Honda has been building small-bore single cylinder four stroke engines and installing them in simple two-wheelers for over fifty years. You'd imagine, then, that Big Red would know a thing or two about how to make them run well, and you'd be right. In fact, Honda has reportedly been able to eke enough power from just a single 110cc cylinder to get a motorcycle up over one-hundred miles per hour. That's really impressive, and it is made possible by advances in fuel injection technology among other things.

The prototype, known as the CZ Motard, is built atop the CZ-i 110 platform, a bike which is super popular in Thailand. With that model, Honda utilized its PGM-FI fuel injection technology and announced that it would be "the number one most admired company that is at the forefront of the environmental issue." That CZ-i 110 is capable of returning some 193 miles per gallon and is 25-percent more powerful than the previous 100cc engine, all the while meeting the next-generation Euro VI emissions standards. With scooter sales up some 65-percent, we'd love to see this model make it stateside.

[Source: Gizmag, Honda Thailand]

Honda's amazing little Cub, which started life with a tiny little four-stroke engine of just 50ccs, continues to build on its record of the most popular vehicle in the world. Just how many tiny-engined Hondas could there be in the world, you ask? How about sixty million. That's certainly a staggering number, but what is surprising is that the machine is selling better now than ever. Last year alone, Honda was able to move an amazing 4.7 million Cubs, despite the fact that they are not sold in America any longer. As our car-obsessed buddies at Autoblog point out, there are twice as many Cubs roaming the world than F-Series pickups and nearly three times as many as the original Volkswagen Beetle. If you'd enjoy owning one but live in the U.S., fear not. A trip to your local classifieds or eBay will surely yield a few friendly Hondas for your perusal.

There is a famous story written by Peter Egan which compares the fuel mileage of a Honda Cub to that of an athlete riding a bicycle. I'll save all of the details out (check out Egan's book "Leanings" if you must know it), but the consensus of the trip was that the 168 miles per gallon that the Cub got made it more efficient than the bike rider. That may not be entirely true, but it is impressive mileage. Honda touted that the Cub could do even better when ridden by your grandmother, and now that the machine is fuel-injected, the mileage may be better still. What's more is that emissions could also be reduced by a significant margin. Although no longer sold in the United States, used Cubs are not difficult to find, and the 50cc four-stroke engines are just as miserly as ever. If you are serious about reducing your gas bill, maybe a visit to your local classified section could have you happily commuting at over 100 miles per gallon by spring-time.

[Source: Honda via The Kneeslider]

Do you remember the Honda Cub? Using only 50ccs of power, this is the vehicle that established Honda as a player in the American market. Long before Honda was making cars, they were turning out little scooters and motorcycles which got excellent gas mileage. In some parts of the world, you can still make your way down to the local Honda dealer and buy a Honda 50 new. Unfortunately, here in the States, this is not the case... leading many to turn to eBay - where Honda 50s, 70s and 90s can be picked up for a pretty decent price. The fact that the vehicles are still road-worthy is a testament to the original design.

Honda should consider bringing back this type of transportation. Back in '03, they showed off a few concepts using the same engine and drivetrain as their original Cub from way back when. The concept of cheap transportation, great gas mileage and high reliability are still very much worth pursuing. Honda: bring back the Cub! Once again, you'd meet the nicest people on a Honda.

[Source: The Scooter Scoop]