1970 Honda Z50 K2 MINI TRAIL

Z50282646

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Attention: Yes, this bike was just sold on eBay last week. The buyer was trying to get me to ship the bike C.O.D. after he won the auction. In the end, it was apparent the bidder was trying to scam me by having me ship the bike before any type of payment was sent. His info is as follows: User Name: bubbie1357 (feedback rating: 1), Name: Gordon Smith, Baton Rouge, LA. He also has another eBay account he uses with a higher feedback rating: garret5551. If you don’t want to play be eBay’s rules, please don’t waste my time bidding on this item. Read the ad carefully. Again, I don’t take Paypal, won’t send the bike C.O.D., and won’t take a company or personal check. Period. Cash, certified bank funds (with verification), or wire transfer. I have a great feedback rating for a reason. If you have questions, contact me. I’m happy to answer them. Thanks for your interest... For more on the Honda Mini Trail, read on… The Honda Mini Trail was produced in several models during the 1960s and 1970s. The Mini Trail, which is a much smaller version of a motorcycle, was sold worldwide, but was known by a different name in other countries. Beginning The Mini Trail evolved from the Honda Z100, which first appeared at the Tama Tech Park in Japan, in 1961. This early version had a red frame and a white gas tank. It was powered by a 50-cubic-centimeter engine and had five-inch wheels. This vehicle became known as the Honda Monkey, because riders appeared monkey-like while riding it. U.S. Mini Trails Honda began exporting a limited number of the Monkeys in 1963. The Honda Monkeys exported to the United States were renamed the Honda Mini Trail. The first Mini Trails arrived in the U.S. in 1969, and they were designed for off-road use. Models Honda continued to upgrade the features of the Mini Trails, adding headlights, taillights and turn signals on street-legal models of the Mini Trail.The Honda Mini Trail 50 is part of the Z series of minibikes built from 1964 until 1998. Called Monkeys and Gorillas, the tiny, lightweight trail bikes have collapsible handlebars for easy transportation. They were one of Honda's biggest selling line of bikes. Engine The Honda Mini Trail Z50 series of minibikes feature a single-cylinder, air-cooled, 49 cc overhead-cam engine. The four-stroke motor has a bore and stroke of 39 mm by 41.4 mm with a compression ratio of 8.8:1. It produces 1.95 brake horsepower at 5,000 rpm and attains a top speed of 25 miles per hour. Chassis The Honda Mini Trail bikes have a three-speed manual gearbox with a foot-lever operated centrifugal clutch or an easy-shift three-speed semi-automatic. The bikes have chain and sprocket final drives. The front suspension consists of telescopic springs with rigid rear suspension. The 3.50-by-8-inch tires were low-inflation types at 14 psi. Dimensions The Z50 Mini Trail weighs 108 lbs. dry and 115 lbs. ready to ride. It's 50 inches long, 26.5 inches tall with folded handlebars and 14 inches wide with folded pegs. It's wheelbase is 43.5 inches. It was back in 1961 that a curious miniature motorcycle was seen putting around Honda’s Tama Tech park in Japan and at the Suzuka circuit. One of the most popular rides in the park was the Z100, a cute little mini bike which was loved by many kids. The Z100 sported a red frame under a white gas tank, tiny 5-inch wheels and a 50cc engine. Riders were said to appear, of all things, simian, and henceforth the motorcycle came to be known as the Honda Monkey. Looking more like a toy than a motorcycle, the compactness and fresh appearance of the Monkey scored high with fans of all ages. Due to its success, Honda revamped the Z100 park version for use on public roads, and brought out the CZ100 model, which began to be exported, in limited numbers, in 1963. The engine was from the Super Cub C100, the tank and the seat were taken from the sport Cub C111. Until 1966 there were only minor modifications to this bike. In 1967 the CZ100 was revamped and had its name changed to Honda Z50M. The Z50M was the first model to be marketed in Japan. The Monkey could be easily stowed on a car, truck or mobile home, or even aboard a boat. The Monkey Z50M featured fold-down handlebars and a retracting seat. This version was also the first one equipped with the newer Cub engine with the overhead cam. In 1969 Honda launched the Honda Z50Z, the Japanese version of the common A series, which were sold in the Unites States and Europe. The Z version sold only in Japan, had a removable front fork for easier transportation and lighting for street use. The A series, also launched in 1969, was called the “Mini Trail” in the US and “Monkey” in the rest of the world. The first US series, also known as the K0 model, was produced for the off-road market only and not equipped with a lighting system. There were some slight differences in the following series between the U.S. and European versions like a bigger headlight and turn signals on the “Monkey” version. Each new version had a “K” designation. Honda did this almost every year with the monkey and mini trail. The K0 was followed up by the K1, K2, K3 etc. Because the Z50A series bikes for the US market in 1970 were street legal, Honda also produced the QA50. This model was specially designed for off-road use because of the lack of lighting. It also had its own unique engine. The QA50 was only built for 5 years until the K3 version in 1975. In the US the Mini Trail was still sold as the Z50A and this version continued until the K6, while the monkey was changed from Z50A K3 into Z50J in 1973. Almost every year Honda launched a new series of the Z50J with 3 different models, mostly with different colors and decals. Besides the Monkey versions Z50J-I and Z50J-II, Honda also launched the Z50J-III with a larger fuel tank and 4 speed manual clutch engine, also called the Gorilla. Honda produced the monkey in quantity, with minor modifications, until 1999. The Monkey is still produced every year in small numbers for special editions to keep up tradition for collectors and monkey maniacs. Most are not available in the U.S. Series Production Timeline: 1967 March start of sales (Z50M)1968 July next release (Z50A)1970 April (Z50Z)1974 February (Z50J)1978 August (Z50J-1) and start of sales for the Gorilla1979 (Z50R)1979 Monkey Limited (Z50J-1)1981 March Black Monkey (Z50J-1) and Black Gorilla (Z50J-III)1984 October Gold Monkey1984 April next Gorilla release (Z50J-III)1985 May next Monkey release (Z50J-1)1987 March Monkey R1988 Gorilla White (Z50J-III)1988 Gorilla 10th Anniversary Z50JJ Empire Candy Blue1988 Monkey RT1990 January Monkey Special1990 Stop of sales for the Gorilla1991 February Monkey Baja (Z50J-1)1992 Monkey (Z50R)1996 Monkey Limited (Z50J-1)1997 February Monkey Special1998 February restart of sales for the Gorilla1998 Stop of production for the Honda Baja