A little food for thought, if you add a little more oil to the front forks, the clunking noise will go away, Honda evidently doesn't put enough in to stop it from clunking, I'm surprised they haven't done a recall on it. Here in Thailand, we have several guys who ride with us on the Honda CT 125 and we have done extensive testing on different sprockets, suspension, seat foam, tires and modifications that help performance of the machine. Finding Neutral got his seat foam idea from one of our riders. Cudos on the seat fix, it really works.... As for sprockets, for some reason everyone in the States wants the bike to go faster so they install the 15T front sprocket, it smooths out the power delivery, but won't go as fast because the 8HP engine can't pull that big of a sprocket with the settings on the ECM. You'd of been much better off going down to a 13T front sprocket and letting the little engine give you some more "snap" in its delivery. If you contact me, I'll send you a 13T sprocket. As for modifying the engine, here in Thailand, that engine design has been around for decades and the little shops here have been put together some of the most awesome performance setups for the engine and not only do they perform great, the reliability is there also. We have installed three of the 142cc Big Bore Kits on our bikes with mine having been on for over a year now. The added HP and Torque you get is unbelievable what it does for the bike. Simple BBK design consists of a combination of Honda and Kawasaki parts to get the extra HP and Torque. Have a good time on the bike and like you said, it's one of the, if not the funnest bike I've ever ridden...... Don't get rid of it.....
Thanks for the comments, I've followed your videos with interest. Thanks for the tip on the oil. The thought occurred to me when the 15w was obviously helpful but was worried about blowing the seals. Do you know what the actual level spec is? I found 120 cc online somewhere and have been going with that. (haven't bought a service manual but need to). You nailed it about the 15t sprocket, it just doesn't have enough power to make it worthwhile... It is a little less buzzy but goes too far. I figured the 13t would have gone too far the opposite way. It I understand your thinking. As you know in the states hwy travel is almost a necessity for any real adventures. And no one is going 45mph even when they should be. Particularly where I live its so big and wide open that any slower on the top end just wont work. Niceto hear the engine mod is holding up, reliability is my main concern. How much does it improve on the top end? I don't want to sell but I need something with a little more road performance. I'd be more content if it performed similar to the Super Cub. Thanks for chiming in, much appreciated. I will re-watch your engine vids and try to warm up to the idea 😁
@@zamdrang The funny thing about this engine, is it is the same engine as the Grom, Monkey and Wave. All three of these bikes will smoke the CT on the paved roads. So, why did Honda detune the CT when the power of the Monkey would have made it a much better "trail" bike and allow it to buzz down the paved roads around 60MPH without pegging the rev-limiter..... Don't quite understand the thinking on that one. Here is the items in a BBK that you can make yourself. Honda CT125 cylinder, Kawasaki Z125 piston, rings, cylinder sleeve and piston pin & clips. Honda head and base gaskets. One very important part, get the Honda ADV 150 fuel injector. Our kits come with Art Manufacturing piston, rings and piston pin. Art has been around for ages and makes quality parts. Take the Kawasaki sleeve and the Honda cylinder to a reputable machine shop that knows how to do this next step. Have the stock Honda sleeve pressed out of the Honda cylinder and then have them bore it out to fit the Kawasaki sleeve in it. All quality parts used and with the larger Kawasaki piston size and the longer Honda stroke, you end up with 142.4 cc's...... I wouldn't go with a kit any larger as here in Thailand, there are the 181cc kits and when over revved, they have the tendency to explode.... Not in a good way either..... Glad you did this video as not everyone has said anything about the clunking noise in the front forks. Ride with Warro mentioned it in his videos and then did the YSS kit. His clunking noise went away, my guess is he put more oil in than what comes in the kit. However, he said it didn't handle any better. I still got the kit after watching his video and had similar issues as you did, but I kept adjusting the settings until the feel of the bumps lessoned so much as to obviously it was better than stock. I still had the occasional clunk noise but not as often. Daniel, who rides with me, then had the YSS kit installed and had the clunk still. He took it back to the iTimgarage (same people who sold us the BBk's) and they put in a little more oil and his clunking went away. I may go ahead and have them install my stock springs and add some oil for me, we'll get the measurements and let you know what they are..... Keep riding it, you won't want to sell it......
@@TeamDNFracing I couldn't agree more about Honda's thinking on the Trail's tuning. Add the Super Cub to that list too. I assume it was for more low end performance but it's not necessarily a power house there either. It's just kind of dull all the way around. They really missed the mark imo. Thanks for the info on the kit. So no change in ECU? I just finished another video on the actual YSS install, trying to sum up my experience. Thanks again for the tip on the oil, I am going to try that with the stock spring. If that works I might return to the YSS spring and PD Valve and see if it helps there too.
@@zamdrang They did not touch the ECU, we just went with the BBK alone. It also performs best with a 19mm exhaust head pipe as the stock is I believe 15mm, way to restrictive and my first aftermarket pipe was only 17mm and it worked good, but then I installed a pipe with a 19mm head pipe and it really livened up the engine. Pipe is a special design made for Morizaki to their specs. Nice thing about it, you get to use your stock heat shields........
@@TeamDNFracing I like the idea of it being all mechanical. It sure sounds nice in your vids. I saw your vid with the 15t, definitely looks to have more torque. How does it do with the 15t on the highway? That's been my biggest let down, I'd like to go places on it but 55mph and faster highways are inevitable.
Driving from LA to Vegas I always would see these random desert paths and wanted a bike that I could ride down it on. Thanks for the vid I’m going to check out this Honda 125
I have a 2023 and I bought the Chimera preload cap and changed out to 15w oil. I did measure the amount of factory fork oil that I drained and it was 120ml in each fork. You could add a little more as needed because the service manual states you can have +/- 2.5 cm3 which equates to 2.5 ml. I weigh 195lbs and it has made a big difference in the stance and performance of the front end.
As a side note, make sure you have the fork cap fully seated in place when you remove and replace the drain plug on the bottom of the fork. Remove the drain plug first then remove the fork cap. Pump the front end up and down several times to make sure you get all of the oil out. When drained, put the fork cap back in, then put the drain plug back in and torque to 20Nm, then remove the fork cap and add your oil.
@@yodasands thanks for the info, I ended up selling mine as I just wasn't riding it. Hopefully others will see your comments. I never did figure out the clunk.
I wouldn’t sell it. That is a gem of a bike that will only age with you and continue to offer satisfaction well beyond the point where the bigger bikes become less manageable.
This is a great video and good talk on different mods. As a new rider with the CT I can't help but wonder about Hondas engineers and if they have already tested the different sprockets and such. I have to think they did a pretty good job with suspension on most terrain. As I watch almost all the videos on line I see that most people are not using the cluch to downshift to get the revs needed for that little extra power when you need it. Most people just rely on the the gearing but if you hold down the shift when you down shift going up a hill you can rev the engine to get more power. Just a a thought.
Thanks for watching and the kind words. Now that I've put a lot more time on it I agree with you that they set the bike up about right. The speed/gearing/tune are right for the suspension and vice versa. It doesn't have the suspension to go any faster and it doesn't have the motor to need any more suspension. It is well thought out and best enjoyed for what it is, a slow speed trail bike.
My first motorcycle was 79 trail 90. The solution to upgrades is ccs. I really loved that bike. Its good for changing irrigation line, that's one thing I know.
Hi. Glad I found your channel. Your views on the ct and bike modifications are much aligned with mine and watching vid after vid about modifications started doing my head in! The plan for my little ct is actually to ride it from Australia up through SE Asia and hopefully onwards through India , Pakistan etc. I know plenty of people would call me mad and they’re probably right but I will always be looking for quite back roads not highways and in Indonesia a lot of the out of the way places I want to explore require ferry crossings - and sometimes the ferry’s aren’t drive on / off. I have ridden in the Himalayas in Northern India and a lot of other places in Asia and I can’t hardly remember ever needing more power/speed than my ct has. I just figure the trade off of top end speed for the versatility, lightness, fuel economy etc will be well worth it. Not only that I love it and surely riding a motorcycle through Asia is all about the journey - not racing to the next destination! Anyway after all that I think I’m just going to head off on it stock standard!
Hi Woody, wow that sounds like an incredible journey! I am envious. I don't think it sounds crazy at all myself, maybe a little but the good kind of crazy 😁 Just my worthless opinion but I think you will be served well by the bike in stock form too. The only time I feel a need for more power is highway runs, other than that I have no need or desire to go much faster. If I was to do anything to make mine more big trip comfortable it would be rear shocks and some sort of improvement to make the seat more comfortable. Best of luck and safe travels on your trip, I'd love to hear all about it, as I'm sure many others would too!
@@zamdrang Thanks Zamdrang. Much appreciated 😀. I will definitely do something to make the seat more user friendly and I also agree that improvement to the rear suspension is probably a good idea. I’ll keep exploring options! If I end up doing anything on UA-cam I’ll definitely send you a link! Thanks again and kind Regards Woody
Great ride along. Very cool playground you have there for your bike. Check out my seat recrafting video. I went on a 90 minute dirt trail ride after doing that. No butt fatigue at all vs 10 minutes of regular oem hard seat = butt fatigue 🥵. Also, I have a very messed up back and I immediately noted my recrafted seat now absorbs A LOT of that pounding from the stiff suspension. Something to consider. My seat is now my favorite mod. I agree with you about not changing the engine. Granted, I'm super into adding bits like engine guards and rider comfort items. But when it comes to the engine I do not fiddle with that or the other components. I say to myself "This will remain as Mr. Honda designed it to be..." in the hopes it will give me maximum life just as Honda designed it.
Thanks for the tip, I will definitely check it out. The bare seat for me is brutal, 20 minutes and I'm done. I was planning on trying an air hawk or taking it to an upholstery shop and having some sort of multilayered custom foam put in. Thanks for watching, great little bike all in all huh?
@@zamdrang Since all we can do because of the small seat pan is go upwards the layered approach it where its at. My upholstery guy left some of the oem foam then built it up making sure to use foam that would not sag with break in. But if it goes all deflated whoopee cushion one day he said he tune it up for me. That's good to know. Maybe by then Corbin would have released their version as well. I screwed up my original post on this and put " my is is NOT my favorite upgrade " 😑. I edited to IS 😜. And yes I agree 100%. This bike is just way super duper cool. I love the history behind it too. The way it came to be and all. We are very fortunate to have been able to get our hands on ours. I feel badly for folks who are STILL waiting on theirs. P.S. mine will clunk as well if I go over bumps fast. I only weigh 165pds with all my gear on. So yeah the shocks are a bit weak, but I'm leaving mine after listening to your inner spring size reveal. That's nuts how the oem's are thicker, go figure.
I made a seat cushion for my road bike from a 10 inch inner tube for a riding lawn mower tire. I covered it with black vinyl fabric from a sewing shop. I folded the vinyl over the tube and stitched the left and right sides with a speedy stitcher and laced the 4th side with paracord. It is shaped like a sting ray and I put grommets on the stingray wings to tie it down to the bike. Now I ride on a 3 inch cushion of air. I have a bad back too.
I bought a Klymit V Seat for $8 bucks on a promotion. I've been using it under the pad you see here, I amazed how much more comfy the bike is, huge difference. I was about to buy and air hawk but this is the same idea at minuscule cost. Idk if it'll last as long as an air hawk but it works well. Even off promotion they are only $16
I have the kit but not fitted yet, mine does clunk but I’m a fat guy so thought it was just me, anyway thanks for the video and look forward to the fitting video
Thanks for watching. Interesting yours does too. Based on my experience it's not just you. I'm probably 175 with my gear on, and as you heard still clunks. Working on the install vid, but because I didn't know any better and removed the forks most of it is pointless to post. You don't need to remove the forks. Hope to post that soon.
I have the same issue with yes front forks. I was thinking whether or not to install them on my second bike. I will install the pre-load adjusters only. I will try oakies idea of more fork oil also if I'm not happy. I just have to wait until weather warms up here in the north.
High desert CA? Dude I've been looking high in low for this bike think I'm going to have to deposit and wait . I'm new to bikes but this looks fun good video sir
A Para-glider would be a much smoother way to enjoy this scenery for sure! It's pretty hard on my back too, last summer I over indulged and had to take a break. If I'm going to keep riding it in such places new rear shocks are a must. Even with them I'm not sure how much longer I can ride it in rough terrain with such limited travel. Hoping they make a difference but might be expecting too much. Thanks for watching 👍
@@123edwardzpad Thats a tough choice as they all fill a certain niche. All I can offer is if you want to do longer distances keep your expectations in check with the Trail. At my altitude (6000 ft) it's a 45 mph bike. Yes it'll go faster in the right conditions, but speeds above low 40s are very buzzy and it has no more power to give. It's taken me all summer to accept it for what it is...a Trail bike 😁 Good luck with your choice, I'd love to hear what you decide.
Waiting lists so long, they are in effect, NOT FOR SALE IN THE US. Harley Davidson, please copy this design and double the horsepower, straight handlebar, belt drive, double fuel capacity, manual 5-speed. Change nothing else. Easy money.
Hello. I recently ordered a Honda trail 125 and was wondering if there are any modifications you would recommend to install mile 1? I found an exhaust that adds 5.5 hp for $600 and a chain tensioner arm. Do you have a list of your mods that you have made to your bike? Thanks and enjoy your content !!!!
Hi Ning, thanks for watching and glad you enjoyed it. I haven't done too many mods to mine, I do have a video about everything I've done that I need to post. But I have done nothing mechanical, just a front rack, bar risers and a windscreen and knobby tires so far. The front rack is VERY useful. And I do notice the windscreen taking some air off my torso which I like. I installed 30mm bar risers so I can stand more comfortably, I am 5'11". It helped a lot but I'm still just a bit too tall to stand without having my arms stretched. The knobby tires were a big improvement off road as well. I went the Vee Rubber VRM 022. I would be very careful with those claiming HP boost from just a pipe. From what I have learned about this motor... Same motor as Grom, Monkey and Super Cub... a pipe alone does nothing. Those that get more power for those bikes do so with a pipe, intake and ECU reprogram and a bigger piston in many cases. So far there is no complete kit that I have seen for the Trail. But I plan I looking into it when someone does. I would patient and let the aftermarket catch up, once there are more 125s out there we should see more aftermarket upgrades. I personally don't see any need for a chain tensioner arm either. The stock setup works well, though the stock chain does stretch a fair amount and requires adjusting often. Easily fixed with a better quality aftermarket chain. I find the seat to be very uncomfortable myself, so you may plan on looking into options there. I have used a foam pad for now but it's really not great. I am a skinny guy about 165lbs and the seat is way too hard for me. Besides the lack top speed I have no complaints and love the bike. I hope that is helpful, thanks again for watching, I just finished editing part 2 of this day and will post it soon. I hope you enjoy your new bike! 🙂
Sorry. Something else. I will let you know on the forks. The best change I did was upgrade the rear shocks. So much nicer ride. I have the yss shocks with the reservoir...overkill but oh so nice. I have the eco-line yss shocks for the other bike but haven't driven with them yet.
Thanks for the tip on the shocks. I have been very tempted to buy the basic YSS shock but wondered how much better they are since they are so cheap and want shocks with rebound adjustment. They are out there but I'm still undecided if I want to spend $500 on shocks for this bike. Did you have problems fitting the reservoir models? I thought I remembered seeing from #RidewithWarro that he had issues fitting them
@@zamdrang Warro and I had the same problem with the aftermarket side gas can rubbing against the shock reservoir. His shock was leaking so he was able to trade them in for the standard shock. I added spacers to move the can out further so there was space between the can and the shock. Seems to work ok. This spring, I am doing the Wisconsin BDR and we will see how it and my side bag rack works out. I will let you know how it goes with the eco-line shocks. I think Warro has been using those and I haven't heard that he has had any issues with them.
@@helowzrd Interesting, so without a gas can there shouldn't be any clearnce issues huh? I use a 1 gal plastic jug and no plans for the side can so I should be good. I'm tempted to buy the standard shock over the reservoirs but would like to have rebound adjustment. I'll be very curious to hear about your trip and how you like them overall.
@@zamdrang You shouldn't have a clearance issue. I adjusted mine for sag (I am 230 and 6'4") with the spring tension. I have not set anything else. I will make adjustments as needed but the factory setting is amazing now and I have taken it off-road as much as I could. I will never need the reservoir with my driving and since it rides so well now, I only got the performance shocks for the other bike. Hopefully, they will ride the same.
@@helowzrd that's great to hear, sounds like a worthwhile upgrade. The stock ones are definitely not great. I wonder if rebound adjustment isn't necessary for my riding and maybe the standard shocks would be fine.
Its sure an interesting way to find adventure riding.. pretty well everywhere & anywhere you go.. these bikes have been around since 1970 or so.. NZ Post have used them for decades.. changed to electric buggys just the last few years though still some CTs doing deliveries.. grew up with them shooting in the bush trails here in NZ.. hats off to you.. i follow another to through south & north America through Alaska ua-cam.com/video/3th8GW91uHo/v-deo.html
A little food for thought, if you add a little more oil to the front forks, the clunking noise will go away, Honda evidently doesn't put enough in to stop it from clunking, I'm surprised they haven't done a recall on it. Here in Thailand, we have several guys who ride with us on the Honda CT 125 and we have done extensive testing on different sprockets, suspension, seat foam, tires and modifications that help performance of the machine. Finding Neutral got his seat foam idea from one of our riders. Cudos on the seat fix, it really works.... As for sprockets, for some reason everyone in the States wants the bike to go faster so they install the 15T front sprocket, it smooths out the power delivery, but won't go as fast because the 8HP engine can't pull that big of a sprocket with the settings on the ECM. You'd of been much better off going down to a 13T front sprocket and letting the little engine give you some more "snap" in its delivery. If you contact me, I'll send you a 13T sprocket. As for modifying the engine, here in Thailand, that engine design has been around for decades and the little shops here have been put together some of the most awesome performance setups for the engine and not only do they perform great, the reliability is there also. We have installed three of the 142cc Big Bore Kits on our bikes with mine having been on for over a year now. The added HP and Torque you get is unbelievable what it does for the bike. Simple BBK design consists of a combination of Honda and Kawasaki parts to get the extra HP and Torque. Have a good time on the bike and like you said, it's one of the, if not the funnest bike I've ever ridden...... Don't get rid of it.....
Thanks for the comments, I've followed your videos with interest. Thanks for the tip on the oil. The thought occurred to me when the 15w was obviously helpful but was worried about blowing the seals. Do you know what the actual level spec is? I found 120 cc online somewhere and have been going with that. (haven't bought a service manual but need to). You nailed it about the 15t sprocket, it just doesn't have enough power to make it worthwhile... It is a little less buzzy but goes too far. I figured the 13t would have gone too far the opposite way. It I understand your thinking. As you know in the states hwy travel is almost a necessity for any real adventures. And no one is going 45mph even when they should be. Particularly where I live its so big and wide open that any slower on the top end just wont work.
Niceto hear the engine mod is holding up, reliability is my main concern. How much does it improve on the top end? I don't want to sell but I need something with a little more road performance. I'd be more content if it performed similar to the Super Cub. Thanks for chiming in, much appreciated. I will re-watch your engine vids and try to warm up to the idea 😁
@@zamdrang The funny thing about this engine, is it is the same engine as the Grom, Monkey and Wave. All three of these bikes will smoke the CT on the paved roads. So, why did Honda detune the CT when the power of the Monkey would have made it a much better "trail" bike and allow it to buzz down the paved roads around 60MPH without pegging the rev-limiter..... Don't quite understand the thinking on that one.
Here is the items in a BBK that you can make yourself. Honda CT125 cylinder, Kawasaki Z125 piston, rings, cylinder sleeve and piston pin & clips. Honda head and base gaskets. One very important part, get the Honda ADV 150 fuel injector. Our kits come with Art Manufacturing piston, rings and piston pin. Art has been around for ages and makes quality parts. Take the Kawasaki sleeve and the Honda cylinder to a reputable machine shop that knows how to do this next step. Have the stock Honda sleeve pressed out of the Honda cylinder and then have them bore it out to fit the Kawasaki sleeve in it. All quality parts used and with the larger Kawasaki piston size and the longer Honda stroke, you end up with 142.4 cc's...... I wouldn't go with a kit any larger as here in Thailand, there are the 181cc kits and when over revved, they have the tendency to explode.... Not in a good way either..... Glad you did this video as not everyone has said anything about the clunking noise in the front forks. Ride with Warro mentioned it in his videos and then did the YSS kit. His clunking noise went away, my guess is he put more oil in than what comes in the kit. However, he said it didn't handle any better. I still got the kit after watching his video and had similar issues as you did, but I kept adjusting the settings until the feel of the bumps lessoned so much as to obviously it was better than stock. I still had the occasional clunk noise but not as often. Daniel, who rides with me, then had the YSS kit installed and had the clunk still. He took it back to the iTimgarage (same people who sold us the BBk's) and they put in a little more oil and his clunking went away. I may go ahead and have them install my stock springs and add some oil for me, we'll get the measurements and let you know what they are..... Keep riding it, you won't want to sell it......
@@TeamDNFracing I couldn't agree more about Honda's thinking on the Trail's tuning. Add the Super Cub to that list too. I assume it was for more low end performance but it's not necessarily a power house there either. It's just kind of dull all the way around. They really missed the mark imo. Thanks for the info on the kit. So no change in ECU?
I just finished another video on the actual YSS install, trying to sum up my experience. Thanks again for the tip on the oil, I am going to try that with the stock spring. If that works I might return to the YSS spring and PD Valve and see if it helps there too.
@@zamdrang They did not touch the ECU, we just went with the BBK alone. It also performs best with a 19mm exhaust head pipe as the stock is I believe 15mm, way to restrictive and my first aftermarket pipe was only 17mm and it worked good, but then I installed a pipe with a 19mm head pipe and it really livened up the engine. Pipe is a special design made for Morizaki to their specs. Nice thing about it, you get to use your stock heat shields........
@@TeamDNFracing I like the idea of it being all mechanical. It sure sounds nice in your vids. I saw your vid with the 15t, definitely looks to have more torque. How does it do with the 15t on the highway? That's been my biggest let down, I'd like to go places on it but 55mph and faster highways are inevitable.
“Constant thinking about how to improve something can be exhausting” I know this too well
Glad to hear you can relate 😁 sometimes you just need to enjoy things for what they are right? Thanks for watching.
Driving from LA to Vegas I always would see these random desert paths and wanted a bike that I could ride down it on. Thanks for the vid I’m going to check out this Honda 125
Got down the UA-cam rabbit hole and found this gem! I think I saw you last night over by lowes! Can't wait to watch the rest of your videos!
Good morning to you!
I am Cross Cub grandpa from Japan and sharing Cross Cub video.
Awesome adventure !!
So great job !
Have a nice day friend !
looks like a great place to camp.the starry night will be beyond words.
Looks like a great day out on the trail !
Indeed, always have a fun time on this bike. Most fun I've had on a motorcycle in fact. Thanks for watching!
Video made up my mind. Passing on it. My old 95 4 Runner will do all that and be kinder on my ass and back the speed I do. Thanks man.
Understand. I have an 85 and yep will do the same and kinder on the body. Fun little bike when used as directed 😁. Thanks for watching!
I have a 2023 and I bought the Chimera preload cap and changed out to 15w oil. I did measure the amount of factory fork oil that I drained and it was 120ml in each fork. You could add a little more as needed because the service manual states you can have +/- 2.5 cm3 which equates to 2.5 ml. I weigh 195lbs and it has made a big difference in the stance and performance of the front end.
As a side note, make sure you have the fork cap fully seated in place when you remove and replace the drain plug on the bottom of the fork. Remove the drain plug first then remove the fork cap. Pump the front end up and down several times to make sure you get all of the oil out. When drained, put the fork cap back in, then put the drain plug back in and torque to 20Nm, then remove the fork cap and add your oil.
@@yodasands thanks for the info, I ended up selling mine as I just wasn't riding it. Hopefully others will see your comments. I never did figure out the clunk.
I wouldn’t sell it. That is a gem of a bike that will only age with you and continue to offer satisfaction well beyond the point where the bigger bikes become less manageable.
This is a great video and good talk on different mods. As a new rider with the CT I can't help but wonder about Hondas engineers and if they have already tested the different sprockets and such. I have to think they did a pretty good job with suspension on most terrain. As I watch almost all the videos on line I see that most people are not using the cluch to downshift to get the revs needed for that little extra power when you need it. Most people just rely on the the gearing but if you hold down the shift when you down shift going up a hill you can rev the engine to get more power. Just a a thought.
Thanks for watching and the kind words. Now that I've put a lot more time on it I agree with you that they set the bike up about right. The speed/gearing/tune are right for the suspension and vice versa. It doesn't have the suspension to go any faster and it doesn't have the motor to need any more suspension. It is well thought out and best enjoyed for what it is, a slow speed trail bike.
My first motorcycle was 79 trail 90. The solution to upgrades is ccs. I really loved that bike. Its good for changing irrigation line, that's one thing I know.
Beautiful views. Wish I lived there.
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching.
Hi. Glad I found your channel. Your views on the ct and bike modifications are much aligned with mine and watching vid after vid about modifications started doing my head in! The plan for my little ct is actually to ride it from Australia up through SE Asia and hopefully onwards through India , Pakistan etc. I know plenty of people would call me mad and they’re probably right but I will always be looking for quite back roads not highways and in Indonesia a lot of the out of the way places I want to explore require ferry crossings - and sometimes the ferry’s aren’t drive on / off. I have ridden in the Himalayas in Northern India and a lot of other places in Asia and I can’t hardly remember ever needing more power/speed than my ct has. I just figure the trade off of top end speed for the versatility, lightness, fuel economy etc will be well worth it. Not only that I love it and surely riding a motorcycle through Asia is all about the journey - not racing to the next destination! Anyway after all that I think I’m just going to head off on it stock standard!
Hi Woody, wow that sounds like an incredible journey! I am envious. I don't think it sounds crazy at all myself, maybe a little but the good kind of crazy 😁
Just my worthless opinion but I think you will be served well by the bike in stock form too. The only time I feel a need for more power is highway runs, other than that I have no need or desire to go much faster. If I was to do anything to make mine more big trip comfortable it would be rear shocks and some sort of improvement to make the seat more comfortable.
Best of luck and safe travels on your trip, I'd love to hear all about it, as I'm sure many others would too!
@@zamdrang
Thanks Zamdrang. Much appreciated 😀.
I will definitely do something to make the seat more user friendly and I also agree that improvement to the rear suspension is probably a good idea. I’ll keep exploring options!
If I end up doing anything on UA-cam I’ll definitely send you a link!
Thanks again and kind Regards
Woody
Great ride along. Very cool playground you have there for your bike. Check out my seat recrafting video. I went on a 90 minute dirt trail ride after doing that. No butt fatigue at all vs 10 minutes of regular oem hard seat = butt fatigue 🥵. Also, I have a very messed up back and I immediately noted my recrafted seat now absorbs A LOT of that pounding from the stiff suspension. Something to consider. My seat is now my favorite mod. I agree with you about not changing the engine. Granted, I'm super into adding bits like engine guards and rider comfort items. But when it comes to the engine I do not fiddle with that or the other components. I say to myself "This will remain as Mr. Honda designed it to be..." in the hopes it will give me maximum life just as Honda designed it.
Thanks for the tip, I will definitely check it out. The bare seat for me is brutal, 20 minutes and I'm done. I was planning on trying an air hawk or taking it to an upholstery shop and having some sort of multilayered custom foam put in. Thanks for watching, great little bike all in all huh?
@@zamdrang Since all we can do because of the small seat pan is go upwards the layered approach it where its at. My upholstery guy left some of the oem foam then built it up making sure to use foam that would not sag with break in. But if it goes all deflated whoopee cushion one day he said he tune it up for me. That's good to know. Maybe by then Corbin would have released their version as well. I screwed up my original post on this and put " my is is NOT my favorite upgrade " 😑. I edited to IS 😜. And yes I agree 100%. This bike is just way super duper cool. I love the history behind it too. The way it came to be and all. We are very fortunate to have been able to get our hands on ours. I feel badly for folks who are STILL waiting on theirs. P.S. mine will clunk as well if I go over bumps fast. I only weigh 165pds with all my gear on. So yeah the shocks are a bit weak, but I'm leaving mine after listening to your inner spring size reveal. That's nuts how the oem's are thicker, go figure.
I made a seat cushion for my road bike from a 10 inch inner tube for a riding lawn mower tire. I covered it with black vinyl fabric from a sewing shop. I folded the vinyl over the tube and stitched the left and right sides with a speedy stitcher and laced the 4th side with paracord. It is shaped like a sting ray and I put grommets on the stingray wings to tie it down to the bike. Now I ride on a 3 inch cushion of air. I have a bad back too.
@@dangunn6961 Thats awesome. Sounds cool looking as well as comfortable too. Wish I had skills to create such things.
I bought a Klymit V Seat for $8 bucks on a promotion. I've been using it under the pad you see here, I amazed how much more comfy the bike is, huge difference. I was about to buy and air hawk but this is the same idea at minuscule cost. Idk if it'll last as long as an air hawk but it works well. Even off promotion they are only $16
I have the kit but not fitted yet, mine does clunk but I’m a fat guy so thought it was just me, anyway thanks for the video and look forward to the fitting video
Thanks for watching. Interesting yours does too. Based on my experience it's not just you. I'm probably 175 with my gear on, and as you heard still clunks. Working on the install vid, but because I didn't know any better and removed the forks most of it is pointless to post. You don't need to remove the forks. Hope to post that soon.
I have the same issue with yes front forks. I was thinking whether or not to install them on my second bike. I will install the pre-load adjusters only. I will try oakies idea of more fork oil also if I'm not happy. I just have to wait until weather warms up here in the north.
Still too cold here as well, so I haven't tried the additional oil either. Be curious to hear how it works out for you.
High desert CA? Dude I've been looking high in low for this bike think I'm going to have to deposit and wait .
I'm new to bikes but this looks fun good video sir
Hope you get yours soon, they are a lot of fun, just have to keep expectations in check! Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching!
A great bike this Honda trail. I want one.
CT.. City & Trail
good job
Looks like my country Kazakhstan. Same steeps as in western part of Kazakhstan where I do live.
That riding would be painful on my bad back. I'd try a powered para-glider as long as it wasn't too windy.
A Para-glider would be a much smoother way to enjoy this scenery for sure! It's pretty hard on my back too, last summer I over indulged and had to take a break. If I'm going to keep riding it in such places new rear shocks are a must. Even with them I'm not sure how much longer I can ride it in rough terrain with such limited travel. Hoping they make a difference but might be expecting too much. Thanks for watching 👍
If you don't mind my asking, what State are you in?
Good times! Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it, fun to share with folks who appreciate it. Most fun I've had on a motorcycle. Great little bike.
@@zamdrang I enjoy watching your videos. I am torn between the CT 125,, Versys 300 X and TW 200.
@@123edwardzpad Thats a tough choice as they all fill a certain niche. All I can offer is if you want to do longer distances keep your expectations in check with the Trail. At my altitude (6000 ft) it's a 45 mph bike. Yes it'll go faster in the right conditions, but speeds above low 40s are very buzzy and it has no more power to give. It's taken me all summer to accept it for what it is...a Trail bike 😁
Good luck with your choice, I'd love to hear what you decide.
Waiting lists so long, they are in effect,
NOT FOR SALE IN THE US.
Harley Davidson, please copy this design and double the horsepower, straight handlebar, belt drive, double fuel capacity, manual 5-speed.
Change nothing else.
Easy money.
Hello. I recently ordered a Honda trail 125 and was wondering if there are any modifications you would recommend to install mile 1? I found an exhaust that adds 5.5 hp for $600 and a chain tensioner arm. Do you have a list of your mods that you have made to your bike? Thanks and enjoy your content !!!!
Hi Ning, thanks for watching and glad you enjoyed it. I haven't done too many mods to mine, I do have a video about everything I've done that I need to post. But I have done nothing mechanical, just a front rack, bar risers and a windscreen and knobby tires so far. The front rack is VERY useful. And I do notice the windscreen taking some air off my torso which I like. I installed 30mm bar risers so I can stand more comfortably, I am 5'11". It helped a lot but I'm still just a bit too tall to stand without having my arms stretched. The knobby tires were a big improvement off road as well. I went the Vee Rubber VRM 022.
I would be very careful with those claiming HP boost from just a pipe. From what I have learned about this motor... Same motor as Grom, Monkey and Super Cub... a pipe alone does nothing. Those that get more power for those bikes do so with a pipe, intake and ECU reprogram and a bigger piston in many cases. So far there is no complete kit that I have seen for the Trail. But I plan I looking into it when someone does. I would patient and let the aftermarket catch up, once there are more 125s out there we should see more aftermarket upgrades.
I personally don't see any need for a chain tensioner arm either. The stock setup works well, though the stock chain does stretch a fair amount and requires adjusting often. Easily fixed with a better quality aftermarket chain.
I find the seat to be very uncomfortable myself, so you may plan on looking into options there. I have used a foam pad for now but it's really not great. I am a skinny guy about 165lbs and the seat is way too hard for me.
Besides the lack top speed I have no complaints and love the bike.
I hope that is helpful, thanks again for watching, I just finished editing part 2 of this day and will post it soon.
I hope you enjoy your new bike! 🙂
crazy even the official forks bottom out. i have a chinese clone of the ct110 and it bottoms out so bad all the time...
Sorry. Something else. I will let you know on the forks. The best change I did was upgrade the rear shocks. So much nicer ride. I have the yss shocks with the reservoir...overkill but oh so nice. I have the eco-line yss shocks for the other bike but haven't driven with them yet.
Thanks for the tip on the shocks. I have been very tempted to buy the basic YSS shock but wondered how much better they are since they are so cheap and want shocks with rebound adjustment. They are out there but I'm still undecided if I want to spend $500 on shocks for this bike. Did you have problems fitting the reservoir models? I thought I remembered seeing from #RidewithWarro that he had issues fitting them
@@zamdrang Warro and I had the same problem with the aftermarket side gas can rubbing against the shock reservoir. His shock was leaking so he was able to trade them in for the standard shock. I added spacers to move the can out further so there was space between the can and the shock. Seems to work ok. This spring, I am doing the Wisconsin BDR and we will see how it and my side bag rack works out. I will let you know how it goes with the eco-line shocks. I think Warro has been using those and I haven't heard that he has had any issues with them.
@@helowzrd Interesting, so without a gas can there shouldn't be any clearnce issues huh? I use a 1 gal plastic jug and no plans for the side can so I should be good. I'm tempted to buy the standard shock over the reservoirs but would like to have rebound adjustment. I'll be very curious to hear about your trip and how you like them overall.
@@zamdrang You shouldn't have a clearance issue. I adjusted mine for sag (I am 230 and 6'4") with the spring tension. I have not set anything else. I will make adjustments as needed but the factory setting is amazing now and I have taken it off-road as much as I could. I will never need the reservoir with my driving and since it rides so well now, I only got the performance shocks for the other bike. Hopefully, they will ride the same.
@@helowzrd that's great to hear, sounds like a worthwhile upgrade. The stock ones are definitely not great. I wonder if rebound adjustment isn't necessary for my riding and maybe the standard shocks would be fine.
Does it have a fuel gauge? Great job and video!
Yep it sure does. Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed it
Its sure an interesting way to find adventure riding.. pretty well everywhere & anywhere you go.. these bikes have been around since 1970 or so.. NZ Post have used them for decades.. changed to electric buggys just the last few years though still some CTs doing deliveries.. grew up with them shooting in the bush trails here in NZ.. hats off to you.. i follow another to through south & north America through Alaska
ua-cam.com/video/3th8GW91uHo/v-deo.html
I tried to watch but your crazy
Springs are driving you mad