#322 PAYÁ - MOTO HONDA (Ref. 3172) (Around 1975)

This motorbike made by the Spanish toymaker Payá was made in several versions, all of them made by the mid 70s. If you try to search for any of those versions, you’ll probably find people say it is from the 60s, but this is not the case.

The first cable controlled toy in Spain was the famous Citroën 19 DS “Tiburón”, made by Payá in 1964. This toy was the first toy ever to have a television advertisement in Spain, and it was a great sales success back then. Most competitors tried to get similar models in the following years, so there are a lot of cable controlled cars made in Spain during the 70s. And old of them are huge! Rico had quite a few, Payá, Jyesa… These cars and vehicles can be seen now in auction sites and other places for very low prices. Most people don’t want them because of the space they need to keep them.

I own this toy with its original package, so we can take a look at it. The box is rather big and includes a different photograph on each side, so one box fits all models. One side shows the “Police” version, the other side the “Honda” version.

In one of the small sides, we can read:

Moto Policía

3176 – Friction Mechanism

3177 – Electric directed with winking light effects and real siren at will

3178 – Electric clears obstacles with winkers

Moto Honda

3171 – Careened Friction Mechanism

3172 – Electric Directed with electric headlight

The above remarks are written in three languages: Spanish, English and French. At this time, Payá exported part of their production, and France was one of the main markets for this and other Spanish toymakers. Maybe the English words do not exactly mean what they should, but I think it is still understandable.

 

The flap and the second small side show pictures of each reference, with some photographic effects to show the lights, sounds or the friction motor.

Interestingly enough, the toy inside the box does not match the reference pictured in the box, because it cames with that black “mask”, that belongs to the Policia models and should be there. My guess there, is that the toy changed a bit with the years, and after some time, produced models didn’t match the pictured models anymore. Another difference, is that the blinkers and not the headlights shine.

The box still has its inlay, and is in very good shape.

The motorbike is mostly made of plastic, although there's some parts made of tin (the gas tank and the part behind the seat). The driver is made entirely in plastic, although this plastic is different from the one used in the motorbike. The structure of the motorbike is the same for all references we commented above, so my motorbike has a hole in case it was used to mount a friction motor.

The simulated motor is chromed. Together with other chromed parts (mudguard, headlight, wheels) makes the motorbike look great.

The figure doesn’t look that great. Plastic is poorer than expected, and the helmet looks quite funny. The face of the driver is simple a sticker.

The wheel rims are superdetailed and chromed. The tyres are made of soft plastic

The controller is quite simple. It comes with a steering wheel that pulls from a cable to make the motorbike turn.The toy worked with 3 batteries (4,5 V) and also included two buttons for forward or reverse.

Front are rear views:

The motorbike is also in a good played condition, but I didn’t test it yet. As we bought it, the handles were separated from the body, because a plastic part had broken. It was repaired, and the direction is working.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: MOTO HONDA (Ref. 3172)
• Year: Around 1975
• Company: PAYÁ (Spain)
• Size: Around 40 cm.