One of the close-ups shows a build date of 9/11 which would be a 2012 model. As long as they're still in production we can hope.
If the Chinese can get these bikes EPA and DOT certified and sell for $1500 shipped to your door ($1100 when on sale), I would think Honda could do it for a reasonable price, say under $3K, thru one of their Chinese or Thai manufacturing plants...... if they thought Americans would buy them. The bike pictured is a 125 with a carb, air injection, cat, & evap canister.
From what I understand in canada it's 50 grand just to keep you bikes on the list every year plus you have to give them 5 or is it 10 to test and then destroy after. Don't know the cost to get a bike tested . Eg you ll not find royal enfield on the canada import list from the usa even though there the same bike as what the Canadian import sell . Sadly again 3 grand diff between the canada and usa price.
The reason is the EPA, that simple!! Here is a site for CT's if you want info or just like them as I do. http://hondatrailcts.yuku.com/ If anybody can find the bag on the CT in the video I'd sure like 1 and could sell a bunch. Searched all over since I saw and no luck, even with the name on the bag.
It isn't the EPA. The Chinese are selling EPA Certified bikes left and right. There's nothing special to the emission controls on these bikes either. They have carburetors that are set up lean, air pumps, cat cons in the exhaust and an evap canister. http://www.pitsterpro.com/bike/overview/id/43 http://www.peirspeed.com/madass125.htm http://www.clevelandcyclewerks.com/bikes/ Honda's been burned bringing cool small bikes to the US, and just won't do it again. Profit margin isn't high enough.
I found a July '09 site announcing that the CT-110 "Postie Bikes," originally imported just for the Austrailia Post, would be offered new to the public at $3490 in '09 Aussie dollars which works out to be $3657.52 in U. S. buckaroos. Would you give this much for a brand-new CT-110 if Honda brought 'em in? Personally I'd send 'em a check today if they would.
I would jump at the chance to get a new one. Especially if it looks like it rolled straight out of the '80s. These bikes are just way more fun than the sum of their parts!
I'm not understanding the purpose of this clutch disengaged feature. Are you saying it comes with a manual clutch but this special lever allows it to go to auto-clutch mode? It would seem to me that such a feature would require two separate clutches to be built into the engine?
I think they'd have to keep the price point at least a grand below a new Ninja 250/300 or CBR 250 in order to sell enough. I would love to see a smaller reputable company w/ a dealer network like Sachs or Cleveland Cycle Works market a decent-quality Chinese or Taiwanese copy for under $2500. Sachs Madass 125's were selling locally for $1999 last fall.
What I believe it does is hold the clutch lever in. Dunno why that would be imporant--I'd just put it in neutral. Maybe we ought to ask an Aussie...
i would suspect that this is a new leftover CT110 from before they stopped selling them in japan. they cant sell any bikes with carbs manufactured after 2009 (or it it 2008?), so this must be a new pre-ban bike. my understanding it the ozzie post will start using a new electric bike soon as well.
...from a friend of a friend who speaks/reads/understands Japanese and it's culture. This shop indeed imports them from Austrailia for sale in Japan and claim to be the only place in the country to buy them. The Cross Cub is just a show bike which is a bummer--I think if they indeed reached production and brought into the U. S. they'd sell a lot better than conventional scooters if the price was right. In the translator's opinion the shop is not likely interested in selling to anyone outside of the country and you'd have to go through a middleman in order to obtain one which would likely be illegal or in the gray zone somewhere in between--maybe it could be brought in as a "competition bike for off-road use only"? Let's go on the wild assumption that you could, by hook or crook, get one into the country. How could you get it on the road? I considered buying an old titled CT-110, refinishing the frame and then installing all the new parts on it. My problem with doing that is one, it ain't gonna be cheap to do and two, my reason for wanting a brand-new-shiny CT is a trip I'd like to do around the U. S. at slow speeds and the ability to get parts at any Honda shop (or order them up in a timely manner) is a major concern of mine. I guess for this reason assuming I get to do such a trip it'll be done on something else, maybe a Lifan engined rebuild and have a complete motor at home ready to ship along with other consumables that I might not be able to get for it on the road. This is a strong possibility. I'd sure like to have that high/low range gearbox for the mountains and exploring, though. Whatever happens seeing brand new CT's and not being able to buy one is extremely frustrating.
Glad you asked haha Ive owned ct110's for about 5 years and actually have been recently riding a CTX200 I purchased about 6 months ago. The clutch trigger that you guys are talking about is nothing more then a leaver that you flick out when the clutch is in so that when you let the clutch out it sits just a bit before the friction point, thus stopping it from stalling while you do something else with that hand or leave the bike. When you are done you simply pull the clutch in which then disengages the leaver and you are right to go off riding again. Personally putting it in neutral has always been easier and I only ever use the leaver on rare occasions. Clutch out. Clutch held in before the friction point buy the leaver. It's an absolute joy of a bike, a real do it all to infinity and back ride.
I just bought a 1969 Honda CT90. It doesn't run, yet, but it was cheap to buy and will be cheap to fix up. There are lots of parts still available for these. It won't be new, but will function just fine this spring. I had one when I was a kid and remember how much fun and durable they were.
Just curious ever had any problems with burning your leg on that exhaust? May be a stupid question, but genuinely curious. The shield is metal after all.
Nope, I don't recall ever having a problem with exhaust pipe heat on the Honda. Its not a very big motor so it doesn't put out a lot of heat anyway. I currently drive a Triumph Scrambler and while the exhaust heat can be felt its not objectionable. In fact it feels good on a cool day.
its nice and all but my 1979 ct90 looks to be in showroom condition, 2200 miles on it and runs great sure I dont have chrome exhaust, bars, fancy rear shocks or the 110 engine but other then that almost looks just like that one. and I will probably never in a lifetime see one as new looking as mine and I still ride mine off road using my 8 speed tranny
Heres a great site on the Honda CT, any question can be found here. http://hondatrailcts.yuku.com/ And here is the sister site with info. on all yrs under the gallery listing. http://ct90-ct110.com/
Check out this link for Postie bikes for sale in Japan http://www.goobike.com/cgi-bin/fsea...price_takai_sort:NUMD&q=&phrase=ct110&x=0&y=0
