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Honda Dax


Not mine but typical clone modding.

My clone ct70 with a 125 tops out over 70mph. Cruises 50mph with 17/32 gearing. Will run 3rd gear past 55mph and still gets 100mpg. The air box to carb intake boot was radius cut, the slide needle was sanded down, race manifod, egr block off and crf50 exhaust. Very simple mods and is a beast in 1st and 2nd gears.
 
Damn, $900. That's cheap.

I'd still rather have a Dax and all the improvements one brings, but there's something to be said for keeping $3000-$4000 in your pocket. What's with the folding bars? Is there a quick release or is that their way of telling you it's possible to loosen the standard clamps and rotate the bars down for a more compact package?
Risers and bmx bars are the answer. Parts all fit the old honda model or JDM. There was a ton of parts in the glory years and really slick builds totalled around $3000. Then the grom was released. The 190 and 212 motors fit and 4 or 5 speed versions are available. Actually my 125 was a handful with tall gearing and a much larger rear tire. The little bike gave my buddies bikes hell in town or neighborhoods. The engine is factory yx stroker. And is hard to start using only electric or kickstart. My answer was hybrid start using both. Piranha's owner went to the mfg to over see some small details. So mine might be different...I have chrome rims and engine cases that Ohio salt pitted.

Now the engine needs a little shift drum or follower work for 3rd gear. I have been tempted to go 90cc race semi auto 4 speed with neutral on the bottom. It would be kickstart only but rev out so much nicer than the stroker e-start 125. The prices went up on the parts some.

Oh ya, the fold down handlebars allowed me to stuff the bike in the backseat of a taurus once.
 
I like the Honda but I'm not paying 2k plus msrp and waiting for 6 months.
 
Nope, not for me, either. If it was that dire, I'd be more likely to convert a Trail 125 to 2-up. I figure that their time in the market combined with the demand for a Dax would make the Trail a little easier to find at a fair price.
Too many other bikes I can buy spending 5-6k. My cl70 build if it goes through should total around $1500 for everything. I put 5,000 really hard miles on my ct70 clone. And I've owned a few. Recently bought a tw that does great 2up for a mega minimoto feel. And is actually a great bike. But I do like horizontal engine designs. ...card in hand and it would be 7 days out. Clones are old spec and much lighter! Ct70 is 165lbs.
 
I'm going to have to actively ignore the Icebear Champion or one will come home with me. :photog

Did you do any brake upgrades?

Has Honda mentioned EV versions of any of their mini-motos yet? I've followed their battery developments, and it seems like converting their modern 125s to EV would be relatively easy for them, while still cashing in on the nostalgia appeal of their older bikes. A cheap & dirty fix could be as simple as making an e-version 1-up only, and mounting a pair of swappable batteries on the tail.

The internal space of a Dax frame would be an interesting spot for a battery, but probably a PITA to manufacture & service, and battery swapping would be out.
Long ago before the new honda models were available there were some prototype ev conversions. I believe the problem was JDM had outsourced for so many years and honda had to scrap everything. The newer clone is wider and carries more fuel than the original. But all parts for 50yrs? fit. There are a ton of upgrades and minis have weird values. 12" tubeless wheels/rims and disc brakes are available. Gets expensive. It never needed any improvements just tweeks. The biggest was the radius boot to mimic a velocity stack and sanding the carb needle. My epa plug was pulled in pdi. The week point is the swingarm bushings...should be changed for honda parts. The 17 front sprocket calmed the bike down and a 120/90-10 tire helped. I tried many carb combos and went back to a mod stock. Oh ya...split rims are great for tire changes but lack a safety bead. But tire balls should be easy to install.
 


Ha old news. Build your own so you can fix it. No way on parts being months out when many controllers and motors are available 3 days shipped. DC or AC pick what suits to to ride the square or sine wave of the future. Ahh check ev suppliers and amazon. Hub motor would allow for batteries mounting where the engine is. And the controller could go in the frame. Kinda a slick bike ...
 
Vulcon


 
Leave the dub and atv tire minibikes out then. Volcon is way to expensive and not street legal. A 2wd grizzly can ride on any bicycle path and street. Ariel Rider!
 
Ideally, Honda will be able to bring an e-Dax to market for about the same price as the Ice-Dax. I'd have to give some serious thought to deciding between the two.
How about e or gas version of the cl70

 
No announcement from Honda USA on this model. It came out late in Japan last year. It's barely coming out in Europe as we speak.

Young Machine is doing a comparison between the Dax and the Trail 125. While the Dax seems to win in the friendly rider department, one thing I noticed was that the Dax is slightly more powerful than the Trail. Not that anyone would notice since we're talking about 0.3 HP. But hey, anything helps, am I right?


If Honda is listening, I'm ready to buy one.

2 up, baby! Rider is 5'7" and passenger is 5'3"

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Someone (you?) has said that the Dax brings together the best of Honda's minimotos, and I agree. Cool little bike.
Yes that was me. I still think it does.

I had a 2022 GROM which was the first bike to get the new engine. I really liked it. What I didn't like was the extra shifting from the now 5 speed gearbox. What I like about my Trail is the 4 speed semi auto. It's so good.

This is how I see it:
GROM = best engine, carries 2 people
Monkey = best styling
Super Cub = best heritage, semi auto gearbox
Trail = most practical, no fob

Dax = combines engine, semi auto gearbox, looks, heritage, practicality, no fob, and carries 2 people.

The only let down is the size of the gas tank: 1 gallon. Same as the Super Cub. All other mini motos have a larger tank.
 
Where's the Dax's tank, under the seat or inside the frame? If there isn't already a cool fuel bottle solution, something like this might work well.

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It’s under the seat.
 
Sure but it's 10" wheels instead of 12 and a 70 cc motor instead of a 125 cc one.
The clones are 125 strokers. I have one with a few mods. With a 17/32 gearing the top speed is over 70. The split rims can be replaced with 12". The clone weighs around 170lbs. These bikes are actually closer to the most recent classic JDM hondas. There were z50 clones around for awhile. The engines were also 125cc
 
I think it'd be fun to take one of those Ice Bear Champions and put a Grom engine in it. There's your Honda Dax in the US.
 
From a practical standpoint the Grom is a better bike and a better value. On top of that I prefer the 5 speed manual over the 4 speed semi auto. But, the trail 70 was my dream bike when I was young. This bike does appeal to me. I sure hope we get it here in the states.
 
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