JDM: The Japanese Motorcycle Mail Carrier

If you live in Japan for any amount of time, you will notice a gang of highly skilled riders buzzing about in perpetual motion. Sporting red bikes and open-face helmets, their eyes harbor a steely focus that seems both malevolent and stoic at the same time, their faces blistered, wind-burned and leathery from constant exposure to the elements. They possess a preternatural control of their machine, dragging pegs to pavement, one hand on the throttle and the other gripping a fistful of envelopes. I am of course talking about the indominable, unflinching, pound-for-pound greatest rider in the world, the Japanese postal worker and their finely tuned weapon, the Honda Super Cub MD. In a recurring segment I'm calling JDM, I'll unearth a bit of Japanese riding culture for your reading pleasure.

It is easy to romanticize the humble postal worker and their little red Honda Super Cubs, dutifully traversing every paved corner of the country in the fulfillment of their essential directive. I often wonder what remote place they might be in at any given moment, what treacherous mountain pass, what icy snow banked highway. I find myself wanting to mail letters to rural temples on the highest peaks just to set a motorcycle marathon into motion. Part of me wishes I were in that mail carrier's boots, flying through the mist alone without another soul for miles ascending higher and higher into the thinning air.

The reality is that for most Japanese people, motorcycle postal workers fade into the mundane background noise of their busy lives. As an American, I’m used to mail carriers making their rounds in big doorless trucks or on foot, so the idea of delivering mail by motorcycle was a striking novelty. This practice isn’t as unique as I first thought, however. In Australia and New Zealand, mail is also delivered by motorcycle, where the traditional bike of choice just happens to also be the Honda Super Cub.

So what is it exactly that makes the Super Cub such an ideal machine for this line of work? Well, in case you’ve been under a rock since 1958 (the year they were introduced) these ubiquitous little bikes have become the most produced motor vehicle in history – 100 million have rolled off the line since their inception, oh and production has never ceased in its prolific 63-year history. They are simple to make, simple to ride, simple to maintain and simple to repair. As such, they have been adopted for use in countless ways from touring to farming to commuting the world over.

However, in terms of mail carrying, the bone-stock Super Cub simply wasn't up to the task. That’s why in 1971, Honda decided to create a specially modified version of their 90cc Super Cub exclusively for the Japan Postal Service (JP Post), dubbing it Super Cub MD for mail delivery. They feature heated grips, beefed-up suspension, special front and rear racks and larger gas tanks. Since its introduction, the MD has gone through some changes. In 1972, the wheels were reduced to 14 inches to assist with constant mounting and dismounting and in 1973, 50cc and 70cc versions were added to increase the fleet to three models. MD70 was discontinued in 1999 and in 2010 fuel injection was introduced and the MD90's displacement was bumped up to 110cc's.

The government classifies these as tokushu sharyō atsukai or "special use vehicle" so they cannot be legally registered for use in Japan, but I'm sure some have slipped through the cracks. I have read that during the Showa period (pre-1989) local post offices would sell their decommissioned machines to the public. If you have one, you are sitting on a seriously rare collectable. Ride it like you stole it from the emperor!!! I have seen these things driving through blizzards and up icy inclines that cars were struggling up in chains. Much respect to the men and women who pilot these on the daily.