Honda to resurrect the "trail 90" in a new CT125 called a "super cub scrambler"?

[Kingcreek]

Came across some early leaks about this expected announcement in Europe. Wonder if we will see it here in the colonies?
I love the old original ones but they have become urban hippie collectible and prices have shot up. My son in law found a nice one in Washington state. I would consider a new one.

[Hawkmoon]

Honda sold (and may well still sell) a very nice little single-cylinder, 125cc street bike in South America that never made it to the U.S. I used to see them everywhere when my late wife and I visited her family.

Stay tuned. 

[Kingcreek]

The original ones were very off-road trail capable as well as street commuter bikes.
My dad and his brother each had one. Auto clutch and high low range tranny, spare fuel canister. We rode those things through all kinds of gnarly places. My cousin showed up one time in deer camp with a 6 point buck on one. He had it's neck strapped to the handle bars and its butt strapped to the rear rack and he was saddled up on top of the whole thing. He had come down off a mountain and firebreak like that. Late 60s or early 70s

[Ben]

I had one of the originals. It was fun! Used it pretty much all off road, forest service road, etc.

[MillCreek]

OMG. Honda, shut up and take my money!

[AZRedhawk44]

Cute!  Looks like a hoot.

I just bought a Husky FE250, after being dirtbike-less for a 2 year stint.  Prior to that I had a Honda XR thumper for several years, but it turned into a constant wrenching headache here in AZ since it was air cooled and constantly overheated.  

While this little CT125 isn't a competitor to the FE250, and wouldn't have stopped me from getting the Husky, I could see it winding up in my garage also, for camping trips and stuff like that.  My lady would be more likely to grab this and take it for a spin herself... the FE has like a 36" seat height.  This looks way lower, like high 20's.

[dogmush]

Thanks to this thread and a faulty google I have spent the last hour looking at Kit versions of a STOL Piper.

Now I want a plane.

[MillCreek]

Not sure if this is an artist's conception or the actual bike:

https://www.rideapart.com/articles/373096/honda-ct125-concept-tokyo-show/

[brimic]

We had one of the original Cubs at the ex's cabin- it was a hoot to ride.

[Brad Johnson]

https://powersports.honda.com/street/minimoto/super-cub-c125




It's a Grom with a centrifugal clutch, fancy fairing, and bigger wheels.

Brad

[AZRedhawk44]

https://powersports.honda.com/street/minimoto/super-cub-c125




It's a Grom with a centrifugal clutch, fancy fairing, and bigger wheels.

Brad

Except you've got the wrong vehicle.

https://www.rideapart.com/articles/373096/honda-ct125-concept-tokyo-show/



I know, the differences are largely cosmetic.  Same frame and clutch and motor.  I just think the super cub you linked looks like a cross between a vespa and a moped, and I don't really care for it. 

The trail cub looks more like a cross between a moped, dirt bike, and one of those coleman camp scooters.

[AZRedhawk44]

It reminds me of the old Motobecane mopeds that my grandparents had, and my mom had when she was younger.  My grandpa would take me out tooling about when I was 8 or 10, him on one and me on another.

My mom's sat in the garage unused for years before it was eventually sold.  I started it and snuck around on it every now and then when I was 10 or 12.  I suspect it was sold because I would fiddle with it.     I took it up the back side of Buck Hill in Minnesota, one time.  There's some mountain bike trails around the ski hill that are fun in summertime, and we used to live in a neighborhood right on the back of it.

Yeah, I'd have some fun with one of these.

[MillCreek]

I had a super cub back when I was in college, but it was called the Honda Passport then. My son bought the new super cub earlier this year, and he uses it as a work commuter.  He likes it.

[Larry Ashcraft]

My dad bought a used Honda Trail 50 for my brother and I in the 60s. My friend had a Trail 90. His was step-through, with a centrifugal clutch. Ours was a manual tranny, with regular motorcycle gas tank. You had to swap sprockets for street or trail riding, but it wasn't much of a job. I used to ride the little 50 across town to work at the drive in theater, and it kept up easily with 60 MPH traffic.

My son bought one of the Coleman camp bikes for the girls, but I think the Honda would be more versatile. Our place is 40 acres with a 1.5 mile trail down to the river. It would get a lot of use.

[Ben]

Looks like we're talking about several different bikes this new one is based off? The one  Isaid I had was this Trail 90:



I'm pretty sure I didn't have the rear seat, just a rack. We had the Trail 50 when I was a kid. My dad would mount it to the front of the truck (cabover camper on the back) to take with us camping.

[Kingcreek]

Looks like we're talking about several different bikes this new one is based off? The one  Isaid I had was this Trail 90:



I'm pretty sure I didn't have the rear seat, just a rack. We had the Trail 50 when I was a kid. My dad would mount it to the front of the truck (cabover camper on the back) to take with us camping.

Yup, that's the one. Had a tool kit and some also had a spare gas canister that mounted under the rear rack.
4 speed + H/L range with centrifugal clutch. Dad hauled his in a pair of bumper mounts on the front of his truck with a topper shell. Ours had a seat cushion that was removable from the rear rack.
The CT125 scrambler obviously looks just like a modernized version.

[dogmush]

It's cool, and hit's the nostalgia buttons nicely, but looking at the website and extrapolating from the Monkey and Super Cub prices you're looking at ~$4,000.

Other than maybe ease of putting on the back of a camper or truck what does the scrambler version do that a 250 dual sport couldn't do a lot better, for not all that much more cash?

I guess I can see the use case for the Super Cub as a kinda "bigger" moped that will get you around the 50cc limits some highways have, but for actual trail riding I think I'd prefer the newer chassis and suspension.

Of Course a new design doesn't have a Beach Boys song about it, so there's that.

[AZRedhawk44]

Other than maybe ease of putting on the back of a camper or truck what does the scrambler version do that a 250 dual sport couldn't do a lot better, for not all that much more cash?

 

It's so friggin' approachable.

A motorcycle intimidates a lot of people, but the goofy and endearing shape of this thing just flat-out invites and manufactures new motorcycle riders.  Super-low seat height.

[MillCreek]

The Honda 250cc dual sport has a seat height of 34.4 inches, which I, at 5'10", 32 inch inseam, creaky hip joints, and 60 years old, cannot safely ride any more.  As AZ said, the CT125 would be much more accessible to many more people.  I have actually thought about a Monkey, but I refuse to pay $ 4K for it.  

[Ben]

$4000 is just ridiculous. It's like those "new/old" Broncos, etc. that go for six figures. The original, besides the ease of use mentioned above, was supposed to be an inexpensive alternative.

[Hawkmoon]

Not sure if this is an artist's conception or the actual bike:

https://www.rideapart.com/articles/373096/honda-ct125-concept-tokyo-show/

How do you not burn your leg on the exhaust pipe?

[Kingcreek]

That is a heat shield covering the pipe. The old ones were the same and we never got burned, Nor did a passenger.

[Brad Johnson]

$4000 is just ridiculous. It's like those "new/old" Broncos, etc. that go for six figures. The original, besides the ease of use mentioned above, was supposed to be an inexpensive alternative.

Unfortunately $4k is an "inexpensive alternative" these days. I figure the CT125 will be somewhere in the Monkey/Cub/Grom price range ($3400-$4000). The only lower-cost options are the Metro and Ruckus in the mid $2000's. Even the lowly Rebel, the very essence of Budget Beginner Bike, is $4500-ish.

Brad

[Ben]

Unfortunately $4k is an "inexpensive alternative" these days. I figure the CT125 will be somewhere in the Monkey/Cub/Grom price range ($3400-$4000). The only lower-cost options are the Metro and Ruckus in the mid $2000's. Even the lowly Rebel, the very essence of Budget Beginner Bike, is $4500-ish.

Brad

Yeah, I've kinda noticed that, most recently with UTVs. The Polaris Ranger 500 I just bought, absolute base model, cost me $10K. As soon as you start getting just a little fancy with power and options, you're getting up to small car prices. I don't quite understand the current pricing on motorcycles/ATVs/UTVs.

[Kingcreek]

Atleast it will be 12v w LED lamps. I think the old ones were 6v and you can't find a replacement headlamp. My son in law had to replace his with a 12v that fits but not a lot of lumes.