Most of us lust after the fabulous machines which the Japanese big (Hon-Suz-Yam-Kawa) four dish out - ever wondered what kind of bikes the Japanese themselves ride in their own country? What I have done in this thread is to document what kind of machines ply on the Tokyo roads during everyday riding. I have been planning to do this over a long time over the years, but finally managed to take some pictures! Following are the categories of the 2 wheelers in Japan, ranked by their popularity:

1) Honda cub 50cc moped: Undoubtedly the largest selling 2 wheeler in Japan. Extremely practical with phenomenal fuel efficiency.

2) Small Scooters: Small pep/dio type scooters.

3) Maxi Scooters: They are like lazyboy recliners on two-wheels. Huge, padded seats, even more humongous storage. Models like Yamaha Majesty, Suzuki Burgman and Skywave.

4) 400 cc nakeds/retros/sports: Sub 400 cc bikes are very popular in Japan due to the existence of license restrictions - you need a higher (and more expensive) level of license for over 400cc bikes. Honda CB400 is the best seller in this category and fully naked\semi faired versions exist. Yamaha XJR400 is another strong model. VTR 250 is also popular. A big second hand market exists for such bikes in Japan so parts and accessories are readily available.

5) Sub-400 cc cruisers: Bikes like Vulcans, Eliminators, Honda Shadow customs/classics.

5) Supersports/high capacity big boys: Do I need to say more? The other day I saw half a dozen (yes, 6) Honda Valyries parked side by side - and I did not take pictures, foolish me. Enough power to light up a district in Tokyo.

I will keep on updating this post with pictures over the next one week I am here. For a change, I am on vacation and not on work!

Honda cub:




Small scooters:







Maxi Scooters:








Express delivery/courier bikes - I think the first pic is a Ninja 250, followed by nakeds - mostly CB/XJR 400's and a few Honda Hornets.






Some sub-400 cc bikes:



A Ninja 250!