A lot of us knew someone when we were growing up, that one spoiled kid who seemed to have everything. They had all of the newest and best snowmobiles, bikes, minibikes, and yes, they went on to get a new car for graduation and have their college paid for by their parents. Sometimes they were lucky enough to have a motorcycle like this 1974 Honda CT70. Yeah I know, I hated that kid, too. This CT70 can be found here on eBay in State College, Pennsylvania and the current bid price is $2,850, but the reserve isn’t met.
In case you’re wondering, yes, I’m jealous of those spoiled kids, I didn’t have that life growing up as a lot of you didn’t, we worked our tails off for everything that we have right now. But, it’s not their fault either, I don’t mean to be so hard on the kids who had it all. What were we taking about again? Oh yeah, this Honda CT70, it’s beautiful, or most of it is. It has some wear and tear but it only has 732 miles on it which isn’t a lot of riding for such a fun little bike. Growing up on a gravel road in the boonies, I would have put thousands of miles on this thing as a kid. Heck, I’d like to do that now even at my advanced age.. cough.. wheeze… In 1974, the CT70 came in this Candy Riviera Blue and also in Candy Topaz Orange.
The seller has provided quite a few photos which is always great to see, but they also included two fantastic YouTube videos as seen here, and also here. A cold start in one kick, nice. I love to see another adult not being afraid to ride a small motorcycle like this. Not everyone has to ride a manly-man rugged Harley to have a good time. It’s all about having fun and reliving your childhood, it has nothing to do with the size or speed of your bike, or what anyone else thinks about it. If they make fun of it or of you, that’s their problem.
Not that 50 miles one way or another makes any difference at all, but the seller mentions that it has 732 miles on the second video and in the description, but they list 782 miles on the eBay listing. Hey, at least they didn’t say that a 2WD Honda ATV was a 4WD Honda ATV! (crickets)…
The engine shows some wear, I’m not sure what the dark area on top is from but it sure seems to run great. It’s Honda’s 72 CC overhead-cam single and there is no smoke as you can see from the cold start video, and there are no leaks. This bike also has a new battery and brand new tires in case the next owner wants to change from the original factory-installed tires. Let’s hear those Honda 70 stories!
Cool old ride Scotty, I just wonder where someone would ride today? I know people have farms and so on but as a kid in the city we had a lot of trails to run. With all the suburbs today I just do not see them anymore.
It’s good to hear from you, Mike! I know, I’d love to have 20 acres somewhere, I have to ride most of mine around in the fenced-in storage facility which works but it’s not exactly ideal.
My 1971 has about 1400 miles on it…..guess it’s time to sell…..
How do ya want fer it?
I grew up in a semi rural neighborhood with “that rich kid”, we are still friends 56 years later! Luckily for us “poor kids”, his father would always buy 2 toys for his son, like a trail 70 for his son, and a 50cc for friends to ride with him. Later trades up to a 250 Elsinore for his son and a SL175 for friends!
Hey Scotty, not all of us that had one of these were spoiled. They didn’t cost much back then.
The worst thing about this site is the nasty undertones related to money and the ignorant assumptions that people who are successful or from successful families are somehow spoiled or entitled. That’s most often BS, it’s an easy and lazy stereotype that, driven by the actions of a few is accepted as representative of all. It encourages bitterness and jealousy. I can’t tell you how many friends I have that appear to casual outsiders as what is described here, just because they have nice things. What most people don’t see is the work and discipline, by the entire family, that goes on behind the scenes that only those close to them see. It’s an easy punching bag, that ignores the crappy behavior exhibited by the entitled brats of people without money. They are just as common, yet nobody calls them out. It’s not about money, it never has been, it’s about how they were raised and the responsibility the individual is willing to assume for their actions.
Steve R
There is nothing to even out.
Yes I know this isn’t the place for this discussion, but this had to be answered.
What? Please, a wealth tax? Your premise is either that those who have been successful gained their wealth through unethical behavior or that those who are successful should be punished by the government and have part of their honestly earned wealth confiscated, which they they earned honestly and paid taxes on. How is that right? I had a 1970 CT70 in 1970. I bought it with my paper route money for $70. Should someone have confiscated my money as a wealth tax? I guarantee you I was not a spoiled brat.
As per website trail70.com “With an original MSRP (manufacturers’ suggested retail price) of $ 395 the Trail 70 was about two or three times the price of a Sears, Wards, or Rupp mini-bike, but Honda quality was considered worth the price”. With that said…Regardless of semantics of spoiled or not spoiled, wealthy or not wealthy, foolish or prudent with spending, that $395 in 1970 is $2637 today and with the economic times, consumer habits, or lack of easy credit back in 1970 (compared to today), that $395 back in 1970 being spent on one of these back or even today in 2020 then truly makes it a luxury item for those that either were or are of priviledge or those who or are lucky enough to have the opportunity to save up $395 back then or $2637 in 2020 to plop down on a luxury item like this and not instead have to spend it on the necessities of life then or now or to have to save it for the necessities of the future.
Nothing’s free…one way or another, someone earned wealth in the big dogfight known as western culture.
As a kid, it’s hard to know the path to success and riches is paved with inhibition/discipline.
Discipline (emotional…the ability to defer pleasure) starts with the family who school their kids about getting good grades and going to college. I was one of those kids who grew up knowing that you were going to be a professional with at least a college degree, but preferably a medical school education. That was thrust upon me at a young age and cost me by creating carefulness and control.
It’s a tough competitive world and many can’t imagine why some go farther by using education and special focus on a body of knowledge to achieve higher earnings.
Had I known what I know now….I would have focused on small business-entrepenuership. That’s where the real money is (I know alot of contractors who make good bank with no college needed).
Good comment Steve R., and I also understand the “envy of youngsters” who could only fathom the immutable forces of ego loss from realizing someone else got a better toy without earning it.
Had one just like this, even same color. Worked for it shoveling snow and cutting grass. However, I did haul it in the back of a Cadillac limousine about 600 miles to take it on vacation with me. Call me spooled if you want to, but Dad owned a funeral home.
Hey I has one of these bad boys, that I bought with my own money. It used for and purchased it for $400 with a few scratches and a ripped up seat. Made a new key for it our my mothers Samsonite suit case key I found, grabbed a file, BAM. It because it was broke off in the ignition.
Before that I has the Honda M50 min bike which was a blast. Boy did it take a beating. We lived on 40 acres. Some of my best child memory came from scraped knees and elbows bruised up.
We had an orange one of these, a yellow mini trail 50 and 2 trail 9o’s. We werent spoiled…my father worked his a.. off and enjoyed spending time with his kids and wife. We rode these as a family in the CA mtns and deserts. It was family time and cherished memories. There was no gardener, maid or handyman or mechanic. My parents did it all with their three kids helping and learning. They lived their lives as examples for us!!
Would love to see some of these comments happen between people toe to toe. Would make the 6 o’clock news for sure.
Did spoiled kids also have huge butts back then? That is quite a seat.
BIG butts were prominent in the 70s due to trans-fats in all the take out food. Once trans-fats were understood the BIG butt conundrum dissipated markedly.
I was a chubby kid at 11 and my sister called me Porky. Ice cream was readily available as was Royal Crown Cola.
I was a processed sugar junkie from an early age. Processed sugar cereals like Lucky Charms and Captain Crunch were gateway drugs back in the day.
I wonder if I could sue Post Cereal for the addictions?
Bob
Took a city bus down to the Honda dealer in the day with brother he was looking at a cb175 and I wanted a trail 70 ,had a paper route and lusting over the little bike went up to counter and bought a owners manual for $3.25 ,the clerk i still recall looked at me weird because I never had the bike,but made me happy and read that manual cover to cover many times. I never could afford one and only rode a friends later a few times,still have the the manual today tucked away.
I still have the CT70H that we, as a family, bought new in 1971. Great little ride, with numerous memories. Look up what the ‘H’ means. I suspect pretty rare today, and rare back them also. Thanks for the posting, and memories. Bob
Never had one, but a friend down the road had one. Yes his parents did buy him pretty much everything, but they were generous and always shared with others. The Honda was a fine running machine compared to the lawnmower engine minibike I build with another kid from scrap parts.
Okay people enough of the sand bagging. This site is for positivity and shared likes! I will add this to my ending. My parents weren’t rich, but both had good jobs. Keeping in mine in 1970 my parents mortgage on a brand new house with 12 acres was $200.
Times where good in these days! The end!
Steve R, thanks so much for saying what I wanted to say but couldn’t calm down enough to put the words together. I’ll just add that if the envious would put in 18 hour days, time away from family, risk-taking, doing more than 100% at whatever their employment is, they, too, could spoil their kids.
A cousin of mine bought a new CT70 in 1970. It was gold in color and he beat the crap out of that thing. Eventually it went to another cousin who lived on a farm and, you guessed it, he beat the crap out of it until it died. Then he and his dad took it apart to “fix” it. Having no metric tools most of the disassembly was done with a cold chisel and hammer. With the engine and trans disassembled all the parts were thrown in a box and aged in a barn for years.
When I was visiting and stumbled upon the dirty mess I expressed interest in having it and fixing it. My cousin laughed and said “if you can fix that you’re a MASTER mechanic.” The gauntlet had been thrown down.
I gathered up all the bits and pieces and took them home. Visited the local Honda dealer and got parts diagrams. I may have gotten a Haynes or Clymer manual as well. Too many years…
Well I DID get that CT70 back together using a lot of new parts as well as a couple motorcycle scrap yard engine/transmission assemblies. That little CT70 was a blast to ride and I nerly killed myself a few times when I wrecked going across a field at high speed.
Eventually the original purchaser’s father learned that I had obtained and repaired/restored his son’s old CT70 and he was flabbergasted. He bugged me and bugged me until I sold it back to him. His son had died from a combination of drugs and alcoholism and having that CT70 back in the garage meant the world to him. How could I refuse.
Thank you for your excellent story. Beautifully told.
Auction update: this Honda 70 sold for $4,491.