He spent his early childhood helping his father, Gihei Honda, a blacksmith, with his bicycle repair business.

His school handed grade reports to the children, but required that they be returned stamped with the family seal, to make sure that a parent had seen it.

[7] Soichiro once borrowed one of his father's bicycles to see a demonstration of an airplane made by pilot Art Smith, which cemented his love for machinery and invention.

After some hesitation over his employment, he stayed for six years, working as a car mechanic before returning home to start his own auto repair business in 1928 at the age of 22.

[10][11] In 1948 he started producing a complete motorized bicycle, the Type A, which was driven by the first mass-produced engine designed by Honda, and was sold until 1951.

[12][13] After the war, Honda became reacquainted with his friend Takeo Fujisawa, whom he had known during his days as a supplier of piston rings to Nakajima Aircraft Company.

[14] In his memoirs, Soichiro Honda expressed his sorrow for sometimes being rude to his employees, humiliating and occasionally even slapping them in the face.

He also enjoyed skiing, golf, racing cars, hang gliding and ballooning at 77, and he was a highly accomplished artist.

Soichiro Honda died on August 5, 1991, days before the Hungarian Grand Prix, of liver failure.