With the incredible popularity of the Honda CT70 over the last few years, and nicely restored examples selling for thousands of dollars, I always wonder if they’ll ever get used or if they’ll be man cave/she shed trophies. The seller has this 1971 Honda CT70 K0 listed here on eBay in Saint Augustine, Florida, the current bid price is $3,250, and the reserve isn’t met yet.
It would be the equivalent of taking a brand-new or restored 4×4 off-road and risking getting it scratched up and full of dings and rock chips to actually take a jewel box of a vintage off-road motorcycle off of the road, let alone off of your living room floor. These little bikes cost around $350 when they were new, which is the equivalent of around $2,660 today. The average household income in 1971 was about $10,000 and it’s $70,000 today. That $350 investment in 1971, while seeming like a laughably tiny amount today, represents basically the same percentage of a family’s income when they purchased it as $2,660 would be today to the average family. Wait, where was I going with this again?
Oh yeah, I was just trying to say that taking a $350 motorcycle in the weeds and in gravel pits today is no biggie, but taking a $2,660 one may give a few folks second thoughts. Not to mention, a $5,000 to $7,500 restored Honda 70. Hand to heart: no adult beverages were consumed while writing these two paragraphs!
Honda offered the CT70 from late 1969 for the 1970 model year, until 1981 in their first U.S. run. This example looks to be in outstanding condition, I really don’t see a flaw anywhere, despite the seller’s description of this CT70 being “52 years old, and is not perfect. It contains minor scuffs, dings, quirks, and other patina associated with a bike of this age.” That being said, they go on to say that it “has been restored. Some of the items on this classic have been either replaced, restored, or reconditioned.” I don’t really see a flaw anywhere.
The perfect-looking engine is Honda’s 72-cc four-stroke single-cylinder with 6 horsepower. This one starts and runs great, according to the seller, and everything works as it should, other than the horn being intermittent. Would you ride this little jewel of a CT70 out on a trail and risk possibly getting rock chips and dings in it, or would you keep it in your living room or garage as a collector’s item? I’d have to get two of them as I can argue that both ways.
Had this exact bike. Gateway drug for me.
When gravel pits were abandoned on weekends, and made for some great riding, if you didn’t get caught. I’m amazed that someone, would restore something like this to the nines, and about the nicest one, as if. Lucky was the kid that got one of these, instead of riding some Honda step thru 50, or home made minibike. This had chrome, and lots of it, even though, it was largely ignored, and were trashed none the less. This was the kind of throw away toy, that parents actually encouraged. Few survived
I had to chuckle at Patricks post, “Gateway”, and boy howdy, truer words were never spoken. For many, this was their 1st attempt at motorized 2 wheels, something they saved their Bar-Mitzvah money for, and led to a lifetime of cycling. These were the 1st bikes we really got hurt on, but after a spill, walk around a bit, any blood?, see if anyone saw, bend the handlebar and foot peg back, and off you went. They only looked like this once.
I rode the living whee out of mine. As stated earlier, one hell of a gateway drug! Now? I’d look like the Jolly Green Giant on one. I’ll keep this in the memory bank.
My gateway drug was Easy Rider.
“Get yer motor runnin’,,hmm, gateway, gateway, that can be mentioned here, it would have to be the Honda step thru 50. My brother and I did things to that motorcycle it was never intended for.
Really my first post got deleted because I said people are crazy to spend this kind of money on a throw away mini bike…
This its a wonderful example and worth the ask. It is hard to believe how much one of these spelled FREEDOM. Cut class, head to the beach. I drove one for years. Never crashed, it would be hard to do. If I recall it topped out at about 45. Downhill. If you tried really hard you could just get a wheelie. The Phut phut phut was very distinctive, you shifted 3 times to leave a stop sign. It was so much fun to drive and would be fun to have today for off road, but no way I’d be mixing with the steroid trucks speeding on the road now.
While some of my friends and I were rolling on 80-250cc traditional dirt bikes, one friend and his brother had one of these along with a similar looking 50cc. One particular rainy day, the older brother decided to ride his around the concrete deck of our community swimming pool. I think he made 3 or 4 laps before he and the Honda took a shortcut through the shallow end of the pool. We heard him screaming as the bike slowly sank to the bottom. As a bunch of immature pre-teens we naturally thought this was hilarious. I don’t think his old man thought so after we fished the bike out of the pool. A few weeks later, younger brother would not stop riding after we told him he had a fuel leak. About an hour later we saw him pushing the bike home, the whole bottom burned up from the fire. His old man once again wasn’t pleased. A gateway drug, indeed.
Does this have clutch on the right and brake on the left? Look at the cables!
No clutch 3 speed automatic. There’s a rear hand brake and a rear foot brake .
Other is the front brake
Locally there is a 2005 “clone” bike, identical, advertised for $800. Just wondering what the quality level of the clones is compared to the original, and if any parts are available?
The 1970 KAH(?) had the 4 speed manual tranny. All other model years were 3 speed automatics.
It looks like it has a reproduction carb. That not a bad thing, the originals wore out and can become impossible to tune.
No helmet, no pads, shorts, T-shirt, go crazy.
If you got hurt, good. It’s the lesson that teaches you not to do stupid $*^% and you won’t do it again.
Now, with all the labels and safety precautions printed and posted anywhere, natural selection doesn’t stand a chance.
Buy it, ride it, restore it again. And again.
My “Gateway” was a Rupp Roadster II at 11 years old. Had 2 of these Honda 70’s used in the early 90’s I got running for my boys. Good parts availability at the time for parts Great fun.
i had 1, regret selling it, they were alot of fun.
The bid is at $3,700 and the seller’s reserve is off, this one is going to a new home in 10 hours!
I would ride the crap out of it. Too many people buy stuff to look at. I would rather use them and enjoy it.
This gem sold for $4,100!
There is another one, an orange ct-70 where they are asking a crazy $7,000 for it. I personally wouldn’t pay anywhere near that for a Honda Trail-anything, I’d prefer the 90 with dual sprockets and auxiliary tank.
I had the same bike in gold color. My dad bought it for me in 1975 for $75.00.
Rode the heck out of it.