Photo: Honda
Honda Motor Ltd. has been making tremendous efforts to resume production at its Kumamoto Factory after it got struck by an earthquake in April this year, forcing the facility to stop its activity and repair the damage.
After the quake, Kumamoto’s production halted on the night of April 14, only resuming the supply of parts for Honda production operations outside Japan in May. On June 6, the factory resumed assembly key motorcycle models at a reduced pace, and since then, the volume has increased in stages.
Now, the FUN line, a large-sized motorcycle models production line (including the Honda Africa Twin), is ready to resume production, thus normalizing the factory’s operations according to plan.
The first of the two earthquakes that hit the region in April was a 6.5 on the Richter scale, but the second one that occurred two days later was a 7.3 tremor that caused a lot of damage in the country, leaving dozens dead and many more missing.
Initially, the Japanese manufacturer declared that, if everything was alright, the factory would reopen within two days. Unfortunately, the inspections found out that the Kumamoto plant sustained damage and was in need of repairs.
After analyzing the situation, Honda said that the closure should be extended until April 28. But after that, it prolonged the target to restore the plant by mid-August this year. Which did happen after all, with the reopening of the line that assembles the CRF1000L Africa Twin.
The new Africa Twin was one of the most anticipated motorcycles of last year, as it promised to carry on the amazing heritage of multiple Honda adventure bikes that literally made history. Rumored at first and later confirmed, the CRF1000L was, however, a parallel twin machine instead of a v-twin, also using a new DCT automatic transmission as and optional feature.
The Kumamoto Factory is the birthplace of some of the most important models in Honda's line-up, including the CBR1000RR Fireblade, GL1800 Goldwing, VFR1200G, NC750X, CRF250X, and the Silver Wing scooter.
Now, the FUN line, a large-sized motorcycle models production line (including the Honda Africa Twin), is ready to resume production, thus normalizing the factory’s operations according to plan.
The first of the two earthquakes that hit the region in April was a 6.5 on the Richter scale, but the second one that occurred two days later was a 7.3 tremor that caused a lot of damage in the country, leaving dozens dead and many more missing.
Initially, the Japanese manufacturer declared that, if everything was alright, the factory would reopen within two days. Unfortunately, the inspections found out that the Kumamoto plant sustained damage and was in need of repairs.
After analyzing the situation, Honda said that the closure should be extended until April 28. But after that, it prolonged the target to restore the plant by mid-August this year. Which did happen after all, with the reopening of the line that assembles the CRF1000L Africa Twin.
The new Africa Twin was one of the most anticipated motorcycles of last year, as it promised to carry on the amazing heritage of multiple Honda adventure bikes that literally made history. Rumored at first and later confirmed, the CRF1000L was, however, a parallel twin machine instead of a v-twin, also using a new DCT automatic transmission as and optional feature.
The Kumamoto Factory is the birthplace of some of the most important models in Honda's line-up, including the CBR1000RR Fireblade, GL1800 Goldwing, VFR1200G, NC750X, CRF250X, and the Silver Wing scooter.
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