Three-Wheeled Harleys Made in Japan

[panhead_jim]

These three-wheeled hybrids were built by the Japanese in 1934. Based on a Harley-Davidson VL motorcycle, they were used as commercial vehicles to haul goods. Some interesting photos of a few different models.



Three-Wheeled Harleys Made in Japan

[Chris Haynes]

They weren't Harley. They were Rikuo. Trademarked licenced by H-D. Close copies but converted to metric specifications. Starting out with with a VL clone and ending uo with a Hydra-glide 45" model.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rikuo_Motorcycle

[panhead_jim]

Technically, wouldn't they have been Harley's since they were trademarked? These still have the front mounted toolbox, so that put's them as '34 models. The factory in Japan didn't start making 100% made in Japan motorcycles until 1935. They would not be Rikuo until the Japanese and Harley ended their contract in late 1935. These '34s would have to have had some US made parts.

[Chris Haynes]

Technically, wouldn't they have been Harley's since they were trademarked? These still have the front mounted toolbox, so that put's them as '34 models. The factory in Japan didn't start making 100% made in Japan motorcycles until 1935. They would not be Rikuo until the Japanese and Harley ended their contract in late 1935. These '34s would have to have had some US made parts.

That is total speculation on your part. H-D sold designs and tools. They didn't export any parts or machines. You have to remember the reason to build the clone is Japan was to avoid import taxes.

[Steve Slocombe]

Dear Chris, for 1931 and 1932 Harley listed the VSR model as a low compression sidecar V-series bike for export to Japan. I've just had the circa 1952 Rikuo parts book digitised for our Virtual Library and it is still using Harley part numbers, plus has many exploded diagrams never produced by Harley. Rikuo are still showing for instance 057 gearcase cover screws in the 1950s, which have the Harley 1/4" x 24 tpi thread, so I don't know how far their metrication program had gone.

[panhead_jim]

That is total speculation on your part. H-D sold designs and tools. They didn't export any parts or machines. You have to remember the reason to build the clone is Japan was to avoid import taxes.

Actually, the reason they chose to build the clone in Japan was due to the fact that by 1929 the yen was worth about $0.30, more than doubling the retail cost of a Harley sold in Japan. Even so, Alfred Child continued to sell Harley motorcycles through his three Japanese dealerships until 1935. Then when the Sankyo company refused to buy rights to the new Knucklehead engine and Harley broke ties with them, Child started a new company in Tokyo where he sold Harley's until the import tariff of 1937 was enacted. Since these rear cars are badged with Harley emblems, they are either imported Harleys that were converted to rear cars by the Japanese or the first run of Harleys made at the Shingawa factory before Harley broke ties with them.

[panthersteve]

They didn't export any parts or machines.

Surely you didn't mean to say this !! Was it meant to mean something a bit different.

[Chris Haynes]

Surely you didn't mean to say this !! Was it meant to mean something a bit different.

Possibly. They sold drawings, machinery, and tools. They didn't sell any motorcycles or parts.

[sirhrmechanic]

On the subject of Japanese copies... a friend of mine just got this backing plate for his honing stones. Can't make this stuff up.

Though I am surprised it doesn't say ONRY...

Gonna burn for that one... I just know it...

Cheers,

Sirhr

[panthersteve]

Possibly. They sold drawings, machinery, and tools. They didn't sell any motorcycles or parts.

So all Harleys outside of the US are personal imports, there have been no Harleys exported !!

[sirhrmechanic]

So all Harleys outside of the US are personal imports, there have been no Harleys exported !!

Panther... HD definitely exported motorcycles. I think the London dealer was called Warrs (or Warres??) and were around in the late 'oughts or early teens. Certainly they were importing HD's. There were dealerships in other countries.

But Japan during the Meji Restoration and in its early imperial/expansionist period was very cagey about imports. Huge duties, punitive import tariffs and some goods were outright banned. They would, however, buy anything that they thought they could build to contribute to their industrial capacity. They were happy to buy HD's older designs and even tooling and patterns to create domestic production -- The Rukio.

The question was whether there was any formal export of MC's to Japan by HD... and I don't have an answer to that. Certainly there were HD's and Indians there as I have seen pictures of well-heeled young Japanese in their Motorcycle clubs during the 1920's. If you had the cash you could pay the duty and have the bike. Fortunate sons existed in all societies... But this may have been outside a normal H-D export program.

If I remember right, and Chris will surely know this for sure, the Sport Singles were essentially designed for places like Australia and were never expected to be big sellers in the U.S. HD Also made sidecar mounts/kits for mounting sidecars on the left of the bike... again for English and downunder roads.

That may clarify your question... but it's a good one. And I'd love to know if Japan was buying designs and building an industry by tariffing HD's into oblivion from an import standpoint. They sure as heck have done it since WW2... try and buy a "heavy" bike in Japan!! Remember that Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha and Suzuki are all parts of the big Japanese Keiretsu. These are the mega-industries that really run Japan through MITI, the trade ministry which is really industry-run. It's a really interesting business environment over there. Not like USA at all... anti-trust laws??? HA!!!

Cheers,

Sirhr

[exeric]

After WW1, most every country in the world implemented tariffs to "protect" indigenous manufacturing. Harley-Davidson, and Indian had a helluva time trying to sell motorcycles out of the country. My 1922 Motorcycle magazines go on, and on about how bad the domestic motorcycle industy got screwed, but they also had the double whammy of a bad recession caused by the big war. As for current anti-American tariffs; "free trade" only applies to countries that sell their junk in America.

[Steve Slocombe]

Dear Sirhr, remember the VL was a current design when the Japanese bought the drawings etc around 1932 to make the Rikuo. Harley were really hurting as calendar year '32 was probably the worst year of the Great Depression. The Rikuo manuals show the 1934 style oil pump on their bikes, so I assume there was some later contact with Harley.

[sirhrmechanic]

Steve:

That's a great point... HD was likely doing the math and saying "Sell tooling to a remote market that isn't going to compete with us and get some much-needed cash now... or risk bankruptcy." I bet they could not pack up the tooling fast enough to get it over to Japan, even though it was current. I don't know if Rukio paid any licensing fees on a per-bike basis... or simply bought the tooling, but it must have been a windfall for HD. They were probably selling only a handful of bikes by that period... they had more tooling than they needed. Moreover, they may have known that embargoes were coming down due to Japanese invasions in Manchuria and elsewhere so any bikes they were selling in Japan were going to drop to zero... and American's weren't buying bikes in the Depression in large numbers... luxury item. Perfect storm of nastiness for HD's bottom line.

Be interesting to hear Herbert Wagner's insight on this. He has done some great writing about HD in the '30's and about the early days of the EL... I bet he has great information on how the company went through the decision process. And there are so many ramifications... long term... of helping Japan create its domestic MC industry not only during WW2, but in the years afterwards where Japan's motorcycle industry nearly took out Harley completely in the '60s and '70s. Phenomenal historical and business case study just waiting to be done...

Cheers,

Sirhr

[Tommo]

Harry Sucher's book "H.D. The Milwaukee Marvel" has a whole chapter entitled "Oriental Interlude" that covers this topic.
First Harleys into Japan in 1912 for the Japanese Imperial Army.
Too much info to put up here so I would suggest a read.