Has anyone owned a Trail 90?

[hondacuraworld]

I recently acquired this bike in the closure of a business deal (it was sort of obligatory that I take it), it's nearly showroom mint, and has just over 2400 miles. Runs like a top and whisper quiet......

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f370/audiokarma/ct90.jpg

I was curious if anyone here might have put some good miles on one of these. Not the greatest highway commuter, but it might be decent for back-and-forth to work jaunts as I drive down 6 miles of 35 MPH to get here.

Although I already have a bike, this thing's got my curiosity. Anyone have stories to share? :)

[Medicine Bear]

My wife is from the Philippines and a friend of the family has one. She rides it everywhere, in town, out of town, everywhere.

Last time I was there, we decided to go see what the top of the tallest mountain in the area loked like. We hired a truck to carry the family as far as it could go which was about halfway. Another two hours of hiking brought us to within a half mile of the summit when we heard motor sounds coming up the mountain behind us. It was Marilyn on her Honda. She was just wondering where we'd gone and had come to see what we were up to.

My wife would love to have one but I'm not sure how practical they are here.

Fred :03biker:

[BigTom]

Tim

I have never owned one, but been near several. At 35mph, you can't go wrong...being a Honda they are darn near bullet proof, with just minimal maintainence. Lots and lots have been sold.

[sparkinator]

I had one just like it when I was a kid. If I remember correctly, it has a Hi\Lo transfer case that came in handy during trail rides. Automatic transmission made it real easy to learn to ride on. Mileage was incredible (go forever on a dollars worth of gas, in those days.) It should make a great commuter bike.

Oh, yours looks pretty sweet too.

[KenBobPDX]

I owned and rode one for years "back in the day". Even rode it on the freeway on occasion. They'll get up to speed and are solid little commuter bikes. Never had a down day and got a jillion miles to the gallon. Sweet little putt putt.

[Gonzo]

All it needs for perfection is a sidecar.
gonzo

[mayner]

Mine would hit 50 with a tailwind and slightly downhill. It'll go 45 on level ground all day long. I have never seen a really high milage example though. Probably cause they're mostly used by campers and lite trail riding and get ridden pretty hard and left in the garage for years at a time. Take care of it and it should last forever, or, as long as there are parts for the things. The 110 is slightly more desireable.

I don't think you can go wrong keeping it as long as you have a use for it.

[Putt]

Some of them were available with a dual range tranny as has been mentioned.. low range, 1st gear and you can darn near pull stumps with em..
Heck of a bike... If you change the rear sprocket, you can run an easy sixty
with one... er, if your 16 and weigh in at around 115 pounds....

Putt...

[Herleman]

I had one of those, and its little brother the CT-70 also. Couldn't get out of its own way, but it would run forever and went up and down the mountains where my Mom and Dad lived.

I think it got about a hundred miles per gallon, but it took three days to go 100 miles.

I was really bullet proof though. We came back from town one day to find it peppered with buckshot. It didn't hurt anything except the paint and my feelings.

I think its still under the house in Colorado. If it is, I bet it will still run.

Mine was red.

[hondacuraworld]

Seems like many of you had a connection with a Trail 90 in the way I had a connection with my first experience on two wheels and a motor, with my old 1980 Honda Express moped :)

Mine and my kids, that is.......

I don't know how it all came to pass back in the midsummer of 2000 or why I even wanted them, but I saw an ad in the paper for three mopeds, one Motobecane, and two Hondas (one parts bike) for I think it was $400.00.

I was a new father at the time, my baby son just a few months old, and I think it was the appeal of just a little bit of a getaway on my own when he napped that started the two-wheeled appeal for me. So, on a beautifully sunny Saturday morning in July, we strapped my baby boy into his car seat into the old brown '84 F150 pickup that I'd first driven at age 14 (my dad had bought her brand new), and headed out to the countryside of the Southern tier of New York to pick them up.

It took me the better part of a month to sort out the old Honda as there were parts missing from this or that, but I got the little thing putting along pretty well, and ended up selling the Motobecane as for some reason the whole design and layout just appeared too screwbally to repair should I have ever had to.

That little old Honda and I went everywhere together, amassing about 1200 miles in the 4 or 5 years I'd owned it (which was a lot of 5 mile little treks to just take a break and refocus myself). When my baby boy reached the age of 3, I used to set him on my knee, and take him for rides around the block at jogging speed on the sidewalk on the little Honda. He loved the little moped, and I think it got his interest going in motorcycles, as he loves his 2 dirt bikes with all his heart now.

Then, as the "new" baby came (Nick), at the age of 2 we started the same traditions. It was fun being able to share that with my toddler boys. It was a kind of special "daddy" connection.

But, as time passed, I couldn't bear one thing about that Honda. The seat was nonadjustable, and it killed my back to ride it for extended periods because it sat so low. I ended up selling it, and we moved on to other things.

Years passed, and I found it back in my hands again, given back to me from the previous owner before it hit the scrap pile. It had been ridden hard and was forlorn on the side of a garage, leaves and dirt everywhere. The motor was seized solid, the case broken internally, and everything that I'd worked on with the utmost care was now shot. These things happen though, and just as I was about to part it out, my son said something to me.

"Dad, you can fix anything. That old moped looks really sad, and I remember all the fun we had riding it around. Can we please try to fix it? Maybe one day I'll be big enough to ride it by myself, and then I can ride it and think about the fun we had."

And then I remembered back to my own childhood, and wished that we'd kept the go-kart that I rode when I was 7 or 8.

Being a sucker for such things, I decided that it wouldn't hurt to try.

Just goes to show you where memories will get you........

http://www.crossroadspond.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1473

[BigTom]

Hoo boy

Great story, Tim. I like that sort of stuff.

I never tore into a Motobecane, but it has to be one of the great names on two wheels:)

I remember:

the 90cc (T-90) step through came out. A big upgrade from the 55cc model.

The T series was a direct take off from the 50cc, 3 speed Honda that swept through California in the early 60's. The Beach Boys even sang a song "Go little Honda"

the T series (Trail) was considered primarily an 'off road' bike. Gazillions sold through their life...

My best buddy owned a '64 S-90 Honda. Sleek, fast, sporty. I had a 80cc Yamaha, YG1KT trail bike, but with the fuel tank between your legs. Cool, man, we were way cool. We rode them into submission, then moved on to other things...for me a 250cc Honda Dream, then a 305cc Scrambler, then...the line goes on 'til today. My buddy jetisoned his MC for a 327, 325 HP El Camino, and got his kicks on 4 wheels (as he does today). I stayed with two...

The buddy is a grand father, with a couple of vintage Chevs. A done '69 SS and a 64 El Camino. I ride an ST...among other things:)

[Sink]

If you add a bunch of tupperware, you could call it an ST-90! (Don't add too much if weight is a problem)
I grew up riding a trail 70. I rode it around the farm all the time. They are a blast!

If you don't want it... I'll give you $100 for it! (don't check e-bay before considering my offer)

[BigTom]

There is one right down the street has been for sale all winter. Low miler with the hi/low trans option. He's holding at $1900, has been all season.

[hondacuraworld]

Mine does have the hi-low on it, and I just had it serviced out at Ray Laks Motorsports too. Ideally, I'd love to have a beater bike to ride in any weather, but I just can't do that to this CT, it's too nice.......

Love to hear your stories!

[wjbertrand]

We had one in our family for shared use when I was a kid. we got it used real cheap and second gear was gone. It was severely abused, and I think submerged in water, by the PO. This was a really early one that had two rear wheel sprockets and an extra length of chain that was carried in a tube in the swing arm. When you wanted to change ranges you had to stop and splice in or remove this length of chain! The front end was a stamped steel construction that contained a link-type front suspension, the telescopic designs came later. It even had a just 6V electrical system.

Dad and I eventually tore it all apart and replaced the 2nd gear cogs, put it all back together and found that yes, 2nd gear was fixed, but now 3rd gear would pop out of engagement and grind. Dad said "the hell with it" and we just revved the snot our of it in second and made the double jump to 4th. Worked fine like that for years except for hills. We never got around to buying the proper lead-acid battery for it but Dad wired in a 6V lantern cell and that seemed to work well enough.

My most vivid memory of riding that thing was going up a hill near our house. I usually just left it in 2nd and went slow because the the 3rd gear problem. One day a big German shepherd took out after me. Revving the thing until the valves were floating was not enough to stop him gaining on me so I did the double up shift to 4th and hoped for the best. Before I could gain enough speed to get away however, the dog clamped the rear tire in his jaws. Of course this caused his head to be dragged up underneath the deeply valanced rear fender, lodging in place and bringing the little 90 to a sudden and complete stop. I did a somersault over the bars, got up and ran away.

Because of the centrifugal clutch, the engine didn't stall, instead, it kept sucking that dog's head back in every time he just about got it free. I watched him crying snarling and growling for what seemed like several minutes before he freed himself and ran away with his tail between his legs.

After that day he'd watch me go by and "woof" at me but he stayed on the porch!