Chances are you are looking for an old Classic Honda Minitrail, either a Trail 70 or a Z50.  You either had one as a kid, had a buddy that had one as a kid, or wish you had had one.  Or possibly you have just heard they are a nice rideable, dependable, little mini bike.  Which ever person you might be, you may not be sure where or what to look for in your first bike.  You could end up purchasing a bike for a lot more money than you had planed on spending for something you are not truly happy with.  If that sounds remotely true, I hope to provide you with a lot of useful information that will guide you into making a happy first purchase.

What ever your motive for buying a Mini Trail, we all want the same thing, Value for our money.  I have mapped out some useful informtaion that will supply you with the knowledge you require to make this happen.

Think about the rider(s).  Will they be short, tall, heavyset, lightweight, young, old, boy, girl, man, woman.  Where will they be riding, city street, country road, outback trails, or all of the above.  Most importantly, is the rider old enough to be on a bike.  So many times, people have visited me for a bike, only to find, they are putting a very frightened four year old on a Z50, or a short 7 year old on a CT70, when neither has ever rode a bike before in their lives.  Parents, don't do this to your kids.  Get them something they can handle so you don't ruin the ride for them, first time out.  Most kids, once they fall off of a mini bike, won't get back on, no matter how hard you coax them.  Now if you are an adult, and you are thinking about a Z50 for a pit bike, think about your size and the size of the bike.  A standard Z50 seat top only sits about 25 inches from the ground.  Is 25 inches going to be comfortable for you for any length of riding?  Or would a CT70 work better at about 30 inches off the ground.  I have been on a Z50 for hours on end, and you know which end, believe me, it is not a comfortable bike for any length of time.  I am a short person, 5'2", and it is even uncomfortable for me.  I don't mean for a ride to the gas station and back, but take for example, the big swap meets, the bike literally becomes a pain.  However, there are other advantages to riding a Z50 at swap meets and track shows, or in the pits.  The Z is easily turnable in small spaces, easy to start, and best of all, only supports one rider, so you never have to worry about giving anyone else a ride.  Personally, this is the only bike I will ride at Mid Ohio, one of the largest swap meets in the country.  It gets tiring, but I can get from one place to another, larger bikes simply can't.  My last comment on size or comfort for the Z is the difference between the hard tail (Z50 K0 K1 K2, years 68-71), and the soft tail Z, year 72 on up.  The lack of suspension in the hardtail makes the bike extremely uncomfortable to stay on for any length of time, unless of course you are a kid out riding, and then, face it, you could care less.   

The CT70 offers a bit more versatility than the Z50.  It's larger frame and various models of front suspension provide a much nicer ride, less stress to the body, and all around convenience with the optional rear rack.  It will fit an adult quite comfortably and has the power to haul around 200 plus pounds when in good running condition.  The CT may not provide super speed since it is only a 72cc motor, but it is a work horse for its size.  It is also plenty of bike for most kids under 14.  And it is a bike mom can usually live with as well, as long as helmets are worn.  I do recommend helmets on all these little bikes.  My doctor friend says he can fix everything but the "melon". 

Once you decide which bike you are going to buy, you are ready to move on to the second step: Financing or Fixing?   Only you can decide what your finances are for buying a bike.  Plan on spending between 300.00 on the low end and up to 2500.00 for a completely restored.   Ask yourself these questions; Do I want a bike that runs now?  Am I willing to do some work on it?  Am I willing to do a lot of work on it?  How much do I really know about these little bikes?  If you can answer those questions and set a budget for yourself, you are ready to look.  Don't be afraid to set a budget either.  If you can spend 300.00, 500.00, or 1000.00, then set it and stick to it.  If you look long and hard enough you will find what you are looking for.  There are literally thousands of these things out there, but they don't all come out at once, so you must be patient.  Ebay is one of the best sources for finding them, and I have bought and sold several from this site. 

The first and foremost thing you need to remember when purchasing a Honda Mini Trail is the fact that no matter how much work has been done to the bike, chances are, it will still need some sort of tinkering.  They all need basic maintenance, oil changes, carb tune ups, points, etc.  None of this is rocket science but you must be willing to face the fact that you are buying a vehicle that needs your attention.  Once the bike is up and running good however, there are steps you can take, as with any vehicle, to keep it in fine running condition.  The other bonus to a CT70 or a Z50 from yesteryear, is the fact that it will hold its value.  If you buy a new bike or a newer used bike, your value will drop as time passes instead of maintaining its current value.  To make it easier to select a bike, I have put the mini's in four categories: 

 1. Basket case. We all know what that is.  Parts are scattered everywhere from boxes to cans to plastic bags.  When you get it, you are not real sure where those parts go.  For most of us, this is NOT the way to buy a bike we want to ride.  How many times have you read this ebay description: "I bought this bike to restore for my son/daughter, but don't have the time, my loss is your gain."  Do not fall for that.  You won't be gaining anything unless you truly have several painstaking hours and a fairly good financial stash to invest in this sort of bike.  Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of home mechanics that can handle this project, but the every day person with a little time to spend does not want this sort of bike.  Leave this one for the next person. 

 2.  Ran When Parked.  I always get a kick out of this description.  They ALL ran when parked at one time or another.  If you see a bike like this, ASK questions.  Where was the bike parked?  Did it have oil in it?  Did it have gas in the (metal) tank?  How long has it been parked?  Does it turn over?  How much rust has accumulated since parked?  There are hundreds of questions you want to ask about this bike.  Some bikes, but not very many, will kick over and start in a matter of minutes if they have been in ideal conditions since parked.  But most bikes need serious attention when they have been parked for a long time, in damp or hot storage.  I have seen some mini bikes from Texas that have actually melted parts on them from sitting in the hot sun.  I have also seen motors from these bikes filled with water.  I am not saying all bikes are like this but get the information you need before you make your decision. 

3. A Rider- Runs and Shifts good.  There are a lot of these on ebay and many are good bikes.  You are getting closer to a bike that does not need a ton of work, hopefully!!  Check for completeness of the bike.  There are some things on these bikes that just seem to disappear and are getting harder to replace.  On the CT, I would have to say, your carburetor is the toughest thing to replace.  If the bike has a good carb, you are halfway home.  There are plenty of AM (after market) carbs, but an original good one is worth about ten AM replicas.  You can keep the same cables and the same cap set up with the original carb.  This alone will save you hours of frustrating fine tuning.  On the Z, a good carb is also important, but these Honda carbs are still available on some of the AM websites.  The hardtail Z50s have many hard to find parts on them.  I will say however, most anything is available for a price.  The Z50s are an easier bike to work on, and to find parts for, but they too have some hard to find parts, so keep that in mind when buying a bike.  Make sure you know what you are going to need to keep that bike running and looking good.  Check out the four top parts suppliers in the country for these little bikes:  NEVC-North East Vintage Cyle.  DRATV-Beatrice Cycle.  Honda Trailbikes.  And last but not least Classic Honda.  I have personally used all four sites.  I do have my favorites, but you need to decide which is yours.  Remember, customer service, accuracy, and the speed in which you get your parts are very important when you or your kid is standing out by the mail box waiting for the one part that will get him/her on the road.  The other things to look for on a rider are, condition of paint, running and shifting condition, and just plain all around appearance.  Most of us can live with scratches, dings, dents, etc, but running condition causes most of us problems.  So make sure the bike will start, run, and shift for you without much problem.

So, to summarize:  Think about what you are looking at to buy.  How complete is it.  List the parts you will need to make it the bike you want.  Shop the websites to see how much you are going to have to spend once you get the bike, and lastly, how much actual time do you have to spend with this bike to make it the bike you want.  There are so many variables involved in buying a bike that you can live with, I can't possibly cover them all, but hopefully this will help some.  My biggest piece of advice is ASK QUESTIONS. 

4. Restored or Mint Condition- This bike either has very few miles on it, or has been completely disassembled and brought back to Honda specs as close as possible.  This is another area to watch for, and make sure you know what you are buying.  For the restored bike, how many new parts are on the bike.  Are the new parts NOS (New Old Stock, HONDA parts no longer available from Honda.)  OEM-(Original Equipment Parts, Honda, Still available from Honda.)  Or lastly- AM (after market parts designed to look and act like the same Honda part.)  A quick word about NOS, OEM, and AM parts.  There are many ebay sellers out there that claim NOS parts when they are actually selling you AM parts.  Again, ask questions like, was this part made by Honda for this bike?  Also, when looking at a restored bike, if you are spending big money you want to make sure the frame and the motor are close matching.  This does not mean identical but within reasonable numbers apart.  Is the frame truly a 69 or 70 frame when the bike is called a K0 for instance?  If all of this confuses you, spend 24.00 and buy a Honda ID guide from your local Honda shop and check out the serial numbers assigned to the specific year bike.  You will also enjoy just looking at the many many popular bikes Honda has made over the years.  The book will also give you the middle code to all parts made for that bike. Example: 098 was the middle code for the Honda CT70 original parts.  If you find a restored bike with almost all NOS or OEM parts, plan on paying big money because I can guarantee you, the builder did.  If the bike has a lot of aftermarket parts, it should not go for quite as much money.

Now for the Mint original bikes.  There is a fine line between MINT and USED.  Many people will call a bike mint when there are bends, dings, scratches, etc.  A Mint bike is just that, mint.  Absolutely nothing wrong or damaged on the bike.  Looks like it did when it rolled off the showroom floor.  I have never seen one of these.  I have seen, near mint, almost mint, close to mint, but never have I seen a brand new CT70 that has never been restored.  Low mileage bikes personally make me a little nervous but your nerves may be stronger than mine.  Again, ask the right questions.  I have told many people this and it is sort of peculiar, but it works for me.   If you find a bike that has a beautiful OEM non-repaired seat on it, (pan and cover) the chances of this bike having low mileage are pretty good.  Actually any bike you find with this type of seat is probably a good bike that has been well taken care of.  Remember however, the seat has to be the original seat that came with the bike in order for my theory to work.  There are not a whole lot of near mint bikes out there, so these bikes usually go for a fair amount of money. 

Once you have decided your budget, your time frame, and your knowledge base or mechanical ability, you are ready to begin your search.  Ebay, of course, has a wide variety of bikes to choose from.  Remember to ask your questions first and foremost.  Try to find a bike local to your area or close enough to pick up, as shipping will cost you another sum of money you may not have planned on.  There are also local places to keep an eye on, like newpapers ads, local sales or auctions, and dealers.  With ebays easy access to auctions that are near you, it is even easier to determine distance.  I still buy a lot of my bikes on ebay.  The other thing I have found, is there seem to be a lot of bikes in the northern states.  I think this is because the northern states have a winter break period for bikes and they tend to last longer for whatever reason.  Kids probably grew out of the bike, lost interest or perhaps passed it on to a younger sibling that really had no interest.  Northern states seem to have a lot more heated storage which would be most logical when temps drop below zero.  With all of this in mind, start your search, don't be in too much of a hurry, ask questions and know what you are buying before you spend the money.  If you still have questions, try asking an ebayer with lots of good feedback.  Chances are, they will answer a question or two for you.  I know I do.  So, with all this under your belt, start your shopping and good luck buying your first little classic mini trail.  And thanks for reading this guide.  CTKidd