@@Jangocat Considering $10,000 in 1985 is $25,000 with inflation, the current Tacoma isn't too far off starting at $26,000. Pretty incredible considering all the regulations they currently have to deal with. The old one were "bare bones" only when comparing to modern cars. Pretty much ALL vehicles were "bare bones."
I have owned and wheeled a 88 V6 runner, 86 Bronco, 91'Jeep YJ. Last year I wanted a hardtop SUV and I hunted down my Triple locked Toyota 80 series Land Cruiser. Nothing fancy, just a solid SUV body and durable interior sitting in an actual truck frame . A bulletproof large bore 6 cylinder built for torque and durability, an automatic transmission that gives me control over the torque, two honest to God solid axles. The rear is even full floating like a heavier truck would have. The damn thing is always in four-wheel drive. I can select low and high range and I can control the locking differentials from a simple dash switch. This old Toyota gives me enough control to wheel as well as my well built Jeep YJ did. I didn't have to spend weeks in the garage installing locking differentials, a roll cage, and transfer case gears.. This Toyota rolled off the showroom floor without a bunch of silly stickers and any kind of system that uses a computer to control the transmission and brakes. It's actually much easier to drive than any four wheel drive I've ever had and it does anything that the YJ could ever do considering the wheelbase difference. Toyota chose to discontinue the Land Cruiser. The model went out with a bang, it is a great family SUV and sold at a great cost. It was too fancy and expensive for most people who would actually go over landing.. It is my opinion that If they would bring back the simple body on frame design and solid axles with selectable lockers it would compete very well on the marketplace if not excessively overpriced.
Hi, I'm an retired australia postman we used the ct110 in the day on sidewalks in residential areas to deliver mail on these, carry pouch attached to the front handle bars for letters, side carry bags & fixed box for wet weather gear. I was so impressed with mine when i retired & they where taking them out of service i bought mine for $600 Aust dollars in 1997. Still got it, one of the best things I have ever done. I have a small motorhome it gets attached to the back as backup to go shopping or if i break down. I love it.
Happy to learn that the ct110 worked hard with you. I was one of them who worked at Honda to make ct110 better back in the 90s. I'm also retired and am now happy to see the ct coming back for more fun to more people, especially to the new generations. Safe and happy ride for everyone!
The automatic clutch is automatically disengaged when the shift lever is all the way up or down. As you release the lever during shifts, the clutch automatically engages. There is a finesse you can use in down shifting to avoid rear wheel chirp and or skid by learning how to control the clutch engagement with your foot and even using some throttle blip. Or you could just wait to downshift when you come to complete stop or slow down enough to need to downshift for a slower speed. Great to see Honda bring back the legendary Trail 90 as a new 125.
Yes that's how we controlled the Auto-Clutch back-in-the-day. It is how you release the shifter on up or down shifts. That is how we did wheelies on those things, pull or press the shifter rev it up then release the shifter, Bam your off!
@@zephyr139 Agreed, he's downshifting too fast other option is to stop completely and then you can shift into neutral from 4th gear at least in my Honda is possible
Nice information. Classic designs feels great to ride. But see, this is pure extortion. Because an Indian company called TVS makes similar category, somewhat similar design, and or better performance moped for less than 700$. Check out photographs and specs of TVS XL 100, you will be urged to buy it.
One benefit of using this bike to commute around town is that it’s not offensive to anyone. You could probably walk it inside the grocery store and nobody would complain. For whatever reason, there are a lot of people that hate motorcycles. Nobody hates this bike.
It has a sort of that old moped charm. I have an old 1980 Honda PA50 (aka Hobbit) and i can park that up on bike racks or walk it on the sidewalk and no one bats an eye. Doesnt hurt that it actually has working pedals, too!
When me and my fiends would ride bikes like this back in the day we would be jealous of the kids with hot two stroke CR's etc. Now i truly appreciate how cool these bullet proof reliable bikes are..
I worked for Australia Post, then as an independent deliverer for the better part of 10 years. I rode a CT110 daily and they're the best little things around. People tend to think they can only go walking pace since they mostly see them riding along footpaths delivering mail but depending on how light the rider is they can reach about 90km/h unmodded. We once had a guy actually get a speeding ticket on one when I was a postman, we got the infraction notice and framed it above the sign in clock.
I had a CT 90 as a teen. It was a handy little bike for running around town. A couple of bucks in gas would take you a long way on that one. It's great to see Honda bring these classic designs back.
They've been making them in one form or another continuously since 1966, but not sold everywhere all of the time. It is used by the Australian and New Zealand postal workers for example.
You can "feather the clutch" when downshifting but it takes left foot finesse. The shifter also momentarily disengages the clutch, so if you push the shifter then slowly release the foot shifter pressure, the clutch will engage softly. I've been riding these Honda trail bikes since the 1970's, it takes practice.
Mine was the trail 50 I remember my dad slaming on the brakes to stop and ask if the owners would sell it...$35 it lasted me from 1992 to 2004 electrical issues ended it.
I'd miss the " High/Low" range select lever my old CT110 had on the transmission . That range select really made the 110 versatile for off road in low range . .
true but your max speed in high was less than 50mph already? even with high gearing this thing wont stay near 60mph due to approaching the horsepower limits. it will do 55mph easy on a flat road as long as it is not windy.
I owned a 71 which the PO had paid PowRoll to build up the engine with a 125cc stroker kit. It could effortlessly cruise at 60 but you had to run aviation L110.
@@helpfulcommenter I believe he meant that everyone already knows what you’re saying. So you look dumb saying it again as if you know something that everyone and their mother doesn’t already know. And the trail cub is accounted in that 100million sales number. So this indeed is the most sold vehicle ever.
@@helpfulcommenter The Super cub C-100's were sold in the US, as where the Passports and a number of pressed steel type C-XXX series bikes. And in some countries like Vietnam the old C-100 is still being made with a more modern engine. The Trails series started in 1964 with the C105-T and the first of the C-200 87cc pushrod Trail 90's I've owned a number of the early Trails. including a no transfer case '66 Trail 90 with the OHC 89 cc engine. I actually prefer the old pushrod engines, they're tough, and cleverly designed.
Reminds me of my time growing up in the country. Very reminiscent of a Honda 65 I had as a young kid back in the 60’s and a Honda Trail 70 a decade later. Both were a lot of fun.
I had the 1964 Honda trail 55...wish I had taken better care of it. Had two 1968 CL 90s later on which I liked better. As teenagers in the 60's it was about the "look" and step thru's were "girly" back then. Still have a mint 1970's SL 125 though.
Good for you. Frankly I never quite understood why there have been no underbone frame motorcycles sold in the USA since the old Honda Super Cub or the Trail 90’s back in the 70’s. After all, in Southeast Asian countries virtually all of the bikes on the road are of this type. And in fact, when I lived in Thailand I really loved my Honda Wave. It’s the perfect bike for the types of conditions you encounter over there and it handles fairly decent as well for what it is. It does tend to bog down quite a bit on steep grades, particularly with a passenger on the back, but otherwise it’s a great little bike. I guess there is just no market for these things in the USA. Apparently 99 percent of the riders here either want a powerful superbike, a large cruiser, or a dirt bike. And the remaining one percent want a motor scooter - probably because they have seen Quadraphenia one too many times, or they are just hipsters who want to seem more European. Personally I can’t stand to ride motor scooters though because they just don’t handle very well at all. By the way, to those who do not know what a motor scooter is they are easily identifiable by the fact that they have small diameter wheels, a flat pan to rest your feet on, and the engine, transmission, and rear wheel are all pretty much one unsprung unit. Perhaps another reason that underbone motorcycles are not popular here is because people associate them with mopeds, and in fact many Americans still mistakenly refer to underbone frame motorcycles as “mopeds”. A true moped of course has pedals, no transmission, and cannot have larger than a 50cc motor.
@@SLOBeachboy some of the scooters now are really fast, like the 650cc Suzuki Bergman, those things fly. I just don’t feel real comfortable with my feet together on running boards. But yeh, like you said there aren’t many step thru designs anymore. They were stamped steel frames, cheap and easy to manufacture. If they made those now with old cheaper technology and bare bones basic features they’d sell like mad. For $2000 so they’d be affordable for most people..
@@1990-t1j all the Japanese companies are good. But I’d say Honda is probably the best out of them overall. Each company has some good bikes. They’re also the most expensive out of the other Japanese companies but not as expensive as a bmw
@@Max_Marz huh, surely just a miss adjusted clutch or shifter or something right? No way it’s having real engine trouble already. Regardless a real clutch from the cbr would be a huge upgrade
With the semi autos you can still manually blip the throttle so that you don't lock up the rear wheel while down shifting. I do it all the time on my xr50...solved the problem. You should give it a shot hopefully it'll fix your issue.
Growing up we had two 110s. The low range and spare gas tank was really useful for trail riding. Thanks to the high air intake point (and exhaust outlet) deep water crossings up to the bottom of the seat were done on multiple occasions. Seems sacrilegious to put street tires on one.
What no low range? That is a key feature in my mind. I have a 90 with low range and that bike is like a tractor and will climb any hill like a mountain goat:)
@@taco472 the Hunter Trail comes with a wider spread of gears ratios and the engine is long stroke. So it 's more than capable of plonking along at trail riding speeds while having enough power to climb out of holes like the old Trails could
@@helpfulcommenter Years ago I owned a '70 trail 90 with a Powroll 125 stroker hop up kit. Believe me that engine didn't need the low range as the torque came on at about 2000 rpm and was relentless. First in low range was almost useless.
Great review man. I got one in February and have put about 1600mi on it. More than half of them on some pretty gnarly trails. I've had it up to the seat in rivers and streams and climbed some pretty nasty trails. I have a few reviews of it including one with some aftermarket exhaust. In the future I plan on doing some of the trans America trail on it and record my adventures. Feel free to scope out any videos you want. Appreciate you doing this one!!! Everyone comes up to me everywhere I go and ask about it!
Although I do not have a scooter or bike now when I did I found the 125cc to be the sweet spot for around town and the grass tracking type offroad. The most fun I had on all of my bikes was with a honda XL125R the trials style semi off road of the bike made it a great allrounder. It was not the fastest 125 in the house yet it would push 70-80mph at a maximum which is more than enough to get you out of trouble on a major out of town road here in the UK. It could cruise all day at 30mph and was economical on fuel, with fuel price hikes I am guessing the average commuting to work person could run it all month on less than £15 of fuel when I had mine in the early 2000's I was spending on average 5-10 a month and covering 200-400miles ish a month occasionally I had to top up more but not often and only a few £
Good review! I remember the original "Trail 90's". This is a sharp looking bike and you can't beat Honda quality. This bike would be ideal for me to run errands and just tootle around town. I used to race motocross back in my teens and used to ride some street bikes. But now in my 60's the "Honda 125 Trail" would suit me just fine.
I've rode a Honda Wave when visiting the Philippines (known as Inova in Europe). The wave also uses a 125cc 4 speed set up. Incredible versatile machine. Fast enough to cut through traffic and can maintain 60 mph on the highway. Great for dirt roads too.
Semi-autos are no good for engine braking. Downshift only when you need to get back on the gas and the gear is too high. When you slow down for a stop, leave it in whatever gear you are in and downshift after you stop. I have owned several Honda Semi-Autos. While the trani can take a ton of abuse, you are mistreating it if you ride it like that, and you will wear out tires like crazy.
OMG this brings back memories. These bikes were used by postmen and women in Australia from around 1980's, starting with C90 (90cc motor), and upgrading to 110cc in 1994. I believe they were the highest selling "motorcycle" in the world. The Australian version (for Australia Post), had a gear lock....When in first gear, your roll backwards and shift down. This would lock the gearbox and the rear wheel. In conjunction with a "handbrake" which locked the front wheel brake on, this would allow the postman to use both hands, to select and deliver postal items to letterboxes situated on the top of mounds. I recall actually falling over backwards from a mound when delivering mail once in Sydney! These bikes were the most fun, and in Australia, postal workers were permitted to ride on the footpaths. Thanks for this great video. I retired some 8 years ago, and will always have fond memories of these rugged little bikes.
My daughter and her fiancee just bought two. Will have a chance to ride one next week. The low range transmission is what made these bikes different. Also would be nice if they were lighter. Almost weighs as much as my 1972 XL 250. Thanks for sharing.
I found that I lost a few things off of a rear rack that were “sufficiently secured”, but never lost anything that was “tied on better than it really needed to be”. Bungees work to maintain a constant downward tension, but on rough terrain the load can bounce, momentarily stretching out a bungee, and the load can start to creep during that instant. A series of chattery bumps allow a load to shift more than you want it to. A rope, lashed tightly, presents a definite outer limit of travel for a load on rough or chattery surfaces. But the rope also has an inner limit of travel. It does NOT get any snugger fitting than when it is originally tied and secured. I found that ONLY with a combination of bungee AND rope did gear reliably remain aboard no matter of what surface I rode on. Boxes never worked well for me.
"This" is beyond weird to me. This video was in my suggested videos; I don't usually look at motorcycle videos. But just 2 hours ago I saw two of these parked together and I spent a few minutes checking them out! Big Brother must be watching!
My first bike was a ‘73 Trail 90 that had already passed through a succession of older uncles and cousins. I got it in the late 90s as a 13-or-so-year-old, rode it til probably 2004 before getting my first Yamaha TW200 (I have two TWs now, they’re the greatest) and giving the 90 to my younger cousin, who rode it for several more years. Aside from oil, spark plugs/wires, tires/tubes, chains/sprockets, and levers when they broke, I don’t think the bike ever had ANY maintenance or repairs over like 40 years, haha! It was slow, but with knobbies it’d go anywhere. I’ll almost certainly be buying one of these for a girlfriend/loaner trail bike. Anyone should be able to ride it regardless of experience level. I wish it had power enough to comfortably run 55-60 for slightly longer rides on 2-lane state roads, but it’s still a cool little capable beginner backroad/trail bike and I’m sure it’ll do well. I hope it’s as dependable and indestructible as its old namesake.
We used these in central Africa in the 80's for deep tourne´s into the bush for vaccination runs. We would regularly attach a large petrol fridge onto that cargo platform and head out onto jungle singletrack for a week or more. Low center of gravity made for a stable ride under load and we never had any breakdowns to speak of other than flats. A solid workhorse of a bike.
That rack is awesome. I kept a wool army blanket on mine held in place by a helmet bungee net and was very useful. I bought a couple watermelons throughout summer from a local market. And at the red light people had their windows down and I could hear them say Hey! Look at that! Ha ha. He’s got a watermelon on there. That’s cool.
I bought my xwife an ADV 150...and then I bought 2 more for my girlfriend and I. These little bikes/scooters are a blast to ride (I ride a Kawasaki Concours 14 as a daily driver), and I've been riding for 44 years.
The rear tire skidding during downshifting is attributed to driver error. The auto-clutch engine wasn't designed to be downshifted at that high of RPM. You would achieve the same results by downshifting a street bike at 9.000 RPM and suddenly releasing the clutch. Instead, simply downshift at a lower RPM, and use your brakes to slow down. Otherwise, this was a great review of a bike that I didn't even know was being released until I saw the TH-cam thumbnail pop up .
Just a piece of advise... When you downshift, try releasing the gear slowly while applying gas... So the rear tire wont jerk... It's like having a clutch... it takes practice and you'll get use to it...
"Clutch" control comes with experience on these bikes. Hard to explain but it's all in the gear lever. If you hold the lever up or down it selects the gear but let's the engine free rev. As pressure on the lever is released the "clutch" grabs and off you go. Great for burnouts, wheelies and downshifting.
My fave small Hondas were the 1970s 125s with overhead cam. They made a bit more power but still gave >100 miles per U.K. gallon. CB125S, XL125, SL125.
Trust me that thing can hold more than 44lbs. I grew up in a family of 4 and before my dad saved up enough money to buy a car, all 4 of us rode in his 110cc Jupiter Z. I've seen up to 7 people on these bikes.
I had a trail 90 back in the early '70s. It was the most fun motorcycle I ever had because you could take it anywhere. If you fell, you just picked it up, dusted yourself off, and kept on going. I kick myself every time I think about the day I sold it.
that why I let my bike slow on engine compression in 4th until abou6t 20 mph and the do a quick shift down to first. and remember to feather in the clutch with your toe.
He didn't know how to ride a moped. Here's a tip, you can do a full stop in 4th gear and go down the gear while stationery. The engine wont stall. Edit: riding a bike with centrifugal clutch is exactly like driving an automatic car. Except you have to initiate the gearshift yourself. Its impossible to stall an engine with centrifugal clutch unless you take off in 3rd gear or higher. Forget about the throttle and just change gear when the revs is low, unless if you're doing a complete stop. When/if you coming a complete stop, only shift down when you're completely stationary. Source: i ride a lot of underbone bikes in south east asia.
@@bjorn1583 you cant rev match a centrifugal clutch. If you rev the bike, the clutch will engage. The only time the clutch will disengaged is when you let of the throttle. So shift down while completely off throttle and watch your speed.
@@ilovelimpfries l ride one hard for between 4 1/2 and 6 hours aday 5 days a week and l say you can rev match on down shift. ps. the clutch will disengage at any rpm by pressing on the gear lever. pss. the honda cb 's are not mopeds
Yes, that is really too bad, but it costs $3900 in the US it would be around $5000 here + dealer fees and tax you're looking at over $6000 out the door - that is too much.
Great review!.. The heel and toe shifter was popular on italian bikes back in the sixties so businessmen going to work could shift without scuffing the toe of their patent leather shoe
Great review, love the bike. I would recommend using your front and rear brakes applied evenly to slow the bike rather than down shifting as a brake. Down shift like that while in a corner and you may have the ride of your life (or death).
In 1976 I got a Honda 90s and a trail 90 those were my bikes until 79 when I went up to a 350 and a 450 eventually at 750 and then a Gold Wing...6 of them now I have an old Roadglide
My CL350 was one of my favorite bikes of all time. I owned a Trail 90 at the same time and it was my desert fun bike for at least 10 years. My 350 went 40,000 miles before I sold it to a friend.
Here in Australia the CT125 is roughly the same price as a RE Himalayan, or almost twice the price of a CB125E. I have a 1985 CT110 & was interested in buying a new CT125, but for me the price is a killer.
I agree with others that the $4000 price is a bit high for a small motorcycle/scooter. Another issue is that many states in the US require a motorcycle drivers license to operate anything with more than 49cc on public streets/roads. Before buying, people should definitely check their state laws on motorcycle drivers licenses and engine sizes.
Honestly I agree, my city has pretty high speed limits (45+ in many areas) and while people do ride Groms and such I find them too slow to manage traffic.
Lol I’ve had the original T90 my whole life. It’s funny it’s so old it’s been forgotten about yet now with the new one everyone is liking it. My bike has about 500,000 miles on it with just the usual maintenance, most of its life has been Yellowstone, California mountains and Arizona deserts
@@patrickalmquist4762 Apparently not. you still did not answer what it is to "ease off the shifter." Never said you didn't know anything. Looking for an explanation of what you meant by that. Never heard of that.
In the 70’s when I was a teenager my buddy had a Trail 70 and I had an XR75. Oh Lordy we had fun. I may have to look at one of these for nostalgia’s sake.
Ha, I gave up my 1300 a few years ago and I'm really considering this bike. After 50 plus years of riding, I am really missing it. I think this bike may be the answer.
Great too see this upgraded Trail 90! Had a trail 90 back in the 70's before I got my license. Used it strictly off road and had a blast! My friends used to make fun of me because they said I road a chick bike. They stopped laughing when I would go through stuff they couldn't. Their 2 strokes would die from fouled plugs on the tight trails we used to ride, lol!
Back in 1975 I bought a new Honda CB125S and rode thousands of miles all over the UK with my wife as pillion. Great machine and always very reliable. Those machines produced 12 BHP so it could keep up with the traffic OK. That's what this new machine needs, a few more BHP and a proper clutch/gearbox. We're bikers not car drivers, we can operate a clutch........
The new Hunter Trail's new 125 engine is unique, it's undersquare and is unlikely to make 12 hp unless seriously breathed on. I've owned a 125cc PowRoll stroked, kitted CT90 It was a sleeper that stomped on 125 Honda scooters.
Grew up having a Honda dream. Everyone of my classmates took turns being my passenger. Thyy all loved it and thought I was really cool to be riding a motorcycle. So many memories so many things I was able to do because I had my bike. Then I got an rs 125 Yamaha. Now I have a cb125 more popularly known as honda cb shine. It's an awesome bike. 125cc., classic look., high clearance, and has scrambler capabilities. Literally rode it to a waterfall(it has a snorkel). Me and my wife both love it. Truth be told, we'd be in therapy if we didn't have our bike. This year she'll get her own Honda tmx125 and she'd never be home then. But hey we'd still be married.
have some friends who love trail bikes. What you said about downshifting, I found the same thing on clutchless crf bikes (70's etc). upshifting was ok, but every downshift even at moderate speed on grass was a half second of the back wheel locking up with not much I could do about it. A clutch just for downshifting would have been nice, but also for hill climbs. If the engine slows down too much, it stops engaging the wheels. At first that sounds good, no stall right? But the problem is you have no clutch to keep the revs up. So when it starts to overbog, it slips out, suddenly changing your balance, but instead of giving it a gripful and feathering a clutch to slowly apply power, it bogs releases, then speeds up a little and catches, and bogs again, lurch lurch lurch. and your best option is giving it a bunch of throttle so that it revs a bit higher when it releases, so that maybe it can get above the bog, maybe.
I wish Honda would offer a slightly beefed up version of the Trail 125, It would be nice to be able to take something like this on the highway here in SLC.
I d love to have this bike. It looks so much like the Honda Trail 90s my dad ‘had in the late 60’s. Same shifting and everything. We had 2 yellow ones . Glad to see it back. Great commuter bike. I drive a CTX700 now. Love that bike, too.
Its missing rear footpegs the optional seat and the shift select. Kind of missing the old school oval speedometer but not missing enough to criticize this. I love the brakes and the genera improvements to the frame shrouding. With a snorkel and a one-way exhaust I wonder if it would run under water like the old 90s. We did that you know. Snorkel and way low gearing fun. I miss my bikes! I had 3, a '64, a '70 and another later model '70 to replace the one i augered into a large irrigation ditch. Our Honda shop ruled then, they FRAMED my smashed bike and displayed on in the showroom floor. That got them SO many sales they were shocked. They sold around 8 a week. Just 90s though the other big sellers were 350 SLs, and 750 fours. Oops too long.
Had mine for a year in Thailand. Try braking 1st before you Change down slowing the bike down will reduce engine wear,I use mine a lot off trail took it up a small mountain here 3,600 feet very steep incline, very rough trail,crossing streams on the Way up, 4 hours up 4 hours down. Coming Down the front ABS is awesome coming down very steep inclines. I also take it up on very steep trails on the island of Phuket where bigger bikes would be impossible to take, if you use it on the Road then you're not enjoying its full potential it really is an awesome trail bike,
![ร้อยพ่อพันแม่ - WanMai [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/XY2pNYASEbg/mqdefault.jpg)
Now Toyota needs to remake a simple, bare-bones pickup truck like they had in the early 90's and they'll sell a few hundred thousand a year.
they are, the hilux without the bed.
No earlier, their trucks peaked in 85. Last solid axel carbureted 4x4 and they were under 10k new.
@@Jangocat Considering $10,000 in 1985 is $25,000 with inflation, the current Tacoma isn't too far off starting at $26,000. Pretty incredible considering all the regulations they currently have to deal with. The old one were "bare bones" only when comparing to modern cars. Pretty much ALL vehicles were "bare bones."
I have owned and wheeled a 88 V6 runner, 86 Bronco, 91'Jeep YJ.
Last year I wanted a hardtop SUV and I hunted down my Triple locked Toyota 80 series Land Cruiser. Nothing fancy, just a solid SUV body and durable interior sitting in an actual truck frame . A bulletproof large bore 6 cylinder built for torque and durability, an automatic transmission that gives me control over the torque, two honest to God solid axles. The rear is even full floating like a heavier truck would have.
The damn thing is always in four-wheel drive. I can select low and high range and I can control the locking differentials from a simple dash switch.
This old Toyota gives me enough control to wheel as well as my well built Jeep YJ did. I didn't have to spend weeks in the garage installing locking differentials, a roll cage, and transfer case gears.. This Toyota rolled off the showroom floor without a bunch of silly stickers and any kind of system that uses a computer to control the transmission and brakes. It's actually much easier to drive than any four wheel drive I've ever had and it does anything that the YJ could ever do considering the wheelbase difference.
Toyota chose to discontinue the Land Cruiser. The model went out with a bang, it is a great family SUV and sold at a great cost. It was too fancy and expensive for most people who would actually go over landing..
It is my opinion that If they would bring back the simple body on frame design and solid axles with selectable lockers it would compete very well on the marketplace if not excessively overpriced.
There's no money in simplicity it's all about flash,that's why over 90% of 4x4 never see dirt unless driver has been drinking
Hi, I'm an retired australia postman we used the ct110 in the day on sidewalks in residential areas to deliver mail on these, carry pouch attached to the front handle bars for letters, side carry bags & fixed box for wet weather gear. I was so impressed with mine when i retired & they where taking them out of service i bought mine for $600 Aust dollars in 1997. Still got it, one of the best things I have ever done. I have a small motorhome it gets attached to the back as backup to go shopping or if i break down. I love it.
Happy to learn that the ct110 worked hard with you. I was one of them who worked at Honda to make ct110 better back in the 90s. I'm also retired and am now happy to see the ct coming back for more fun to more people, especially to the new generations. Safe and happy ride for everyone!
The automatic clutch is automatically disengaged when the shift lever is all the way up or down. As you release the lever during shifts, the clutch automatically engages. There is a finesse you can use in down shifting to avoid rear wheel chirp and or skid by learning how to control the clutch engagement with your foot and even using some throttle blip. Or you could just wait to downshift when you come to complete stop or slow down enough to need to downshift for a slower speed. Great to see Honda bring back the legendary Trail 90 as a new 125.
Just like the innovas! (my father rides one daily)
Some bikes are harder to downshift from higher gears when youre not moving. Although this one only has 4 so it might not be that difficult.
Yes that's how we controlled the Auto-Clutch back-in-the-day. It is how you release the shifter on up or down shifts.
That is how we did wheelies on those things, pull or press the shifter rev it up then release the shifter, Bam your off!
@@zephyr139 Agreed, he's downshifting too fast other option is to stop completely and then you can shift into neutral from 4th gear at least in my Honda is possible
Nice information. Classic designs feels great to ride.
But see, this is pure extortion. Because an Indian company called TVS makes similar category, somewhat similar design, and or better performance moped for less than 700$. Check out photographs and specs of TVS XL 100, you will be urged to buy it.
One benefit of using this bike to commute around town is that it’s not offensive to anyone. You could probably walk it inside the grocery store and nobody would complain. For whatever reason, there are a lot of people that hate motorcycles. Nobody hates this bike.
It has a sort of that old moped charm. I have an old 1980 Honda PA50 (aka Hobbit) and i can park that up on bike racks or walk it on the sidewalk and no one bats an eye. Doesnt hurt that it actually has working pedals, too!
Indeed. It's the swiss army knife of motorcycles.
For young people or just folks who aren't knowledgeable about bikes, the CT125 looks like one of those electric bikes we see so often nowadays.
@@karmuppet True dat...true dat...
That's because you meet nicer people on a Honda.
When me and my fiends would ride bikes like this back in the day we would be jealous of the kids with hot two stroke CR's etc. Now i truly appreciate how cool these bullet proof reliable bikes are..
haha I felt the same way, had a 1969 90. Blew the the gears out trying to ride it like a dirtbike
@@ajmentis7379 Lol yeah, obsessing over that elusive wheelie.
Had lots of bikes of various kinds..
All, All, All of my Honda 4-strokes were always, always, always, bullet-proof..
I worked for Australia Post, then as an independent deliverer for the better part of 10 years. I rode a CT110 daily and they're the best little things around. People tend to think they can only go walking pace since they mostly see them riding along footpaths delivering mail but depending on how light the rider is they can reach about 90km/h unmodded. We once had a guy actually get a speeding ticket on one when I was a postman, we got the infraction notice and framed it above the sign in clock.
I had a CT 90 as a teen. It was a handy little bike for running around town. A couple of bucks in gas would take you a long way on that one. It's great to see Honda bring these classic designs back.
A friend of mine had a CT 90. It was a great bike. His family owned a huge dairy farm so we had lots of space to ride around in. Fun times back then.
DUDE SO DID I !!!!! it was my 1st bike!
Bought a CT90 recently for puttn around in woods
They've been making them in one form or another continuously since 1966, but not sold everywhere all of the time. It is used by the Australian and New Zealand postal workers for example.
A big miss on Thailand Honda design team for not making a dual range gearbox for this bike.
You can "feather the clutch" when downshifting but it takes left foot finesse. The shifter also momentarily disengages the clutch, so if you push the shifter then slowly release the foot shifter pressure, the clutch will engage softly. I've been riding these Honda trail bikes since the 1970's, it takes practice.
Its the same for the honda four wheelers
The 1st motorcycle I ever rode was a Trail 90. A classic design nice to see it back.
Mine was the trail 50 I remember my dad slaming on the brakes to stop and ask if the owners would sell it...$35 it lasted me from 1992 to 2004 electrical issues ended it.
I'd miss the " High/Low" range select lever my old CT110 had on the transmission . That range select really made the 110 versatile for off road in low range . .
true but your max speed in high was less than 50mph already? even with high gearing this thing wont stay near 60mph due to approaching the horsepower limits. it will do 55mph easy on a flat road as long as it is not windy.
I agree. The High-low ability is what gave this bike it's true ability and that was to explore the trails and difficult places, not as a highway bike.
I owned a 71 which the PO had paid PowRoll to build up the engine with a 125cc stroker kit. It could effortlessly cruise at 60 but you had to run aviation L110.
My atc honda 110 had that in 1978 i know what yah mean very cool feature
When the most produced motor vehicle in the entire history of Man finally gets a _REAL_ refreshl for the first time in half a century
@@helpfulcommenter My heartfelt sympathies go out to you, wherever you are on the spectrum
@@helpfulcommenter I believe he meant that everyone already knows what you’re saying. So you look dumb saying it again as if you know something that everyone and their mother doesn’t already know. And the trail cub is accounted in that 100million sales number. So this indeed is the most sold vehicle ever.
@@helpfulcommenter The Super cub C-100's were sold in the US, as where the Passports and a number of pressed steel type C-XXX series bikes. And in some countries like Vietnam the old C-100 is still being made with a more modern engine. The Trails series started in 1964 with the C105-T and the first of the C-200 87cc pushrod Trail 90's I've owned a number of the early Trails. including a no transfer case '66 Trail 90 with the OHC 89 cc engine. I actually prefer the old pushrod engines, they're tough, and cleverly designed.
Reminds me of my time growing up in the country. Very reminiscent of a Honda 65 I had as a young kid back in the 60’s and a Honda Trail 70 a decade later. Both were a lot of fun.
I had the 1964 Honda trail 55...wish I had taken better care of it. Had two 1968 CL 90s later on which I liked better.
As teenagers in the 60's it was about the "look" and step thru's were "girly" back then.
Still have a mint 1970's SL 125 though.
@@keithlucas6260 I had an SL70 - your 125 would be so cool!
50 plus years and it’s still a viable transportation option, I fixed my father n laws 72’CT 90, I love that little bike.
Good for you. Frankly I never quite understood why there have been no underbone frame motorcycles sold in the USA since the old Honda Super Cub or the Trail 90’s back in the 70’s. After all, in Southeast Asian countries virtually all of the bikes on the road are of this type. And in fact, when I lived in Thailand I really loved my Honda Wave. It’s the perfect bike for the types of conditions you encounter over there and it handles fairly decent as well for what it is. It does tend to bog down quite a bit on steep grades, particularly with a passenger on the back, but otherwise it’s a great little bike. I guess there is just no market for these things in the USA. Apparently 99 percent of the riders here either want a powerful superbike, a large cruiser, or a dirt bike. And the remaining one percent want a motor scooter - probably because they have seen Quadraphenia one too many times, or they are just hipsters who want to seem more European. Personally I can’t stand to ride motor scooters though because they just don’t handle very well at all. By the way, to those who do not know what a motor scooter is they are easily identifiable by the fact that they have small diameter wheels, a flat pan to rest your feet on, and the engine, transmission, and rear wheel are all pretty much one unsprung unit.
Perhaps another reason that underbone motorcycles are not popular here is because people associate them with mopeds, and in fact many Americans still mistakenly refer to underbone frame motorcycles as “mopeds”. A true moped of course has pedals, no transmission, and cannot have larger than a 50cc motor.
@@SLOBeachboy some of the scooters now are really fast, like the 650cc Suzuki Bergman, those things fly. I just don’t feel real comfortable with my feet together on running boards. But yeh, like you said there aren’t many step thru designs anymore. They were stamped steel frames, cheap and easy to manufacture. If they made those now with old cheaper technology and bare bones basic features they’d sell like mad. For $2000 so they’d be affordable for most people..
Honda makes honestly the best bikes overall with almost bulletproof drivetrains
Suzuki.
@@1990-t1j all the Japanese companies are good. But I’d say Honda is probably the best out of them overall. Each company has some good bikes. They’re also the most expensive out of the other Japanese companies but not as expensive as a bmw
2500 miles on my ct125 now, mine pops out of gear constantly. It's really annoying. Putting a cbr125r motor on it tho so.. :p
@@crazyewok8742 Yamaha and BMW are greater than Honda
@@Max_Marz huh, surely just a miss adjusted clutch or shifter or something right? No way it’s having real engine trouble already.
Regardless a real clutch from the cbr would be a huge upgrade
Many many moons ago, I had a Honda Mini Trail 70. This new one looks very similar in style.
To avoid the back wheel from skidding when downshifting, just slowly release the shift lever after pressing it down to downshift.
There is no clutch lever
You don't know the difference between a clutch lever and a shift lever?
@@theduke7268 he said "shift lever" not "clutch lever"
@@Akibatai00 on the ct's the shift lever is the clutch lever and the proper way to stop the wheel lock up is to rev match on down shift
@@bjorn1583 I know the shift lever is also the clutch lever on the CT. I have bought one and riding it since late last year.
With the semi autos you can still manually blip the throttle so that you don't lock up the rear wheel while down shifting. I do it all the time on my xr50...solved the problem. You should give it a shot hopefully it'll fix your issue.
I got an 84 110 last year. I love it! It’s got that low range these 125s don’t have.
Growing up we had two 110s. The low range and spare gas tank was really useful for trail riding. Thanks to the high air intake point (and exhaust outlet) deep water crossings up to the bottom of the seat were done on multiple occasions. Seems sacrilegious to put street tires on one.
What no low range? That is a key feature in my mind. I have a 90 with low range and that bike is like a tractor and will climb any hill like a mountain goat:)
@@judobear1 yeah I think the missed the boat on that one.
@@taco472 the Hunter Trail comes with a wider spread of gears ratios and the engine is long stroke. So it 's more than capable of plonking along at trail riding speeds while having enough power to climb out of holes like the old Trails could
@@helpfulcommenter Years ago I owned a '70 trail 90 with a Powroll 125 stroker hop up kit. Believe me that engine didn't need the low range as the torque came on at about 2000 rpm and was relentless. First in low range was almost useless.
Great review man. I got one in February and have put about 1600mi on it. More than half of them on some pretty gnarly trails. I've had it up to the seat in rivers and streams and climbed some pretty nasty trails. I have a few reviews of it including one with some aftermarket exhaust. In the future I plan on doing some of the trans America trail on it and record my adventures. Feel free to scope out any videos you want. Appreciate you doing this one!!! Everyone comes up to me everywhere I go and ask about it!
Dude thats awesome, im suprised it can ford water like that
Although I do not have a scooter or bike now when I did I found the 125cc to be the sweet spot for around town and the grass tracking type offroad. The most fun I had on all of my bikes was with a honda XL125R the trials style semi off road of the bike made it a great allrounder. It was not the fastest 125 in the house yet it would push 70-80mph at a maximum which is more than enough to get you out of trouble on a major out of town road here in the UK. It could cruise all day at 30mph and was economical on fuel, with fuel price hikes I am guessing the average commuting to work person could run it all month on less than £15 of fuel when I had mine in the early 2000's I was spending on average 5-10 a month and covering 200-400miles ish a month occasionally I had to top up more but not often and only a few £
Good review! I remember the original "Trail 90's". This is a sharp looking bike and you can't beat Honda quality. This bike would be ideal for me to run errands and just tootle around town. I used to race motocross back in my teens and used to ride some street bikes. But now in my 60's the "Honda 125 Trail" would suit me just fine.
Definitely getting one of these in my garage. Small bikes are the most fun. Nothing to prove!!!
ABGBSeKB
Canada needs and deserves this bike! Bring it on Honda!!!
@UnderBridge Rock Go back under your rock
I've rode a Honda Wave when visiting the Philippines (known as Inova in Europe). The wave also uses a 125cc 4 speed set up.
Incredible versatile machine. Fast enough to cut through traffic and can maintain 60 mph on the highway. Great for dirt roads too.
In the 80's I read meters for a utility company in Phoenix and we rode Honda 110 trailbikes. Great little motorbike.
That sounds like a dream job.
@@larrynorsworthy8582 that’s what I thought too, damn I’m almost 55 and I’d do that now just to ride lol
WARD 90 degree Iron fittings painted machine gray.
I had a ct70 when I was a kid. I’m 42 now and that bike is the reason I still ride today. So much fun.
The way to shift is to let off the throttle at the same time you shift, and don't downshift too soon.
The way you shift is blipping there throttle to match rpm when you downshift.
Semi-autos are no good for engine braking. Downshift only when you need to get back on the gas and the gear is too high. When you slow down for a stop, leave it in whatever gear you are in and downshift after you stop. I have owned several Honda Semi-Autos. While the trani can take a ton of abuse, you are mistreating it if you ride it like that, and you will wear out tires like crazy.
Spot on
OMG this brings back memories. These bikes were used by postmen and women in Australia from around 1980's, starting with C90 (90cc motor), and upgrading to 110cc in 1994. I believe they were the highest selling "motorcycle" in the world. The Australian version (for Australia Post), had a gear lock....When in first gear, your roll backwards and shift down. This would lock the gearbox and the rear wheel. In conjunction with a "handbrake" which locked the front wheel brake on, this would allow the postman to use both hands, to select and deliver postal items to letterboxes situated on the top of mounds. I recall actually falling over backwards from a mound when delivering mail once in Sydney! These bikes were the most fun, and in Australia, postal workers were permitted to ride on the footpaths. Thanks for this great video. I retired some 8 years ago, and will always have fond memories of these rugged little bikes.
I sure miss riding on my SL-125 Honda. I sued to go everywhere with it (i was 14 when my father gave it to me for Christmas in 1976).
you sued who?
My daughter and her fiancee just bought two. Will have a chance to ride one next week. The low range transmission is what made these bikes different. Also would be nice if they were lighter. Almost weighs as much as my 1972 XL 250. Thanks for sharing.
Reminds me of my pc50😃, new old school. "You meet the nicest people on a Honda"
I found that I lost a few things off of a rear rack that were “sufficiently secured”, but never lost anything that was “tied on better than it really needed to be”. Bungees work to maintain a constant downward tension, but on rough terrain the load can bounce, momentarily stretching out a bungee, and the load can start to creep during that instant. A series of chattery bumps allow a load to shift more than you want it to.
A rope, lashed tightly, presents a definite outer limit of travel for a load on rough or chattery surfaces. But the rope also has an inner limit of travel. It does NOT get any snugger fitting than when it is originally tied and secured.
I found that ONLY with a combination of bungee AND rope did gear reliably remain aboard no matter of what surface I rode on. Boxes never worked well for me.
1 1/4" stainless hose clamps work wonders for mounting milk crates.
You can rev the engine while you shift. What I usually do is downshift then rev a bit before releasing.
The fun bike that makes you smile always gets the most attention.
Why do you need attention when you ride? Ego that broke?
@@hipskipne1984 Ego would have you riding a liter bike.
The old 90/110’s had a seat that was available that went on top of the rack and they had foot pegs for the rear passenger.
"This" is beyond weird to me. This video was in my suggested videos; I don't usually look at motorcycle videos. But just 2 hours ago I saw two of these parked together and I spent a few minutes checking them out! Big Brother must be watching!
Shhhhh
90 got a facelift. Made it from Malaysia to the UK, Alaska to Argentina.
My first bike was a ‘73 Trail 90 that had already passed through a succession of older uncles and cousins. I got it in the late 90s as a 13-or-so-year-old, rode it til probably 2004 before getting my first Yamaha TW200 (I have two TWs now, they’re the greatest) and giving the 90 to my younger cousin, who rode it for several more years. Aside from oil, spark plugs/wires, tires/tubes, chains/sprockets, and levers when they broke, I don’t think the bike ever had ANY maintenance or repairs over like 40 years, haha! It was slow, but with knobbies it’d go anywhere. I’ll almost certainly be buying one of these for a girlfriend/loaner trail bike. Anyone should be able to ride it regardless of experience level. I wish it had power enough to comfortably run 55-60 for slightly longer rides on 2-lane state roads, but it’s still a cool little capable beginner backroad/trail bike and I’m sure it’ll do well. I hope it’s as dependable and indestructible as its old namesake.
I had a CT 70 growing up, loved it
Same, mine was a passport 70 but they are the same bike :)
We used these in central Africa in the 80's for deep tourne´s into the bush for vaccination runs. We would regularly attach a large petrol fridge onto that cargo platform and head out onto jungle singletrack for a week or more. Low center of gravity made for a stable ride under load and we never had any breakdowns to speak of other than flats. A solid workhorse of a bike.
That rack is awesome. I kept a wool army blanket on mine held in place by a helmet bungee net and was very useful. I bought a couple watermelons throughout summer from a local market. And at the red light people had their windows down and I could hear them say Hey! Look at that! Ha ha. He’s got a watermelon on there. That’s cool.
We had a trail 90 when i was a kid, my brother still has it!
These bikes should be sold in Norway... :-/
I just bought a Honda Monkey 4 weeks ago, but I also want a Honda Trail :)
EU emission regulations.. I hope that a 2022 Modell will have the new grom engine, so that we can have the trail 125
@@gordon4952 Ok, now I understand why the Honda Monkey no longer is on sale in Norway in 2021. The Honda Monkey I bought is an 2020 modell.
Weird, in Germany we have a monkey 2021
I bought my xwife an ADV 150...and then I bought 2 more for my girlfriend and I. These little bikes/scooters are a blast to ride (I ride a Kawasaki Concours 14 as a daily driver), and I've been riding for 44 years.
Perfect bike for scootin around down at the beach or at a campsite
I bought a new, yellow CT90 in 1964. My first motorcycle. What memories this new one brings back.
Just saw one of these at my local honda dealer my very first bike 25 years ago was a 1968 CT90
How fast was the 90 on a flat road ?
It has a clutch, keep the shifter depressed and blip the throttle on downshifts.
Had a trail 90 back in the 1970's. Was a lot of fun.
So did I. With the dual rear sprocket. Those bikes were unbreakable.
The rear tire skidding during downshifting is attributed to driver error. The auto-clutch engine wasn't designed to be downshifted at that high of RPM. You would achieve the same results by downshifting a street bike at 9.000 RPM and suddenly releasing the clutch. Instead, simply downshift at a lower RPM, and use your brakes to slow down.
Otherwise, this was a great review of a bike that I didn't even know was being released until I saw the TH-cam thumbnail pop up .
I wish these came in multiple colors - it would be a fun commuter for driving around town or exploring lol
Just a piece of advise... When you downshift, try releasing the gear slowly while applying gas... So the rear tire wont jerk... It's like having a clutch... it takes practice and you'll get use to it...
The Nostalgia is strong with this one!
"Clutch" control comes with experience on these bikes. Hard to explain but it's all in the gear lever. If you hold the lever up or down it selects the gear but let's the engine free rev. As pressure on the lever is released the "clutch" grabs and off you go.
Great for burnouts, wheelies and downshifting.
Beautiful!, a work of art, not like the boring electric bikes
My fave small Hondas were the 1970s 125s with overhead cam. They made a bit more power but still gave >100 miles per U.K. gallon.
CB125S, XL125, SL125.
I'd love to see TFL do a mini adventure on one of these bikes
Run it up the Ike!
I also wish they would do an off-road adventure 😮💨
Here in Australia we have these earlier model bikes used as mail delivery , called postie bikes , look up on you tube Postie bike Adventures
Take a look at the channel Some Guy Rides. He has done the Smokey Mountain 500 trail and is doing the TAT (2000 miles) now.
Trust me that thing can hold more than 44lbs. I grew up in a family of 4 and before my dad saved up enough money to buy a car, all 4 of us rode in his 110cc Jupiter Z. I've seen up to 7 people on these bikes.
I've always thumbed my nose at the trail 125, but I can get away with almost anything on that bike and the supermoto turns me into a hooligan. 🤣
I had a trail 90 back in the early '70s. It was the most fun motorcycle I ever had because you could take it anywhere. If you fell, you just picked it up, dusted yourself off, and kept on going. I kick myself every time I think about the day I sold it.
The back wheel skids because you're changing down gear at too higher revs
that why I let my bike slow on engine compression in 4th until abou6t 20 mph and the do a quick shift down to first. and remember to feather in the clutch with your toe.
He didn't know how to ride a moped.
Here's a tip, you can do a full stop in 4th gear and go down the gear while stationery. The engine wont stall.
Edit: riding a bike with centrifugal clutch is exactly like driving an automatic car. Except you have to initiate the gearshift yourself. Its impossible to stall an engine with centrifugal clutch unless you take off in 3rd gear or higher. Forget about the throttle and just change gear when the revs is low, unless if you're doing a complete stop. When/if you coming a complete stop, only shift down when you're completely stationary. Source: i ride a lot of underbone bikes in south east asia.
its because he dont rev match on the down shift causing compression lock
@@bjorn1583 you cant rev match a centrifugal clutch. If you rev the bike, the clutch will engage. The only time the clutch will disengaged is when you let of the throttle. So shift down while completely off throttle and watch your speed.
@@ilovelimpfries l ride one hard for between 4 1/2 and 6 hours aday 5 days a week and l say you can rev match on down shift.
ps. the clutch will disengage at any rpm by pressing on the gear lever.
pss. the honda cb 's are not mopeds
I wanted a Honda CL 125 in 1975. It was a taller bike with a vertical cylinder. Drove like a dream.
You didn't mention the price range for this bike.
Grew up riding something like this on my Grandmas farm many years ago, early 80s. ❤️
My G'ma had 2 Trail 90s we would ride also in the 80s. My first foray into motorcycles👍🏼😎👍🏼
I think every farm had at least one dust covered Honda in the barn that the grandkids would dig out when they visited.
I had one of those 90's when i was a kid. it went pretty good and nothing stopped it. fun bike
The trail series. Just Awesome. Any year.
Always a Aus Post Bike to me, yep CT 70, 90 and 110 we had here
Of course not in Canada. I just want a small bike with a bit of character!!!
We get ripped off here in Canada,I keep asking when the monkey is coming but never get a good answer 😡
Yes, that is really too bad, but it costs $3900 in the US it would be around $5000 here + dealer fees and tax you're looking at over $6000 out the door - that is too much.
Great review!.. The heel and toe shifter was popular on italian bikes back in the sixties so businessmen going to work could shift without scuffing the toe of their patent leather shoe
Great review, love the bike. I would recommend using your front and rear brakes applied evenly to slow the bike rather than down shifting as a brake. Down shift like that while in a corner and you may have the ride of your life (or death).
Same with braking in a corner
In 1976 I got a Honda 90s and a trail 90 those were my bikes until 79 when I went up to a 350 and a 450 eventually at 750 and then a Gold Wing...6 of them now I have an old Roadglide
My CL350 was one of my favorite bikes of all time. I owned a Trail 90 at the same time and it was my desert fun bike for at least 10 years. My 350 went 40,000 miles before I sold it to a friend.
Here in Australia the CT125 is roughly the same price as a RE Himalayan, or almost twice the price of a CB125E. I have a 1985 CT110 & was interested in buying a new CT125, but for me the price is a killer.
Yeah and I'd really prefer the Himalayan, but in the US the RE is way more expensive.
yeah it's way too expensive for what it is. honda seems to want to pucnh way above its weight
I agree with others that the $4000 price is a bit high for a small motorcycle/scooter. Another issue is that many states in the US require a motorcycle drivers license to operate anything with more than 49cc on public streets/roads. Before buying, people should definitely check their state laws on motorcycle drivers licenses and engine sizes.
Needs 200cc and 5 speed gearbox for the USA
What makes these bikes great is the fact that they are tiny. If you want a bigger bike they are plentiful.
People seem to get along just fine on the grom with the same engine
Honestly I agree, my city has pretty high speed limits (45+ in many areas) and while people do ride Groms and such I find them too slow to manage traffic.
Lol I’ve had the original T90 my whole life. It’s funny it’s so old it’s been forgotten about yet now with the new one everyone is liking it. My bike has about 500,000 miles on it with just the usual maintenance, most of its life has been Yellowstone, California mountains and Arizona deserts
We need this model in Europe. Would be perfect for the TET route.
You guys have fine mopeds and bike alikes Solex style
Problem with downshifting? Are you blipping the throttle? Even though it's semi-auto you still need to do this to match engine speed to new gear....
Aussie Postie Bike. Much loved.
A mailman delivery vehicle for Australia says a lot . Wow!
What cc were they ?
@@MrLeo7627 motorbikewriter.com/honda-postie-an-australian-institution/
It started out in 1964 or 1965 as a pushrod motor I have a yellow one yet
The clutch on a “simi automatic” transmission is in the shifter. So when shifting and downshifting if you ease off the shifter it won’t jerk.
how do you ease off of a shifter? 🤣 You can ease off the gas, but you press the pedal up or down. You can't ease it up or down. Shifting is shifting.
@@JohnSmith-uy7sv I’ve got 2 trail 90s In my garage but I guess I don’t know anything.😂
@@patrickalmquist4762 Apparently not. you still did not answer what it is to "ease off the shifter." Never said you didn't know anything. Looking for an explanation of what you meant by that. Never heard of that.
@@JohnSmith-uy7sv probably the same way you ease off the clutch 🤷♂️
@@loganellis5449 you can't ease off of a shifter pedal. 🙄🙈🤪
In the 70’s when I was a teenager my buddy had a Trail 70 and I had an XR75. Oh Lordy we had fun. I may have to look at one of these for nostalgia’s sake.
I see myself riding this when I can't ride my Honda 1300cc V4 anymore.
Ha, I gave up my 1300 a few years ago and I'm really considering this bike.
After 50 plus years of riding, I am really missing it. I think this bike may be the answer.
Either after I’m done with my CB1100 or I might just buy one for the wife and ride it myself. I dig it
honda has several underbone motorcycles. I'm curious if they are sold in the western world. they're popular in asia.
Great too see this upgraded Trail 90! Had a trail 90 back in the 70's before I got my license. Used it strictly off road and had a blast! My friends used to make fun of me because they said I road a chick bike. They stopped laughing when I would go through stuff they couldn't. Their 2 strokes would die from fouled plugs on the tight trails we used to ride, lol!
My wife wants one of these badly, I want to motovlog it on single track lol.
Back in 1975 I bought a new Honda CB125S and rode thousands of miles all over the UK with my wife as pillion. Great machine and always very reliable. Those machines produced 12 BHP so it could keep up with the traffic OK. That's what this new machine needs, a few more BHP and a proper clutch/gearbox. We're bikers not car drivers, we can operate a clutch........
The new Hunter Trail's new 125 engine is unique, it's undersquare and is unlikely to make 12 hp unless seriously breathed on. I've owned a 125cc PowRoll stroked, kitted CT90 It was a sleeper that stomped on 125 Honda scooters.
You meet the nicest people on a Honda😏👍
Grew up having a Honda dream. Everyone of my classmates took turns being my passenger. Thyy all loved it and thought I was really cool to be riding a motorcycle. So many memories so many things I was able to do because I had my bike. Then I got an rs 125 Yamaha. Now I have a cb125 more popularly known as honda cb shine. It's an awesome bike. 125cc., classic look., high clearance, and has scrambler capabilities. Literally rode it to a waterfall(it has a snorkel). Me and my wife both love it. Truth be told, we'd be in therapy if we didn't have our bike. This year she'll get her own Honda tmx125 and she'd never be home then. But hey we'd still be married.
In Australia they used these to deliver mail to remote sheep stations and call them posties.
They still use them in my town.
have some friends who love trail bikes.
What you said about downshifting, I found the same thing on clutchless crf bikes (70's etc). upshifting was ok, but every downshift even at moderate speed on grass was a half second of the back wheel locking up with not much I could do about it.
A clutch just for downshifting would have been nice, but also for hill climbs. If the engine slows down too much, it stops engaging the wheels. At first that sounds good, no stall right?
But the problem is you have no clutch to keep the revs up. So when it starts to overbog, it slips out, suddenly changing your balance, but instead of giving it a gripful and feathering a clutch to slowly apply power, it bogs releases, then speeds up a little and catches, and bogs again, lurch lurch lurch. and your best option is giving it a bunch of throttle so that it revs a bit higher when it releases, so that maybe it can get above the bog, maybe.
I wish Honda would offer a slightly beefed up version of the Trail 125, It would be nice to be able to take something like this on the highway here in SLC.
The only way 2 add power is replace it w a ktm.
unless youre in australia where there a dime a dozen as the postal service uses them. We call them postie bike.
It's a great bumper bike for your RV
Exactly what I was thinking.
I have a full size touring bike and still like these tiny bikes. They will always be a blast to ride.
This was used for hunting before there were any ATVs.
I d love to have this bike. It looks so much like the Honda Trail 90s my dad
‘had in the late 60’s. Same shifting and everything. We had 2 yellow ones . Glad to see it back. Great commuter bike. I drive a CTX700 now. Love that bike, too.
Not fast, but damn the fun factor is huge.
Its missing rear footpegs the optional seat and the shift select. Kind of missing the old school oval speedometer but not missing enough to criticize this. I love the brakes and the genera improvements to the frame shrouding. With a snorkel and a one-way exhaust I wonder if it would run under water like the old 90s. We did that you know. Snorkel and way low gearing fun.
I miss my bikes! I had 3, a '64, a '70 and another later model '70 to replace the one i augered into a large irrigation ditch. Our Honda shop ruled then, they FRAMED my smashed bike and displayed on in the showroom floor. That got them SO many sales they were shocked. They sold around 8 a week. Just 90s though the other big sellers were 350 SLs, and 750 fours. Oops too long.
A Trail bike review that doesn't cover trail riding? Come on!
you can feather the gear bruh, just keep the clutch/shifter pressed
Good review. Honda owes you one.
Had mine for a year in Thailand. Try braking 1st before you Change down slowing the bike down will reduce engine wear,I use mine a lot off trail took it up a small mountain here 3,600 feet very steep incline, very rough trail,crossing streams on the Way up, 4 hours up 4 hours down. Coming Down the front ABS is awesome coming down very steep inclines. I also take it up on very steep trails on the island of Phuket where bigger bikes would be impossible to take, if you use it on the Road then you're not enjoying its full potential it really is an awesome trail bike,