Andy , the Honda Collection Hall was fantastic , but a pain in the ass to get to . I went to Kobe on a Wednesday , and the Kawasaki Good Times World , was closed !!! Maybe next time .
Hi Martin,
Thanks for the comment! Great to hear you visited the Honda motorcycle museum! When you say it was a pain to get to, do you mean it was just far from anything or hard to get public transport there or you rode there and found it difficult to find? I ask as it may help other readers looking to visit.
And that’s a shame you missed the Kawasaki museum – but don’t worry, the Honda museum is way better so you got to see the best one!
Cheers mate,
Andy
I have a classic motorcycle. 1983 gpz550 H1. With only 7,000 kms on it. Something like this could be in a museum??? Since u don’t have one u could buy mine. ???
Hi Andy , I was in Tokyo , so I got the Shinkansen ( bullet train ) to the station , that has a private train line that goes to Motegi , once in Motegi , you can only get a cab to the Motegi Circuit , you pay 1800 yen per person to get into the Circuit . Then the Honda Collection Hall is free . I asked the staff to call me a cab to return to Motegi station . So for me , it was 3 trains and a cab ride . BUT WELL WORTH IT .
Hi Martin, thanks for the reply, very good of you to add all that info!
Ah, so in our case we were in Japan on our round the world trip and had our motorcycles so we just rode there, but yes that does sound like a massive pain having to get there using public transport! Didn’t think of that.
I appreciate you adding the info. Hope you’re enjoying Japan, cheers and all the best mate!
Andy
I love Japan, and the people and the bike scene there , off to England in 2 hours , then France and the Netherlands and Dubai before coming home .
Thank you so much for this article. I was hoping to take my husband on a guided tour of these museums in June when we visit Tokyo (or even just a couple). Can’t believe there is such little info online and no tours on Get Your Guide etc. There seems to be a huge gap in the market here! I know in Italy there are plenty of these types of tours. Anyway, I’ll see what I can organise but wanted to post to boost this up the Google search!
Hi Andy. Great article thanks. We’re visiting Japan in a couple of weeks and I think we’ll head to Honda! Hope you recall we met in Siam Reep, Cambodia, you were having a coffee and I saw your bike!
All the best.
Tony
Hi Tony! Great to hear from you! That’s brilliant you’re heading to Honda – definitely the best museum of the bunch. Please do report back on here and let us know how you get on. Hope you enjoy it.
And yes, I absolutely do remember! Cambodia feels like such a long time ago now.
Cheers and have fun in Japan!
Andy
Andy we didn’t have time to get to any of the museums. We’re planning return visit to Japan in ’28, I’ll do all of them…….
Tony
Very good write-up. I absolutely love this website.
Thanks!
Have video n pics of 1983 gpz550H1. With only 7,000 kms. For sale. Something japan museum doesn’t have??? An its cert, an road ready. Might be coming to japan next September or October. For one week visit amusement parks with family.