Bikes You Should Know appears weekly as part of Two Wheel Tuesdays. Since Hooniverse primarily caters to automotive enthusiasts, this column focuses on historically or culturally significant motorcycles that are likely to interest a non-riding audience.

Many image-conscious people are attracted to motorcycles that make a statement about their grandiosity, machismo and fearlessness, or at least their audaciousness. The Honda CT90 “Trail 90” (and it’s later iteration, the CT110) is the polar opposite: there’s nothing bad-ass about it. The Honda Trail was simple and non-threatening to ride, struggled to reach 55 MPH, and looked a bit gooney with its under-seat fuel tank and bright, primary colors. It was a whole lot more Hugh Beaumont than Chuck Norris, or even Chuck Conners. But what it lacked in style, it made up in practicality and utility. Albeit slowly, a Trail 90 could traverse nearly any terrain. From putt-putting down to the showers at an RV park to striking out from a remote deer camp, the Trail 90 was all about outdoor exploration.

THE BACKSTORY

The Honda CT trail series was among Honda’s earliest and more long-lived successes, and dates back to nearly the very beginning of Honda’s worldwide rise to dominance. In 1960, Honda introduced an off-road derivation of their 50cc OHV Honda Cub step-through. It was groomed for trail duty with only the most minor tweaks involving the removal of the Cub’s leg shields, blockier tread on the tires, and a bit more fender clearance. It also had dual rear sprockets to change the gearing (a messy, involved process that required the rider to carry an extra length of chain). By 1965, the engine capacity had risen from 49cc to 87cc, the auto-clutch transmission had picked up a fourth set of cogs, and a raised exhaust was fitted. The stamped Cub handlebars were replaced with tubular bars that could be quickly folded to facilitate storage and transport. The first CT90 was introduced for ’66. The old pushrod engine was replaced by a new 89cc overhead cam version. The integral transmission was improved, too. Now, changing the final drive gearing required only a quick flick of a transmission-mounted lever. The CT90 could go from goat trails to paved roads much more easily.

WHAT HAPPENED

The CT90’s light weight, extreme maneuverability, reliability, versatility and cheerful appearance made it a winner. It was inexpensive enough for teens to buy to ride to school, and for retired folks to strap to the bumper of their travel trailer. Year after year, it sold in impressive numbers throughout the world, and Honda continued to improve and tweak the design. In 1969, the Cub-style leading-axle, sheetmetal front end was replaced by more robust telescopic forks. By 1980 the displacement was increased by 16cc. A small auxiliary fuel canister increased the range. The Trail 110, as it was then called, was discontinued for the American market in 1986, but it continued to be sold in Japan until 2000. It is still sold in Australia and New Zealand, where its use by postal carriers has earned it the nickname, “Postie Bike.”

WHY IT’S SIGNIFICANT

Honda in the 1960s was all about friendliness. And while the Cub was the way to “meet the nicest people on a Honda,” the CT90/110 allowed you to quietly and politely get away from all those people. Honda Trails have carried grizzled hunters over unimaginable terrain with all their gear, helped ranchers and farmers keep tabs on their assets, and taken pimply-faced teenagers to visit their girlfriends. Many a mom who would’ve forbidden their sons and husbands from buying a sleek, racy motorcycle had no such problem with the cheerful, accessible Honda Trail. There have been other go-anywhere utility bikes, but none have been so useful for so many people, in so many places, for so many years. IMAGE CREDITS: American Honda Motor Co., Wikipedia