75' HONDA MINI TRAIL Z50 - RIDING VIDEO

[Rat Rod]

Been keeping my eye out for any deals on mini bikes lately and I came across this little 1975 Honda Mini Trail Z50 yesterday on the Houston CL. My Grandparents used to have about 50 acres near Brenham, TX with a house on it and every summer we'd go up and stay for a week. Uncle Stretch had a good collection of mini bikes that we used to ride the wheels off of while we were there. There was nothing like being 12 years old and riding free around the property and through the woods all day.

I gave the guy a call and it sounded like it was in really nice shape. He purchased it about 4 years ago from a 75 year old man that owned a concrete company down in Houston. He said when he got it, it was wrapped in thick plastic and appeared to be barely used. He ended up using it to ride down the street and get his mail each day. He's 60 now and decided it was time to clear some space.

My Dad happened to live close by so he ran over this morning and picked it up from him. Starts on the first kick and purrs like a kitten. My Dad took it for a spin when he got it home and said it ran pretty good. The guy even had the Texas title with it. Looking forward to getting it in a few weeks and giving it the magic Texas water treatment. :wink:

 

[outskirtscustoms]

Re: 75' HONDA MINI TRAIL Z50

Nice one! Can't wait to see it cleaned up. I had a green one but mine had a Chinese knock off 110cc motor with 4 speed on it. Fast little bugger.

 

[Rat Rod]

Re: 75' HONDA MINI TRAIL Z50

49cc is enough to get me in trouble around here. :lol:

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Re: 75' HONDA MINI TRAIL Z50

Very cool ride!

Luke.

 

[deorman]

Re: 75' HONDA MINI TRAIL Z50

Hey, be careful, you'll put someone's eye out with that thing! :x :? Oh, wait. That's bb guns. Never mind. :lol: Lucky duck. :mrgreen:

 

[SCHWINNRAY69]

Re: 75' HONDA MINI TRAIL Z50

Wow, very clean!! 8)

 

[outskirtscustoms]

Re: 75' HONDA MINI TRAIL Z50

So that's the difference between Indiana and Texas... We got the quantity and y'all got the quality.

 

[javimanic]

Re: 75' HONDA MINI TRAIL Z50

I did my paper route on one of those(mine was blue)...I used to cut through yards till the point I started making trails whoops. kept me busy all winter too whe I'd make mx tracks all around the lawn of snow.

 

[yoothgeye]

Re: 75' HONDA MINI TRAIL Z50

My parents bought one for my sister and me one year, it was used, it's either a '77 or '79. Mine did not say Z50, it just says Mini Trail. Has the same fold down handlebars, spring loaded flip up foot pegs, and locking vent gas cap. I think I started riding it when I was 6 or 8. We kept it at my grandparents house in Crewe, VA about an hour away, but tons of places to ride. It probably was ridden about 2-4 times a year. I would go out there and kick and kick and kick after it sat a long time and it would always eventually fire up. Those Hondas are so dependable.

After both grandparents had passed it just sat out in that building for years. When I was 18 a friend and I drove to Crewe (about an hour away) to get the bike, it probably hadn't been started for 6 years. With the gas that was still in the tank I started it up and we rode it before loading it up. I found a pretty cool jump and my friend tried and had a bad crash, the lower fork legs bent in to where the tire was rubbing the cylinder head. My friend was also in a sling for 3 weeks. Game over.

I took the bike home and took it into my bedroom and disassembled it cleaning every part. I couldn't find a fork for it. One day I was staring at the parts and I had an idea. The bends in the fork tubes were smooth and even, not kinked, so I swapped the legs left to right, right to left and reassembled, the front end was a little raked out, but it was still sturdy! I use to lock the gas cap vent, fold the bars down, put a bungee cord on the foot pegs and put it in the back of my 89 5.0 Mustang GT. We'd ride it in the church parking lot, my friend's neighborhood (his neighbors didn't call the cops) and anywhere else we could.

One day I was riding it down his street, we had already paced it with a car to learn that flat out in 3rd it would do 35mph. I was coming down towards his house and showing him a "new trick." If you stood up on the foot pegs and bounced the suspension you could bunny hop it on the up travel. I hit a raised manhole cover which pulled the bike to the right, when I pulled left to correct the handlebar grip came off in my hand causing the bike to slam down to the left. I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt and ended up covered in road rash.

Anyway. The bike is still around. When I got married I told my sister I was going to pick up the little motorcycle and bring it to NC to play with here, but she denied my request since the bike was given to both of us so many years ago. Instead of fighting it I got together the original owner's manual and title (the title is just for ownership, even with the front and rear light, this thing is totally illegal on the roads) and gave them to my brother-in-law (sister's husband) and told him that I gave my "half" of the bike to him, still didn't want my sister to have full ownership. :lol:

My brother-in-law (bicycle mechanic, motorcycle mechanic, boat mechanic, car mechanic) found a fork for it and kept it running. Still original engine that I don't believe has ever had anything done to it.

I'd love to have another one day, I've got some great (and painful) memories on that little thing.

 

[Rat Rod]

Re: 75' HONDA MINI TRAIL Z50

Finally picked up the Honda last week while down in Houston visiting my folks.

I was off work today so I gave it a little magic Texas water treatment. :wink:

Took it for a few blasts around the neighborhood today and it purrs like a kitten and starts on the first kick.

And a little running video...I've got a kickstand on order. :lol:

 

[outskirtscustoms]

Re: 75' HONDA MINI TRAIL Z50

WOW! That came out nice.

 

[user 135]

Re: 75' HONDA MINI TRAIL Z50

We need to see a riding video for sure.

 

[Rat Rod]

Re: 75' HONDA MINI TRAIL Z50

We need to see a riding video for sure.

Coming soon!

 

[Rat Rod]

Re: 75' HONDA MINI TRAIL Z50

Click the image below to see a cheesy riding video...which shows me running out of gas. :lol:

 

[tuga]

That's cool man, I used to flip Z50's, MR50's, CT70's, etc until I felt down from a Z50 on the middle of the street doing a wheelie, my knees still hurt :mrgreen:

 

[Rat Rod]

Ha Ha...at 42, I don't plan on doing any more wheelies. :lol:

 

[deorman]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX7wtNOkuHo

 

[SCHWINNRAY69]

Re: 75' HONDA MINI TRAIL Z50

...which shows me running out of gas. :lol:

Haha, nice! :lol: That was a great video! Runs smooth :wink:

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Looks like a cool little bike!

Luke.

 

[outskirtscustoms]

I can just see the people on Ebay fighting for a chance to own such a clean example of 1970's Honda goodness.