Two Goes Into Four

Meet the Motocompo, the smallest scooter Honda ever made and designed to fit specially in the trunk (boot) space of a car... specifically the Honda City.


honda motocompo

Of course, small and folding powered two wheelers had been manufactured before. In the mid-1940’s the Corgi folding bike was dropped by parachute in canisters by the British army to mechanise infantry soldiers, but the Honda approach was more urban (and peacefully) targeted.

With handlebars, seat, and foot-pegs folding into the scooter's rectangular plastic body to present a clean, box-shaped package of just 1,185 mm × 240 mm × 540 mm (46.7 in × 9.4 in × 21.3 in), the Motocompo was easy to get in and out of any car, but Honda wanted to sell them one-for-one with their City four wheeler. It was not to be.

The City vastly outsold the Motocompo which was introduced in 1981 and available in Shetland White, Daisy Yellow and Caribbean Red. The initial monthly sales projection for the domestic market was 8,000 City cars and 10,000 Motocompo scooters. The City surpassed all its targets, but many fewer Motocompos were sold by the end of production in 1983.

The basic error was not really thinking through why you would want a “bike in your boot”. Few would go to all the trouble of driving part way to work then carry on using two wheels. And if you have had a few too many drinks after work and want to abandon your car... well you are no less intoxicated on a bike than in a car so that it made no sense to leave the car parked and jump on a bike either.

That said, Motocompo maintains a cult status among compact bike enthusiasts for its unique design, stylized logo, and highly customisable potential. Bike meet-ups devoted to the Motocompo continue to engage with fans both young and old proving that failure often breeds success. So, if you want two to go into four then do the math and find your Motocompo parts at CMSNL.

source: https://www.cmsnl.com/honda...
issued: Monday, January 20, 2025
updated: Monday, January 20, 2025

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https://www.cmsnl.com/news/two-goes-into-four_news12020.html

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