Honda builds its 300,000,000 motorcycle

Honda has built its 300 millionth motorcycle, crossing a milestone that few automakers have reached.

The historic bike produced at its Kumamoto Factory in Japan was a top-of-the-line Gold Wing, which has a 1.8-liter engine and sells for over $24,000 -- a far cry from the humble 98cc Dream Type-D that kicked off production in 1949.

It took the company nearly two decades to build its 10 millionth motorcycle in 1968, but only five more to reach 20 million in 1973, and things just kept accelerating from there. Honda has manufactured 100 million motorcycles and ATVs and side-by-sides worldwide in just the past eight years.

Along the way, it also produced the most popular motorized vehicle of all time – the Super Cub, of which 87 million units have been sold. It’s so iconic, Japan granted it a 3D patent earlier this year, the first ever given to an automaker.