Vision
I’ve been asking myself what is truly important to people. What do they need? What brings them happiness in bikes? Precision, rigidity, lightness, durability, design, finish, quality impression, excellent performance in all aspects – wouldn’t everyone want to have an item of such rare perfection. I founded BITO R&D with the vision of creating such motorcycles and parts that would give real satisfaction, excitement, and joy to its owners. For me, this would be the best social contribution I could make.
In my career, I’ve moved from Yoshimura R&D to Honda R&D, and I have been doing R&D, RESEARCH, and DEVELOPMENT since childhood. Anyway, I didn’t like being ordered or pushed around by people, and couldn’t accept it unless I thought about everything carefully and came to my own conclusions. Think for yourself, act, and judge by looking at the results. Even though the theory is important, the execution is all the more significant. Although I may fail dozens of times more often than ordinary people, I pick up every slight insight and success from those failures and gather, grow, and develop them.
I create my products, my company, and my life on the wisdom earned through this practice. The goal is “World-Leading Quality”. To achieve this ambitious target, I created my ultimate quality standard “JB-SPEC” determined by my values, wisdom, and judgment gained through extensive practical experience. All JB-POWER products are manufactured under the strict JB-SPEC standard and reflect that spirit and philosophy.
Interview
BITO R&D Co., Ltd. continues to challenge the world from Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture.
President Jyo Bito once played an active part on the world stage of motorcycle racing as a mechanic at Yoshimura R&D and Honda America where he contributed to the victory of both teams. After that, he established BITO R&D Co., Ltd., and developed the first commercially available forged magnesium wheels “MAGTAN” which’s race versions are widely used on race scenes all over the world. Additionally, BITO R&D develops and manufactures various motorcycle parts, special-tuned engines, and even complete machines based on its proprietary technology and vast experience.
Q: When did you first fall victim to the fascination with motorcycles?
A: It was in my second year of junior high school when I first got on a Honda Super Cub that my relatives were riding.
Q: What made you decide to engage in this profession?
A: In 1977, while traveling in the United States, I met Mr. Hideo Yoshimura and had a part-time job at Yoshimura R & D.
However, due to a fire, there was not enough manpower, and I was asked to formed a team and participated in the Daytona race.
Although it was my first race experience finishing third place was the impulse to become a motorcycle professional. At that time, I realized my potential of challenging the best in the world.
Q: Please tell us how your story went on until you founded BITO R&D.
A: I temporarily returned to Japan in 1979 and participated in the Bordeaux 24-hour endurance race at the request of Suzuki Motor. After that, I continued to develop Suzuki Motor Co., Ltd. race machine for the 1980 season in Hamamatsu.
In 1980, I was asked to go to Suzuki Great Britain, however, at the same time, Honda decided to begin racing and invited me to join. Although it was a difficult decision I finally was enrolled in the Honda racing division for 3 years. The following year I returned to Toyooka and opened my business at the age of 31.
Q: What was it like founding your own company?
A: Until I founded BITO R&D I had only been working as an employee and since it was the first time for me to do business I neither had experience nor sense of how to run a company making it a very difficult and challenging time.
Although I had worked in the racing industry in the U.S. and Europe I didn’t have that kind of customers in Toyooka or any connections with the major manufacturers.
Q: Is there any work that has been particularly impressive since you became independent?
A: It would have been nice if I had some capital and started, but since I started without capital, I couldn’t always do the jobs that I wanted to do.
Today, our orders are increasing steadily, we are making MAGTAN the world’s best racing wheels, and have private and race customers all over the world.
To put it bluntly, our most impressive work is the current one.
Q: Please tell us about your corporate culture.
A: To make authentic products with the highest quality in the world is our job and the standard of our company.
We want to contribute to our customer’s lives by manufacturing and supplying them with industry-leading products. We are not interested in cheap or crappy things and aim to always be the leader in product quality and service.
Q: Is there anything, in particular, you want from your employees?
A: To boldly take on the challenge with the ambition of supplying the world’s highest quality products and services.
Q: Please tell us about your vision for the company’s future.
A: I think the most important thing is to continue the same way and always looking for better things
Q: What is the fun of a motorcycle in a nutshell?
A: I can’t say it in a word.
Motorcycles offer various kinds of fun. A motorcycle is an interesting tool, it can also be enjoyed in motorsport, there are so many different ways to enjoy it. I hope that each user will look out and find his personal pleasure.
Racers enjoy racing, and those who enjoy touring treat their bikes almost as companions beyond mere tools. It’s like a horse, isn’t it? I hope you enjoy it as such.
There are also those people who like machines. Some of them like to build devices that move and make them work others prefer to disassemble, reassemble, or remodel things, and then the are those who will do some of everything and not settle with just one or the other.
There are truly countless ways to enjoy motorcycles!
Q: How do you look back on your motorcycle life?
A: It’s the best life. There was always a motorcycle beside me and we had our ups and downs.
Whether alone or with a pillion, I did ride on many roads and have seen a lot. I had inspiring talks, lots of joy, delicious food, and sake with the people I met on the way.
The times that I spend with a motorcycle give me a fulfilling life.
Q: Some people say that motorcycles are dangerous, please tell us how you think about motorcycle safety.
A: I think that bikes are very safe.
Speaking of danger, there are not so many things in this world that bear no risk or danger. For example, if you are not good at cooking, you may die of food poisoning, considering that, anything can be somewhat dangerous. If you look at a motorcycle from this point of view, it is nothing particularly risky but safe, interesting, and very meaningful. However, it naturally requires sufficient skill, knowledge, and rational judgment.If you twist the throttle you will go fast, so naturally, you need the have the talent and ability to control it. This holds true for many other things as well so I don’t believe that motorcycles are exceptionally dangerous. However, when an accident occurs, you are not surrounded by an iron box like in a car, so the probability of injury is naturally high. That’s why you should be careful, or prepare to avoid harm. For example, you can find water in the mountains and a river, but that doesn’t mean that it is safe whatever you drink. In order to stay healthy, you have to distinguish between unsafe and clean water. This ability is naturally challenged every day. In order to survive, you cannot live without the ability to judge such kind of things. Riding a motorcycle requires attention and something like the ability of mindful thinking, which I believe to very important for human beings.
Q: Is there a place where you want to ride your motorcycle now?
A: I want to go anywhere. If you have time, bikes are an awesome ride everywhere!
Q: What is the most important thing for you right now?
A: Since I have over overcome the hurdle of my 60th birthday, the time for retirement is slowly approaching and it’s not that I have still decades ahead. I still have some time before I grow old and senile, so I feel that it is time to educate my successor.
Q: What do you want to do in the future?
A: I still have plenty of things to do. Employee education is obligatory, but my biggest project is to cut away the mountain behind my company and build a 30,000m² factory garden. I want to create the paradigm of a park-like factory that has never been seen in the countryside before. A place where people can work comfortably as human beings, very different from the common image of a dirty factory. I want to create a company where my employees can work in such an environment.
Q: How do you think people’s lifestyles will change in the future?
A: I don’t think the way we live will change.
I believe that we live in a society where each person can work hard and chose the thing that suits him and his abilities. Sometimes this may be beyond one’s control depending on the times and the environment, however, as Japan is becoming a more mature society, it will be an environment where it can be realized relatively easy. I think that we need to nurture and preserve the people who contribute to the society and the world by refining
Epilogue
From an early age I grew up as an unusual child, I was not only a maverick, but also considered a bad kid, an inferior student, and a long-lost son by society standards. I seem to have no outstanding abilities and there were times when I was silenced by the people and community around me, which almost made me give up. No matter what I tried I never seem to do it right and failed time after time, but my parents always believed in me and supported me without complaints.
On a road trip through the United States, I meet Mr. Hideoshi (Pops) Yoshimura and his son Fujio who introduced me to the world of motorcycle racing. Later on, the Americans Ron Pierce and Steve McLaughlin invited and Masafumi Ito finally persuaded me to work for Honda. I am most grateful to Mr. Michihiko Akishika of Honda R&D as well as to the German engineer Udo Gietl who taught us everything about engineering from the basics to advanced practical applications. After becoming independent and founding BITO R&D, there were countless hurdles to overcome as I started with almost no business experience.
During those times of poverty and anxiety about the future, I was greatly supported by my wife, employees, and friends. Just to start with Jeff Roper, Andrew Burgessof Cosworth Engineering UK, Raymond Bailey of AP Racing, Dr. Zambelli of Techno Magnesio Italy, the engineers of the Suzuki and Kawasaki Heavy Industries over various Japanese parts manufacturers like Keihin, Kayaba and F.C.C. to the chief-editors, test riders, photographers, and editorial staff of magazines I can't count how many wonderful people I met that generously helped and guided me on my way. I am infinitely grateful to these people as without them BITO R&D mighthave never succeeded.
However, the greatest help came from the countless customers who bought, used, and enjoyed my company’s products, a universal truth that will never change. I believe that the customers who purchase our products should gain the utmost benefit and “have enriched lives by the joy and happiness that should always outweigh the price paid”. This is BITO R&D’s mission in which we firmly believe!
BITO R&D Co., Ltd.
Jyo Bito
Epilogue
From an early age I grew up as an unusual child, I was not only a maverick, but also considered a bad kid, an inferior student, and a long-lost son by society standards. I seem to have no outstanding abilities and there were times when I was silenced by the people and community around me, which almost made me give up. No matter what I tried I never seem to do it right and failed time after time, but my parents always believed in me and supported me without complaints.
On a road trip through the United States, I meet Mr. Hideoshi (Pops) Yoshimura and his son Fujio who introduced me to the world of motorcycle racing. Later on, the Americans Ron Pierce and Steve McLaughlin invited and Masafumi Ito finally persuaded me to work for Honda.
I am most grateful to Mr. Michihiko Akishika of Honda R&D as well as to the German engineer Udo Gietl who taught us everything about engineering from the basics to advanced practical applications. After becoming independent and founding BITO R&D, there were countless hurdles to overcome as I started with almost no business experience. During those times of poverty and anxiety about the future, I was greatly supported by my wife, employees, and friends. Just to start with Jeff Roper, Andrew Burgess of Cosworth Engineering UK, Raymond Bailey of AP Racing, Dr. Zambelli of Techno Magnesio Italy, the engineers of the Suzuki and Kawasaki Heavy Industries over various Japanese parts manufacturers like Keihin, Kayaba and F.C.C. to the chief-editors, test riders, photographers, and editorial staff of magazines I can’t count how many wonderful people I met that generously helped and guided me on my way. I am infinitely grateful to these people as without them BITO R&D might have never succeeded.
However, the greatest help came from the countless customers who bought, used, and enjoyed my company’s products, a universal truth that will never change. I believe that the customers who purchase our products should gain the utmost benefit and “have enriched lives by the joy and happiness that should always outweigh the price paid”.
This is BITO R&D’s mission in which we firmly believe!
BITO R&D Co., Ltd.
President Jyo Bito
English (UK) 
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