Honda Trail 125
When you think of off-roading, you typically think of a lifted jeep, enduro, or dual sport, right? Well let us introduce you to our new pride and joy; the Honda Trail 125. Seems familiar? Well you, your parents, or grandparents may have romped around town on the past models; the trail 70 or 90. This iconic color way mixes so well in the muted tones of today's aesthetics. This pop of color is not only physical but mentally an aesthetic dream for your daily life. Don’t forget that this bike really does turn heads wherever we go. Do we *really* need this bike? No. But we love it anyway and drive it everywhere and anytime we can.
Denver Cruiser
At a solid 125cc, this hog can max speed around 55mph going downhill with the wind towards your back. Our average day with it is the gym, coffee, quick errands and the occasional beer run. We haven’t attached a basket to the back as we have the second seat but we are thinking a milk carton will do the trick if you’re looking for storage options. What we’ve been doing is either a fanny pack or classic backpack to lug around any accessories we might need during the day. Plus we attached a cup holder and phone mount so we always know where the closest Starbucks is and a way to tow our beloved java back home.
Off Road Ready
Picture this; you wake up on a lazy Sunday morning, the leaves are changing, the crisp autumn air is engulfing so you throw on a thick pair of socks, boots, a hoodie and head out towards your local coffee shop. You don’t have to worry about parking as it tucks perfectly on the guard rail outside the shop and you go enjoy your morning before getting home to put the roast in the oven and turn the football game on. This is the life. This is the *perfect* day with the perfect bike. Now let’s get into the stuff that makes this bike an iconic machine for home/travel. How does this thing actually handle on the trails? Let’s just say, we both argue with who would HAVE to drive our 4Runner at this point. And that speaks volume since our 4Runner is kitted to the extreme for wheeling. We have tested this bike on nearly every texture we could find. This thing crushes sand, snow, gravel, rock crawling and of course the average forest road. The biggest downfall we noticed is the mud. There was an abundance of red clay during our Moab Halloween send and the bike 100% had a tough time maneuvering through the thick sludge. Note that we still have the stock tires, however we did air down for the weekend shenanigans.
Camping Bike
We are thoroughly impressed with this bike. When you compare it to dirt bikes, dual sports and your typical crotch rocket, it’s hard to fit it into a bubble in which to compare all of those to the trail. But for us, this is the ideal set-up for us whether we are romping through downtown or strapping it to the 4Runner for a week of wild adventures. Our favorite part of the bike is the fuel economy. While the 4Runner is the biggest gas guzzler that you’ll ever see, the Honda Trail is the complete balance that we were always craving during our travels. Now mix that fuel economy with the fact that once we are at camp, we don’t have to worry about packing up the roof top tent and loading everything into the SUV to go explore, we simply take the bike to explore our hearts out. That’s precisely what we did on the maiden voyage for the bike in Moab, UT. We used an extended hitch to carry the bike from Denver to the trailhead for our first dispersed camping spot. It was super quick and easy to load/unload. Around 10 minutes to load onto the moto-carrier and an even easier 5 minutes to unload. Pro-tip: take off the extended hitch during the off-road if you are going to take your full size car, that was the first lesson we learned. From the trailhead, we cruised on dirt roads for about 11 miles before turning onto the harder rock crawling spots. The bike ATE it up. Staying in first gear, the bike just crushed every obstacle we threw in front of her. The rocks were the most fun and the sand was the least enjoyable as the light weight of the bike continuously fishtailed for around a mile. And finally we made it to the campsite. The best part about our Moab trip was romping around camp, little trails, and exploring the hidden nooks and crannies of the desert that our 4Runner can’t make it too.
Pros:
-Lightweight (259lbs)
-ABS provides great handling x maneuverability
-Great beginner bike (semi-auto w/o clutch)
-Affordable (MSRP $3,899)
-Small (enough for even the height disadvantaged to enjoy)
-Fuel Economy: (1.4 Gallon Tank = 159 miles)
Cons:
-Limited On-Bike Storage
-Rare (extremely hard to find in US)
-Hard to Modify (too rare to find 3rd party mods)
The Honda Trail 125 is the perfect companion for any overlander, outdoor enthusiast or adventurer.
Hands down the best purchase we made in 2021.
