Profile, Career Introduction, and Inquiry Information | Former Honda R&D employee specializing in motorcycle engine and drivetrain design, CAE analysis, and design process development using MBSE.

Hello, my name is Kazubara, and I am the operator and author of this website.

Former Honda R&D (motorcycle)In the powertrain development department,Engine and drivetrain design, CAE analysis (fluid/thermal/structural)After that, in the latter half of the year, I was transferred to a cross-functional organization within the company.Systems EngineeringBuilding a design process using MBSEField dissemination project I have been involved in this.

I was fortunate enough to be involved in a wide range of projects, from mass production and racing to cutting-edge technology, ranging from the smallest two-wheeled vehicle, the 50cc scooter, to the CRF series (off-road racers) and large motorcycles (NC750, CBR650R, and the pioneering development of V-twin multi-cylinder engines).

Drawing on my previous experience,Technical advisor | Supervisor of technical articles | Website operatorI am doing.

Since this is a great opportunity, I'd like to take a moment to reflect on the past and introduce the work I've done.

Overview of the Honda R&D era

I will introduce a brief history from my time at Honda R&D and some of the most memorable and representative development models.
*All information listed is from the official website of Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Development of the CRF (150R, 250R, 450R) motocross series

Throughout the series, I was primarily responsible for the engine and drivetrain design. Partway through, I started using a simple CAE (Computer-Aided Engineering) system that was accessible to designers.

- Development of the first-generation CRF150R: Responsible for development from the mid-stage to the start of mass production, as well as for annual improvement models.
Development Background and Objectives: Due to increasing environmental concerns and regulations, we developed a 4-stroke model with improved environmental performance compared to conventional 2-stroke 80cc motocross bikes. It is the only 150cc motocross bike in the industry.

Reference links:CRF150R Press Information(Co-authored and supervised the Power Unit section)

After joining the company, I was completely lost in my first job. My initial image of a designer was someone sitting in a chair drawing blueprints, but that illusion was shattered.

- Full model change of the CRF450R,motocrossIndustry's first fuel-injected model: Responsible for the entire process from mid-development to mass production launch.
Development Background and Objectives: This model was designed with fuel injection (FI) to meet the growing demand for environmental performance. With the introduction of FI, the design aimed for the easiest handling possible, resulting in the world's lightest engine at the time (and the lightest vehicle weight).

Reference links:CRF450R Press Information

The work was so demanding that my tonsils swelled up, I developed a fever, and collapsed (laughs). I enjoyed the prototyping process, but the transition from prototyping to mass production was hell.

- Full model change for the CRF250R, the industry's first 250cc motocross bike to feature fuel injection: Responsible from concept to mass production launch.
Development Background and Objectives: Building on the know-how gained from the previously developed 450cc fuel-injected motocross bike, we aimed to create a motocross bike with overwhelmingly superior performance. We achieved world-class levels in both power output and weight.

Reference links:CRF250R Press Information

This was a model that fully incorporated my design philosophy. I almost gave up during development, but I was relieved when it was successfully mass-produced and sold.

• Development of factory vehicles and support for overseas races: from concept to layout,Detailed design andResponsible for providing support at race events.

I felt like I was going to throw up from the pressure. But on the other hand, as a designer, I could do whatever I wanted (laughs).

Scooter development, market quality control, and advanced research and development.

Throughout my time working on scooters, I was responsible for designing the engine and drivetrain. The scooter's drivetrain was a conveyor belt type CVT.

- Full model change for the 50cc Crea Scoopy moped scooter: Responsible for everything from concept to mass production launch.
Development background and objectives: To meet the increasing demands for environmental performance, we implemented fuel injection (FI). The challenge was implementing FI in an air-cooled 50cc engine.

This was my first experience with manufacturing a model at an overseas base. I was surprised at how different manufacturing practices are from country to country (and English wasn't even spoken).

- Development of scooter fuel efficiency technology to comply with CAFE (Corporate Energy Efficiency Regulations)
Background and Objectives of Development: In response to the increasingly stringent CAFE fuel efficiency regulations, the theme was to develop fuel efficiency technology for scooters ahead of time to prepare for the future.

It was a job with a lot of responsibility, but since it was the development of future technology, there wasn't a high urgency for mass production requirements, so I was able to do the development I wanted to do.

- Development of Gyro Canopy to comply with regulations: Responsible for everything from concept to mass production launch.
Development background and objective: To comply with the unique regulations of three-wheeled vehicles.

I never dreamed that I'd be assigned to the two-wheeled vehicle division and end up working on three-wheeled vehicles (laughs). Apparently, the president of the American headquarters of a certain giant pizza chain is a big fan of the Gyro Canopy, and he even came all the way to our development site in Japan to test ride it and left satisfied.

- Full model change for the LEAD125 scooter: Responsible for everything from concept and layout to detailed design, specification finalization, and prototype development.
Development Background and Objectives: Aiming to significantly improve the product's appeal, a new 4-stroke engine equipped with fuel injection was developed, replacing the conventional 110cc engine. The engine was designed to be the best at accelerating from traffic lights (of course, within legal speed limits).

Reference links:LEAD125 Press Information

Since it was a new engine development project, the conceptualization and layout alone were extremely difficult, but even more challenging were the global procurement of parts and the coordination required for assembly at multiple locations. Furthermore, the different currencies used for each part made cost calculations a nightmare (there were so many currencies I'd never seen before, it was completely incomprehensible).

• Market quality compliance
As expected with scooters, the sheer volume and variety of models sold meant we were constantly busy dealing with various market-related quality control issues (there were several sleepless nights at one point; reporting to executives was pure hell).

Development of large motorcycles

Throughout my time working with large motorcycles, my main responsibility was engine design (I moved away from drivetrain design). This is also when I started using CAE in earnest (design CAE concept).

- Development of the new NC750: Responsible for everything from concept to detailed design and specification finalization.
Development Background and Objectives: To significantly enhance the appeal of the popular NC700, the engine was scaled up from the conventional 660cc to 750cc. This development was in response to the sentiment that "large motorcycles in Japan should be 750cc," and aimed to greatly improve the product's appeal.

It was my first time developing a large motorcycle, but thinking about it calmly, each cylinder was only 375cc, so all I could do was work as hard as I could.

- Development of the new CBR650F: Responsible for everything from concept to layout.
Development Background and Objectives: The concept for this engine was not to create a large motorcycle that simply pursues speed, but rather to create a comfortable and easy-to-handle engine. It's reasonably fast when pushed hard, but fundamentally, it's designed to be a gentle and refined engine.

Reference links:CBR650R Press Information

I remember struggling to understand what "gentle" meant while designing it (laughs).

- Advanced development of V-type multi-cylinder engines: Responsible for everything from concept to layout.

I poured all the experience I've gained so far into designing this engine. Personally, I consider it the culmination of my work.

CAE Analysis: Promotion of the designer CAE concept, research on mechanical components.

To promote the design CAE concept, where designers use CAE as a substitute for a calculator, I performed CAE analysis while working on design tasks.

• Fluid simulation: Steady flow (ANSYS FLUENT FOR CATIA, ANSYS FLUENT)
We were performing steady-state calculations for various flow paths in the engine using an appropriate turbulence model.

• Fluid simulation: Unsteady flow: Simulation of multiphase flow using the VOF method and simulation with moving deformation meshes.(ANSYS FLUENT)
My main work involved analyzing sloshing (oil agitation) using the VOF method. Setting up the VOF was challenging, of course, but I also remember having to manually correct some of the mesh quality, as it significantly impacted the calculation's convergence. Furthermore, the high computational load made securing computing resources difficult.

• Structural analysis: Structural analysis of assemblies (CATIA ANALYSIS)
I was performing a structural analysis of an assembled structure containing multiple parts. Setting the contact conditions for each part was extremely difficult, making it a challenging analysis.

• Multiphysics analysis of heat, fluid, and structure
This was before software that integrated different domains became commonplace, so we had to extract the analysis results from each domain's solver, import the data into another solver, and then concatenate them. It was an extremely tedious manual process.

Research on mechanical components
I was using the simulation skills I had acquired to drive the development of mechanical components. Since I was in charge of both design and CAE, I think it was easier for me as a manager to secure manpower (laughs).

Building and disseminating a design process using Systems Engineering (MBSE) in the field.

I was working on projects to build development and design processes, away from the direct development department. In this phase, I was involved in projects to build business processes using Systems Engineering System Engineering (MBSE) and to implement them in the field.

- Establishing a design process based on Systems Engineering (MBSE): Responsible as the representative of the engine division.
Development Background and Objectives: Business process reform utilizing systems engineering to address the increasing complexity of development, including electrification, CASE (Connected, Autonomous, Shared, Electric) technologies, and ISO 26262.

At the time, it was an extremely difficult task because it involved tackling a new concept, requiring me to start from understanding it myself. I believe it's still a major challenge that many Japanese companies face even now, in 2025.

- Setting up the environment for implementing Systems Engineering (MBSE): Responsible as the representative of the engine division.
Development Background and Objectives: Selection, implementation, environment setup, and customization of tools for conducting Systems Engineering (MBSE).

I was struggling to set up the environment with the vendor, confused by IT terms I had never heard before.

- Project to disseminate the established design process to the field: Responsible as the representative of the engine division.
Development background and objective: To provide support services to ensure that the developed design process is actually used in the field.

It was extremely challenging because we needed to get them to understand the basics of Systems Engineering (MBSE). I truly felt the difficulty of implementing any initiative in a practical setting.

The above summarizes my main duties at Honda R&D.

Current Activities

Currently, since 2021, I have been running the website Kazubara.net while also working as a technical advisor and supervising technical articles.

As a technical advisor, I supervised training materials for young engineers at Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. (permission to publish them on this site has been granted), and I also answered questions from universities.
またJapan Foundry Engineering Society, Chugoku-Shikoku BranchThey have provided a link to their official website regarding stress concentration and material failure.

Requests for technical consultation, technical article writing, supervision, advertising placement, etc.

Based on my experience at Honda R&D,Consultation on technical challenges / Consultation on mechanical design / Consultation on CAE policies / Process improvement / Training of young talentWe primarily provide advisory services in areas such as the above.

I specialize in inventorying technical challenges, building problem-solving processes, creating reproducible design processes, and interpreting CAE results to translate them into designs.

またAssistance with writing, reviewing, and creating training materials for technical articles.We do things like that (we're also good at flipping through patents).

The implementation method, fees, and duration will vary depending on the content. Negotiable Therefore, please feel free to contact us even if you just want to discuss the details (there is no charge).

*We can handle minor matters such as one-off consultations and document reviews.
*We handle consultations for both corporations and individuals.
*We also accept non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).

For companies

We are Persol Career's professional staffing services. HiPro Biz,and GLG (Gerson Lehrman Group) I am officially registered with their agency and have a dedicated representative assigned to me.

If your company already has a usage agreement for HiPro Biz (formerly i-common) and GLG,Spot consultations and advisory contracts are available immediately without the need to open a new account or go through any contract procedures..

[How to place an order] Please inform your HiPro Biz or GLG sales representative of the following:

• I would like to nominate the operator of the blog:kazubara.net (former Honda engine designer).
• Please check the website:kazubara.net as it should be registered.

YouTube channel, KazubaraTube

I also run a YouTube channel called kazubaratube. It's a channel that analyzes and explains society from an engineering and systems engineering perspective, deciphering the "how did it happen?" and "why did it happen this way?" questions from an ideological standpoint. If you're interested, please take a look.