1971 Honda Mini Trail 70. CT70 CT Big Bore 88cc Race Pit Bike MiniTrail 70

Up for sale is my fathers 1971 Honda Mini Trail CT70. This bike has been in his possession since the mid 70's. About 20 years ago he restored it and another CT70 completely for the sole purpose of using them as pit bikes at the Vintage Car Race Series in Northern California. My father is a car restorer and engineer and went through both bikes thoroughly back then. They have never been in the dirt or abused in any manner. Well maintained and it shows from the overall condition of the bike. Since the bike was restored it probably has no more than 1000 easy miles on it (less than 2 miles on this entirely new motor). The odo shows over 8k but I find this hard to believe (even with his fine workmanship in the restoration) that the bike really has that many overall miles on it. This bike has been sitting for many years and is no longer needed at the races. It really became a spare pit bike as his Blue CT70 was his favorite and went to the races more often than this bike. He decided to sell it several months ago and I discovered that there was an issue with the crankcase internally so I sold that motor for parts and bought this aftermarket 88cc motor to replace it. This motor is brand new and has no issues. Great power and incredibly smooth shifting compared to the old OEM motors. It makes for a nicer over all experience using it.

The Good Stuff:

Keep in mind the bike was not restored to original OEM specs because he was not restoring it for collector purposes. but rather to use as transportation in the pits so the tires. bike color and many things on the bike were not replaced with OEM parts.  He was not attempting to emulate OEM style; but rather to create a nice looking highly functional pit bike that could be used for many years of racing(he clearly succeeded there).

The paint is pretty nice for being 20 years old. but there are some small chips in the paint here and there (forks mostly). They are visible if you zoom in the picture. There are not many so dont waste too much time looking for things that are not there. The color is Burgundy not the OEM Ruby Red. It looks great but again it does not match the ruby red headlight that was the correct OEM color for that year.

The motor is brand new and is an aftermarket unit that is nearly identical in look to the OEM unit (although there are some slight differences). It has much more power and is capable of about 8 to 10 mph more top speed than his stock 70cc blue CT70. It shifts much smoother as well. In this regard it is nicer than the Blue bike that he is keeping. The new motor comes with its own larger carb and electronic ignition so it does not need points changed and starts with incredible ease. The stock air filter will not work with this new setup so it has an aftermarket air filter on the larger aftermarket carb. I can give you the oem filter setup if you want it.

The bike does not appear to have any glaring issues.  I took it up to 40+ MPH up a slight hill; so it has decent power and the tires and bearings all appear to be in great shape as well. I cannot think of anything that really needs to be replaced on it right now. The pictures show a broken left hand side brake handle which I already replaced along with a brand new upper triple clamp that is polished. The lights work and the gas tank is solid and looks new.

The chrome I assume was replaced when he restored it as there appears to be no issues with it at and they are OEM chrome fenders not the cheaper aftermarket pieces out there today. If you were looking to do one of those OEM show quality restorations this would be a decent foundation based on the condition of the parts throughout the bike. My point is not many things would need to be replaced with expensive and hard to find OEM parts.

The not so ideal things:

The motor is not OEM but has mechanical and functional benefits of a more refined motor from 35+ years of engine evolution.

The rear shocks are in good shape but the aluminum is oxidized a little and is not a highly polished aluminum finish.

The tires are probably 20 years old (original restoration) but are still in good shape and there is no cracking in the rubber although you may want to replace them anyway. At low speeds I do not see the old tire being a huge issue but the choice is yours.

The seat appears to be an original OEM seat cover replaced at the time of the restoration but the seat is cracked in one spot for some reason as the rest of the seat shows no issues at all. This cracking can be seen in the pictures.

The muffler rusted at the very end and I have taken pictures of it to show that problem. It still works fine. The engine that has replaced the original OEM unit is slightly longer than the original so I had to create a coupler to extend the length of the muffler another 1. 5 inches. There was also some rust in this are as well in that section. The coupler is painted black and is held in place with a hose clamp on each side of the extension. It is not very obvious. There are a few scratches on the chrome trim (muffler) but not really bad. Not good enough for show. but great for what it is now a "race pit bike".

The chrome engine cradle and guard is in good shape but the right side protective panel has some scratches and is not ideal for show purposes.

The  cables are original and have cracks on them so they too are not an ideal starting point for a full restoration.

The throttle handle is not ideal; it slides and works fine but the handle can be pulled off easily.  A new one would be my choice if I was going to keep it.

I have tried my best to identify any issues that I am aware of and I think what I state above is the extant of any negatives. Both my Dad and I are pretty anal and try to keep our vehicles in superior shape with proper maintenance and respect for the machines we own (or maintain for others). I am using his new ebay account to sell this bike for him. If there is any concerns about buying from a newbie please feel free to contact me through my ebay account "KTMhawgie". I have over 2600 reviews with a 100% approval.

 Thanks for your time. If you are looking for sweet ride to ride around the pits at your favorite track this is probably really ideal for you. The ideal customer will be a local Northern California racer but I will ship if needed. You will need to find shipping arrangements for yourself.

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