A Short History of The CT-Series Hondas
In ancient times -- well,
1959
-- Honda Motor Company of Japan released a small motorcycle called the C100. Better known as the "Super Cub," this machine was a single-cylinder flat-aircooled step-through design:
Tens of millions of these bikes have been sold since 1959, made all over the world and used as cheap transportation from Ho Chi Minh City to Accra to San Diego. A few years later, Honda introduced a toughened-up version with a dual-sprocket rear end, called the Trail 55. This bike was the ancestor of 35 years' worth of tough, inexpensive and reliable single-cylinder trail cycles from Honda, and was initially marketed to hunters, fishermen and outdoorsmen. This was not a "dirt bike," but something geared toward gentle off-road use such as camping, backwoods hunting and fishing, and other utilitarian purposes.
Later, the engine was upgraded to a 90cc single, a model referred to as the CT200 Trail 90. It still held onto the the Super Cub's trailing-link front suspension and sculpted gas tank and seat and sheetmetal front end. It had a four-speed auto-clutch gearbox and the dual-size rear sprockets to provide added torque when an additional length of chain was spliced into the driveline.
Read this side note about The Hondells
, The Beach Boys, and "Little Honda," a song about the Trail 55!
In 1967, the bike, now called the CT90, was modified by replacing the dual-sprocket arrangement with a two-speed underdrive subtransmission that produced the same effect but could be switched in with just five seconds' effort. In mid-1969, the trailing-link suspension was replaced with conventional telescoping shocks, and the modern CT90/Trail 90 was complete.
Honda produced successive improvements to the CT90 year after year until 1979, the last year for the original CT90. During these years, the bike picked up standard turn signals, a quieter exhaust, better carburetion and improved safety equipment. After 1979, the CT90 was replaced by the CT110. The CT110 was basically identical to the CT90, except with a bored-out 105cc engine instead of the earlier 89cc. The 1980 model was unique in that for that one year, Honda dropped the useful dual-range subtransmission (no one's sure why). It returned in 1981, and the bike saw more gradual improvements, such as electronic ignition, until it was withdrawn from the US market in 1986. Several possible reasons exist, including increased liability costs, but I tend to believe that Honda saw a more lucrative market in 3-wheel and 4-wheel ATVs. The 3-wheelers had been around since 1969, but their sales and promotion increased drastically in the early 1980s. Honda probably saw more of a future in the "true offroad" market and they haven't offered a true trail bike in the US since.
The CT-110 wasn't dead by any means. Honda continued to build them for sale elsewhere in the world. One of their most active customers was the Australian Post Office, where, without the 2-speed underdrive, they served as the standard vehicle for letter carriers until approximately 2000. Tens of thousands were sold, and they're far and away the most common motorcycle Down Under.
Will Honda ever reintroduce the CT series? Doubtful. There's little market in the US for any small motorcycles, the trail market is pretty much owned by heavy, big-engined four-wheel ATVs, and increasing emphasis on conservation make the reintroduction of a trail cycle, even one as quiet and low-impact as the CT-110, an unlikely proposition.
Last updated:
08/04/2001