1968 Honda Mini Trail Z50A

• Honda’s First Youth Oriented Motorcycle

• Proven 50cc 4-cycle Engine with Semi-Automatic 3 Speed Transmission

• Folding Handlebars allowed for Easy Transportation

The Honda Mini Trail 50 was Japan’s first effort to cash in on the mini-bike craze that swept the US in the 1960s. Honda had widespread success with their 49cc 4-cycle OHC engine with an integrated semi-automatic 3-speed gear box on the street with the popular C100 Cub step-through road bike. In the initial US release, Honda adapted it to a single backbone tubular steel off-road frame. Easy to ride due to the centrifugal clutch, the Z50 was far more refined than other small motorcycles of its day, with features like folding handlebars to make transporting the bike much easier. A reputation for reliability, a nationwide network of dealers, and Honda’s “Nicest People on a Honda” ad campaign, made the Mini Trail 50 an obvious choice for families shopping for a motorbike for their youngsters.

This first-year Z50 K0 model has front suspension but lacks any rear shock absorbers. The gear shift is a foot lever and the bike features front and rear drum brakes operated by handlebar-mounted levers, like that on a bicycle. It’s quiet, reliable, and light enough to carry in the trunk of an automobile. Because a full-size adult was cramped and hunched over while riding the bike, the Z50 became known as the “Monkey” or “Gorilla” bike due to the simian posture required to ride it.

In 1969, Honda introduced the Z50A K1, adding front and rear lighting making the bike street legal in most states. Later models added rear suspension to the Mini Trail but the bike remained unchanged through 1978 when it reverted to the Z50R model, an off-road-only version that mimicked the look of the Honda Moto-Cross lineup.

Specifications

Engine: 49cc Overhead Cam 4 cycle single, 3-speed semi-auto transmission, centrifugal clutch, chain drive

Performance: Top Speed 25 mph

Weight: 125 lbs