I'm thinking about a new Honda Trail 125. I don't need to do real motorcycle things, I just want to relive some of my childhood minibike adventures on the local dirt roads, and maybe load it in the back of my truck and explore other dirt neighborhoods.
Has anybody here owned one of these? Honda seems to have made a couple of notable upgrades since 2021.
I'm in - tell me where/what/how much?
I rode one....tons of fun. I had a trail 70 when I was a kid so I kinda felt like a kid again. It's got the looks but actually rides very well for what it is, way more refined than it looks.
Datsun240ZGuy said:I'm in - tell me where/what/how much?
My dad had a 90, which I spent quite a bit of time riding. I'm pretty nostalgic, but don't want another one. Very practical and off-road capable, but even with a 125 engine performance is going to be barely adequate.
If you shop Royal Enfield Himalayans and Scrams right now you'll find they are an incredible value, do everything the Honda can do, and hit 70 mph. I feel like Honda charges a lot for their name and the nostalgia.
ddavidv said:If you shop Royal Enfield Himalayans and Scrams right now you'll find they are an incredible value, do everything the Honda can do, and hit 70 mph. I feel like Honda charges a lot for their name and the nostalgia.
All the Japanese manufacturers do that to some extent but Honda is particularly bad and has been for a long time. I keep expecting the motorcycle buying public to wise up but they keep pushing out marginal product for top buck and people keep buying them. And they're only getting worse.
That bike's almost 6 grand in Canada. That's disgusting.
The Triumph 400 Scrambler is listed as below $6000. Amazing they want close to this for a 125.
Its $4k in the US, it's well priced. It's a Honda, it will start every morning, even after sitting.
The man wants a Trail, let him buy a Trail.
You cant relive your childhood minibike adventures on a Triumph or a RE.
In reply to Slippery :
The 27" TV we bought when I was a kid would be $3000 today, so the relevance of your point escapes me
Regardless, I was merely agreeing with ddavid, and pointing out what they've become as a company.
It's a Honda, it will start every morning, even after sitting.
So will almost every other bike on the market including a lot of the Chinese bikes. I've owned a fair bit of Hondas, they're not doing anything special, and IMO, don't deserve the reputation they have. They're really not all that reliable, or well built, especially compared to the other Japanese manufacturers. I've said for a long time, if you want Honda reliability, buy a Yamaha.
In reply to Peabody :
Damn, you had a 27" tv back in the day?
Woody wants a Honda. Not a Yamaha. Help him relive his youth.
So, then... no?
Nobody here has owned one of the new Honda Trail 125s, huh?
Okay.
Unfortunately no experience with them, here. I was really keen on them when they first hit our shores, but none of my local dealers could keep one in stock long enough for me to look at them. I tried to get my group of friends to buy in with me so we could do some properly stupid adventure riding, but couldn't get any takers.
There's also the little xl150 if you need to scratch the smallbore plated Honda itch, which last I checked was coming in about a grand cheaper.
Have not but I had a several Trail 50's and 90's as well as a Yamaha 2smoke version when I was a kid. So I took a look at the new version when I was in the dealer recently. Much better frame and suspension as well as the powertrain than the ones 50 plus years ago. E36 M3, they've been building 1960's Trail bikes in SE Asia ever since. You can't swing a dead cat in Vietnam without knocking someone off one.
Somewhere I have pitchers of people using Trail 70's in the most amazing applications imaginable and some you never would've imagined.
Still, the only reason to buy one of the new ones is because you have a specific application for it. They aren't as Swiss Army Knife as they used to be for the price. As others of posited, you can get much better bikes for 4 large, but they're going to be larger...
Ethnic Food-Wrap Aficionado said:There's also the little xl150 if you need to scratch the smallbore plated Honda itch, which last I checked was coming in about a grand cheaper.
Isn't that a gem?
Built in Mexico by Honda's joint venture with the Chinese manufacturer Sundiro.
149cc, 12.5hp, 282lbs. Wow.
Keep up the good work Honda!
I just stopped by the dealership to see if they had one in stock that I could take a look at.
Nope. The 23s are gone and the 24s aren’t out yet. He said that they’ve never had one on the floor because they’ve all sold before they came in. They are only getting two 24s for the year, but it sounds like they’re both available. And he said that they’ve never had a used one because they’re too valuable on the secondhand market.
I have a friend with one, who claims to absolutely love it. I've never ridden one, but think they look awesome on paper.
FWIW, my buddy took my Grom for a ride and sort of said it was absolute trash compared to his Trail 125, despite having the same drivetrain.
In reply to Woody (Forum Supportum) :
I know its not the same bike, but Mazdeuce has a new Cub he uses on trails a lot. Maybe you can PM him and ask for some input. PM me if you need his contact info.
And yeah, the Honda tax is real. But I've never met anybody who hated their Honda. I've owned four or five Honda bikes, and learned to ride on a '75 CB400F, and yeah, I believe in Honda magic.
Maybe I missed it , but where are these made ?
and do they still have the high / low lever to use the "granny" gear low , I had one (trail 90) with the high / low lever and an earlier one that I think you had to change the rear sprocket to get the lower gearing ,
Yes these are all over Asia but they are mostly the street versions ,
Fun bikes for playing around , but I give those guys credit for riding them 1000s of miles,
Woody (Forum Supportum) said:I just stopped by the dealership to see if they had one in stock that I could take a look at.
Nope. The 23s are gone and the 24s aren’t out yet. He said that they’ve never had one on the floor because they’ve all sold before they came in. They are only getting two 24s for the year, but it sounds like they’re both available. And he said that they’ve never had a used one because they’re too valuable on the secondhand market.
If you buy it, ride it fir a while, an decided it's not for you, you will lose very little money on a Honda if you time it right. The other 3 Japanese makers, not as much. Chinese knockoffs, dimes on the dollar.
In reply to californiamilleghia :
The new ones do not have the high/low. One of the reviews that I watched indicated that they could benefit from that option on steep climbs.
This is a great website to watch a crazy Brit ride a Honda C90 - Trail bike all over the world ,
Alaska to Argentina , Vietnam to the UK and a bunch of other adventures ,
and it funny too :)
My boss has one and loves the thing.
Appleseed said:If you buy it, ride it fir a while, an decided it's not for you, you will lose very little money on a Honda if you time it right.
This is true. It's a pretty safe risk to take.
The no-low-range would be a deal breaker for me, as that was one of the major charms of the platform. Without that (and does it still have the little jerry can too?) I just don't see the value/dollar with it. My nostalgia isn't high enough to overcome the price/value point. But, what do I know? I own a Royal Enfield Bullet. 
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