Way back in time (1959)

[DirtFlier]

This obscure little building was the original home of American Honda Motor Company, the US distributor for Honda. At the time, they
only brought in motorcycles. This photo was taken in the 1990s when I visited CA.


The address is 4077 W. Pico Blvd and it was only about 1/4 mile from my dad's house. It is currently in what is now called "Koreatown."
They would stay there for a few years before moving about 10-miles south to Gardena where I worked, then eventually to their
present corporate headquarters in Torrance, CA.

There is a photo of the original building in 1959 in this article.

South Bay History: American Honda finds its corporate home in Torrance

By the 1980s, Honda’s American operations had grown exponentially. In 1981, the company purchased 76 acres of industrial land in Old Torrance, the first step toward what eventually would be a 101-a…

www.dailybreeze.com

 

[mikesim]

The dealer I worked for in the mid sixties actually went to the building on W Pico Blvd. In 1961 to check Honda out before he invested in a dealership. He said it was a little hole in the wall but they seemed to be selling like crazy out west so he stuck his neck out and became a dealer. When I started with him in 65 he had taken on Triumph and Royal Enfield. He also had Yamaha in a separate location.

Mike

This obscure little building was the original home of American Honda Motor Company, the US distributor for Honda. At the time, they
only brought in motorcycles. This photo was taken in the 1990s when I was visited CA.

View attachment 18452
The address is 4077 W. Pico Blvd and it was only about 1/4 mile from my dad's house. It is currently in what is now called "Koreatown."
They would stay there for a few years before moving about 10-miles south to Gardena where I worked, then eventually to their
present corporate headquarters in Torrance, CA.

There is a photo of the original building in 1959 in this article.

South Bay History: American Honda finds its corporate home in Torrance

By the 1980s, Honda’s American operations had grown exponentially. In 1981, the company purchased 76 acres of industrial land in Old Torrance, the first step toward what eventually would be a 101-a…

www.dailybreeze.com

 

[DirtFlier]

That little bldg held dealer sales, parts, some new units in crates, and also a service shop!

In ref to your dealer friend, it didn't take much of an investment to become a dealer in those days. Maybe just a few bikes and a couple of boxes of spare parts?

 

[Woodaddict]

oh yeah. Rick Case Honda billboards when we would go thru east side of Cleveland on I90 going to see Browns game. Not just signs, but even the mc dealership was on south side of I90

 

[mikesim]

That little bldg held dealer sales, parts, some new units in crates, and also a service shop!

In ref to your dealer friend, it didn't take much of an investment to become a dealer in those days. Maybe just a few bikes and a couple of boxes of spare parts?

Yeah, IIRC he told me something like five bikes, a spare parts kit and a line of credit through a bank. Honda allowed him to operate from the basement garage of his home for two years. He then moved into a strip mall on US66. The upper floor of the shop was the showroom and downstairs was parts and service. At times we couldn't service the bikes fast enough.

Mike

 

[Bear]

I remember in 1959 drooling over a 125cc Honda Dream back then I was riding a pretty beat Zundapp 200 killing mosquitos wherever I went with the smoke screen the bike spewed. The good old days. Honda was then--and still is, very technologically advanced.

 

[DirtFlier]

A work acquaintance who started in the early-60s was one of the first Honda sales reps. According to him, his company car was a Chevy station wagon with a Cub in the back. His rounds consisted of driving to various businesses (drugstores, sporting goods stores, gun shops, etc) to see if they wanted to display the Cub on consignment.

I visited a Honda dealer in the early-80s in central Michigan. It was called "Hunter & Cougar" and probably 80-90% of the floor space and display areas were for firearms, hunting gear, and stuffed animals. There was another small MI dealer in East Jordan and they had one motorcycle - a CX500 - on the showroom floor with most of the floor space taken up by farming and fishing stuff. The dealer principal wanted to know why all Honda motorcycles couldn't use the same parts!

About 10 yrs ago I rode through East Jordan and that store was still there but I'm not sure about the dusty CX500.