Certainly one of the most obscure smaller motorcycles of the 1970s, at least for Honda, the Sport Trail (ST) 90, sometimes seen as the Trailsport, is a bit bigger than the famous CT70 that most of us know, but the family resemblance is unmistakable. This Tahitian Red 1973 Honda ST90 is listed here on Facebook Marketplace in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, and they’re asking $2,500. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Lothar… of the Hill People for the tip!
You’re killin’ me with these great motorcycle tips, Lothar! I’ve wanted an ST90 for years, and this is another great Wisconsin find, but it’s five+ hours away. Too bad roads aren’t still gravel, I could ride it home. It sure shows well in the photos, looking almost like new, other than the non-factory-looking seat cover. That’s a pretty easy fix, though. The tires are said to be way past their prime, by 52 years (they’re original), and need to be replaced to be safe for riding. That’s another easy fix. The ST90 weighs 190 pounds and is easy to handle for most kids and adults.
I looked at one of my dream motorcycles today, the super rare 1970 Yamaha DS6 250 street bike – not this one, but similar – that was my second motorcycle as a teenager. It was much rougher than I thought it would be based on the online photos, so I passed on it. Finding anything that I almost can’t live without and having it be local is very rare, as most of you know. That was painful to walk away from that faded, non-running, pitted bike with rust, dings, and a bad, flaking, former coating job inside the rusty gas tank. Still, I’ll probably never find another one, especially for $1,000. It needed so much work, and it makes me wonder what this ST90 looked like when the seller found it in a barn. It sure looks nice now. I wonder if they’d take $1,000 for it. Just kidding.
The ST90 is a motorcycle I never knew about as a teenager. They were made for the 1973 through 1975 model years and were discontinued due to not being strong sellers. The CT70/Trail 70 was a much more popular bike, despite the ST90 being bigger and easier for adults to ride. The ST90 is also a much better off-road motorcycle than Honda’s CT90, with more clearance and is more rugged with a pressed steel frame rather than the “under bone” frame of the step-through CT90. The speedometer needs work on this one. The seller says it was jumping a bit and they lubed it, but then it quit working. It’s likely the cable, an easy fix.
The engine looks much cleaner than I thought it would. It’s Honda’s 89-cc four-stroke OHC single with 6.5 horsepower, and it’s sent through a three-speed transmission with an automatic clutch. They say there’s a new carburetor, but the original comes with the sale. I’d want to see if the original one could be cleaned up or fixed, but that’s just me. It also has a new battery and new fuel lines. They say it runs great, but it can be hard to start. What motorcycles do you have memories of, and are they the same ones you want to own today?
Another memorable mile marker. See campers packing these in on the back bumper-and front too! Get it on the ramp, lift the clamp, move the handlebars down and drive away.
Great grocery getters and capable of safely making short trips to town 2 up-if both people were sized to comfortably fit on the seat that is..
Another great find Lothar!
Too, it’s a bike that appeals to practically all, Scotty-I think more than a few would like this even with it’s hefty price tag.
Nevadahalfrack – You’re on the mark as usual – I’ve been looking at the array of small ’70s bikes for RV camping. I had to find an Internet video to make sure these are adult-sized (though maybe not Scotty sized). A nice 90cc bike under 200 lb sounds perfect. Thanks to Scotty and Lothar for bringing us this high quality specimen. I’ll take one (or maybe two) with a little rust for $1200 each.
Good looking little bike. Especially w these tires. Rode a few mid-late 1970s enduros .. some 175s and remember a Honda 350XL that was a tank, and a alot of fun to ride. Really enjoyed blasting around country dirt and gravel roads as a teenager and in our early 20s. 😀 👍 Thanks SG.
Thanks SG
Many years ago i got my girlfriends 2 boys a honda 70. I got it from a retired man that hauled it on his motorhome. They got too old so selling everything. It was gold. The man said i bought this new…and had it back to the dealer so many times i gave up. He said you can choke it…kick it 50 times and it will never start the first start or cold start i say. He said put a little gas in the cylinder and it will start right up and start every time all day and night that day. So we did. I never used starting fluid and i never took it anywhere to have it checked. I wonder if this 90 is the same way? If anyone has an idea it always stumped me. I am a decent car mechanic and a good lawnmower man but not motorcyles…i only made minibikes with briggs motors on them. Thanks if anyone has ideas what it mighta been? Oh and gas never leaked outta the carb anywhere?? Great looking bike this is….i never rode one but rode their 70 several times. Good write up.
In 1971 my parents bought me a Kawasaki MT75 DYNAMITE it was designed by Parnell Jones. This little bike could out run most of the 90cc trail bikes and could keep up with most 100cc trail bikes. What a great time I had on this little bike.
1972 came along. Again after good grades , out of all trouble and working weekends on a farm I made the $525.00 to purchase a 1972 Kawasaki G4TR 100. My parents would not let me spend my own money on it so they made the purchase. These 2 bikes were a blast to ride. I am actively looking for another 1972 Kawasaki G4TR100 to put into my man cave to bring back some of the best memories from my parents and old friends that are no longer roaming this earth. I might ride it ever so often.
Thanks for the great comments, folks!
John, was your MT75 like one of these?
https://barnfinds.com/al-unser-connection-1971-kawasaki-mt1/
https://barnfinds.com/garage-find-1971-kawasaki-mt1-mini-trail/
Howard, you and I have been around these parts for a long time (too long?). We both made comments on those 2 links that Scotty posted.
And Scotty, I like the look of that Yamaha – I hope you find one someday.
Please note the handle bars do not move like a CT-70’s or the CT-90’s, That said it is a pretty neat bike from the Honad parts bin. Enjoyed the one I owned and sold it for way less then this one…..
It brings back a rare bike I owned which was the Suzuki 125 RV Tracker. It had a design similar to this one, but it had the fat tires on it like the old 3-wheeled Honda ATVs of the day, so a factory-stock street legal 2-wheeled ATV – with 5 speeds and a long fat seat that was hinged to open, and mine had a rear rack too, and it was kind-of a goat – I would ride it up high mountain trails in Utah where you couldn’t go off the trail w/o a too-long drop, so you had to keep it slow and steady, but it was low enough to the ground that you could just put your feet down quickly and it was real well made and good all-season. Does anybody else remember this model? OK, here’s a link to the official spec sheet with pics – http://www.suzukicycles.org/RV-series/RV125.shtml#gsc.tab=0 Mine was the lime green 1973 model. We need these again!
Another missed opportunity. ST90s are rising in collectibility, and someone grabbed this one.