Honda’s Kumamoto factory back to full speed
Outstanding Africa Twin orders will be fulfilled by the end of October
MOTORCYCLE production at Honda’s factory in Kumamoto is once again back to normal, says Honda.
The factory’s FUN line, a production line for big bikes like the CRF1000L Africa Twin, is now able to resume operation, meaning the factory is once again working at ‘virtually normalized’ capacity.
The build and supply of all Honda’s big bikes happens at the Kumamoto plant and the impact on bike production has affected Honda on a global scale.
The UK hasn’t escaped the effects of the situation in Kumamoto; with the FUN line just resuming production, Honda biggest seller in the UK – the Africa Twin, has only gone back into full production this week.
A spokesperson for Honda UK told us that there are currently 300 unfulfilled orders for Africa Twins destined for the UK; the first 100 will be fulfilled in September, while the remaining 200 will be fulfilled in the third week of October. Put your name down for an Africa Twin now and you can expect it to be ready in November.
Honda says it ‘continues to wish for the earliest possible recovery of the affected area and make the utmost effort to deliver products to customers in a timely manner.’
Honda’s factory at Kumamoto, in the south of Japan, was severely affected by the April earthquake. As a result, the factory was closed and production suspended. The facility remained closed until May, when limited production resumed. Production of key models resumed at the start of June, with production increasing in stages until it reached full capacity again this week.
