Honda trail 90's

[Hackleback]

I have been told the virtues of these small, old, simple, but rather nimble machines. It was not too long ago that the only ATV I was interested in was a good pair of boots (nothing wrong with them still). As I get older, I find a machine to get me to and from where I want to hunt more appealing. Is/does anyone have any experience with the Honda trail 90 trail bikes?
Your thoughts or opinions are needed.

[Sam]

I had one of those "gurls bikes" back in the late 60's thru 73 or so.
It was slow, it was ugly, it was a 4 stroke and it never broke.

Easy on gas, cheap on maintainance and pretty useful. I used to skid logs with it ocassionally too, phone pole sized ones of 7-800 lbs, just be careful rigging it and have a buddy sit on the hnadlebars so you can steer it. Mine had an outer sprocket that bolted outside the regular model to gear it down a notch. had to carry an extra master link and 15 links of chain to use it but it turned the thing into a 2 wheel tractor. You could climb steps with the thing, matter of fact you could climb anything with it if you had traction. Later models had a hi low ratio gearbox to give the same effect.

Only known weaknwess was the rubber hose from the air filter to the carb, had a habit of cracking ocassionally and sucking mud.
I was happy with it, took a lot of ribbing from my friends but it was a tough and useful machine. I'd like to have mine back, but my uncle won't part with it.

Sam

[felix]

http://atmizzou.missouri.edu/sep04/wheels.htm

... felix

[Hackleback]

I may be in the market for one .... if the price is right.

[Buckshot]

................Back in the late 60's my brother bought one so the price had to be cheap. He bought it from a local farming company and they had used it for running around doing irrigation work. The stamped sheet metal frame was red and they had welded a couple clips to it so you could carry a shovel.

It sprung a pretty good oil leak and I don't remember now if it was because my brother had worked on it, or because he hadn't worked on it? We'd ride it around my grandparent's orange groves with a couple quarts of drain oil. It would eventually pump all the oil out and sieze. We'd pour in the used crankcase oil and wait a few minutes and it would fire up and away we'd go again.

My brother figured out that if you put 90 wt gearbox oil in it it would run a lot longer as it was harder to pump that out! My dad managed to back over it with his pickup so that was the end of the Honda 50.

................Buckshot

[gregg]

http://atmizzou.missouri.edu/sep04/wheels.htm

... felix


Cool Picture Felix. Thank you

[PatMarlin]

I've got the 90 engine in a Rokon all wheel drive motorcycle that I've got to get running. Just so happens I really do need to skid some logs.. :mrgreen:

[DanWalker]

When I lived in Daytona beach in the 70's they had big semi trailers full of the honda trails they'd rent out to people to ride on the beach. I always wanted one...

[Bret4207]

I had the Honda 55, same tank under the seat setup. What a chick magnet! HA!Sure made me happy as a 10 year old. I cleaned my folks bar for a whole summer to earn the $50.00 it cost, used of course. To this day the sight/smell of an ashtray turns my stomach. Still, I probably put thousand sof miles on that bike before it caught fire and burned around age 16. Wish I still had it.

[PatMarlin]

I wish I had the time and money to fix this up right now.. :coffee:

[Pepe Ray]

That's not a Honda!
Thats a Rokon!! It's a great machine. I love mine, but it's not as quiet as a Honda.
'Bout 30 years ago I was on a deer stand between a borrow pit access rd and a choppin' when my buddy appeared beside me all of a sudden. Jumped the crap outta me. He'd driven up in his Honda Trail 90 and I never heard him. He'd thot it was funny as heck cause he'd put somthin over on me.
If the Rokon's were as quiet as the Honda I'd be ridin mine right now.
Pepe Ray

[PatMarlin]

That's not a Honda!
Thats a Rokon!! It's a great machine. I love mine, but it's not as quiet as a Honda.
'Bout 30 years ago I was on a deer stand between a borrow pit access rd and a choppin' when my buddy appeared beside me all of a sudden. Jumped the crap outta me. He'd driven up in his Honda Trail 90 and I never heard him. He'd thot it was funny as heck cause he'd put somthin over on me.
If the Rokon's were as quiet as the Honda I'd be ridin mine right now.
Pepe Ray

Nope.

That's a Rokon with a Honda 90 engine and Honda 90 exhaust.

Also known as a Hondakon.. :mrgreen:

[scrapcan]

Felix,

That is pretty cool, but I was wondering where the scabbard for the slide rule is mounted? Looks like you were a double E, in that day and age the rule would have been with you most of the time wouldn't it?

[Bret4207]

I forgot to comment on Uncle Felix's pic. Quite the dapper fellow and the pipe sets the whole look off to a "T". If I was to pick the actual rocket scientist out of a line up I'd pick Felix. I'm too embarssed to provide a photo knowing the heckling would crush my fragile ego. Probably turn me into a closet vegan or something.

[felix]

Yeah, Bret, I know what you mean. My changes have been on the inside, mostly in the illium-colon junction area. However, I misjudged a fly ball drastically once, and my head hasn't been the same after that encounter. No, I did not lose the ball in the sun either. Flatly a brain fart at about 18 years old. Thought the ball was there, but it was here instead. ... felix

[Bret4207]

Know what ya mean about those baseballs. Mine was smack dab in the kisser due to my misjudging the balls speed and looking away for a sec. For a while I looked like Leon Sphinx. No teefs.

[felix]

You guessed correctly, Manleyjt! Slide rules were on the belt within a holster. I still have it and use it on occassion, just for the fun of it. Hard to beat the computer calculator, though, for most things. Some things like multiplying/dividing/ with roots, quickly in succession for one total calculation start to finish, is better done on the slide rule which eliminates typing stuff into the calculator screen. ,,, felix

[PatMarlin]

I have been told the virtues of these small, old, simple, but rather nimble machines. It was not too long ago that the only ATV I was interested in was a good pair of boots (nothing wrong with them still). As I get older, I find a machine to get me to and from where I want to hunt more appealing. Is/does anyone have any experience with the Honda trail 90 trail bikes?
Your thoughts or opinions are needed.

Those Honda trail 90's still sell upwards of $900.

[floodgate]

A neighbor had three Rokon carcasses in a yard sale a couple of years ago, two of them welded together with cross-members to make a primitive 4WD ATV. Crude work, and the engines and drive trains were incomplete, so I passed on the deal. Was tempted, though...

Another neighbor across the way has a nice Honda Trail 90 he and his kids use a lot. My first new bike was one of the first Honda 150 street bikes in a lurid raspberry sherbet color with a "rocker" front end. It was an amazing machine, and would turn 10K rpm; even ran surprisingly well off the road.

floodgate

[felix]

My dad paid 360 for my 50cc in August 1961. So, what would that be in 2007 dollars? He was making 12K per year with 9 children at the time doing independent insurance sales. I realize that was one big time sacrifice because he loved his guns. ... felix

[Scrounger]

I was doing about $4500 a year in my low paying job which pays about $45,000 a year now, so adding another zero on his salary would be a fair guess.

[Hackleback]

Several have fond memories of these trail bikes, that is apparent. A quick look on Ebay shows that many are going for more than I would like to spend. The idea here was to get something the kids can play on without killing themselves and still have a machine that I might use on occasion to hunt off of or to commute to work. Right now it is more of a toy than a tool. I think that I will keep an eye out and see what happens. Thanks for the comments!! A great crew as usual!!

[PatMarlin]

The lowest I've seen a trail 90 go for in these parts was never lower than $900.

[RugerFan]

A reasonably priced alternative:

http://www.globaltrailer.net/product_p/90cc%20missile%20dirt%20bike.htm

I'm more interested in the ATVs myself.