The Honda CT 125 Isn’t Just a Trail Bike

Lead Up to a Ride

A few things are in play when I prepare for a ride and they are sometimes in conflict. Like deciding I want to ride the Kawasaki W650 but the destination takes me through miles and miles of dirt and gravel. I try to juggle riding the machines I have to keep them “exercised” and in good working order. A friend recently pointed out that I seem to be trying to balance them on the blog as well. Writing to meet the expectations of readers rather than just share the rides I make.

“I thought you wrote here as part of a personal documentation of your life on the road?”

It was pointed out that as soon as I work to satisfy some imagined expectations of readers the whole thing becomes more forced, less authentic, and ultimately will begin to feel like work. The exact reasons why I’ve put new content on my YouTube channel on hiatus.

So I’ll put the crystal ball away and quit being concerned about what readers want. Hopefully that won’t offend or drive anyone away.

I knew I wanted to take the Honda Trail 125 for a ride. Somewhere. And I had a fixed window of time to ride. In these situations I generally sit down at the computer and open Google Maps and start looking for a destination or route. In this case, for a place to eat breakfast. And the place I decided on was 35 miles away. The ride would mostly be on pavement with some time on roads where people were traveling far faster than the Honda could handle. The adventure would take me to the Kitchen Witch in Howard, Pennsylvania.

Safe and Practical Ride

I’ve ridden past the Kitchen Witch many times. Just never on the CT125. There’s no easy, gentle way to get there. Some stretches have traffic pushing beyond the 55 MPH posted speed limit. For the bike I consider my go to machine for gnarly trail riding I had to develop a plan of attack.

Experience tells me I can reliably maintain 45 MPH on the little Honda. Sometimes, with no wind and tucked in on the bike, I can manage 50 MPH. And my final route would have me on a high speed road for at least 5 miles on the way to breakfst. Not a lot but feels like an eternity when cars pile up behind.

I was riding with my friend Paul, him on his red CT125 and me on the green. We arrived without incident or regret or the need to pull aside to let people pass.

The Kitchen Witch

I didn’t have any idea of what to expect when walking into this little cafe. Just a few steps in the witch energy was apparent with pointy black hats suspended from the ceiling and spells posted on the walls. Seeing two women working here I began to wonder if this was an clandestine Wiccan meeting place. Paul and I were up for an adventure and went inside for breakfast.

Magically Inspired Utensils

The food was good and certainly enhanced a bit by the pretty black utensils. I don’t think I’ve ever used a knife and fork emblazoned with skulls to eat my eggs and bacon.

Rethinking the Honda Trail 125

I pre-judge many things. Particularly when it comes to scooters and motorcycles. I have them each in a box in my head in regard to what they can and can’t do, and what limits I might have riding them. For the Honda, I firmly pushed it into a box where it was only good for off-road riding or for jaunts around town or rides on lightly trafficked secondary roads.

Obviously it can’t jump on freeways or Interstate highways. Nor those main arteries where the traffic is moving faster than the 55 MPH speed limits. Somewhere I either lost my nerve or the good sense that even those routes are manageable much in the same way people bicycle along them. Or the Amish drive their horse drawn buggies. So it was exciting to ride the Honda to breakfast and then on to Bald Eagle State Park. I realize now the only real constraint regarding fast roads and long distances is time. With enough time I can travel anywhere I might with the Himalayan or W650. The ride will feel different but I will travel from point A to B.

A Simple Machine for a Quiet Ride

Riding the Honda puts a rider in touch with the road in a manner lost on bigger machines. The slower speeds coupled with the smaller size allows me to see and experience more. And those senses ignited can be seductive. Before long I can imagine far flung adventures in the same way as I picture on any of my other machines. The limitation is never the scooter or motorcycle, it’s the thoughts and beliefs in my head.

Letting it all go brings me a clean, satisfying ride that makes me feel I can do anything. A welcome state of mind as I get older.

Into Every Ride a Little Dirt and Gravel Should Fall

The route home took us on more high speed roads but thankfully shortened by the ability to take a gravel travel over the mountain towards home. The CT125 is perfectly at home on these roads. And having ridden the Himalayan on similar ones just a day earlier I can attest to the Honda’s ability to travel just as fast and just as comfortably. I’m not a racer but 25 to 35 MPH on these roads is completely manageable.

Our breakfast ride was a nice little 60-mile loop. Plenty of time to enjoy being on the road, conversing at lunch, and making some photographs of the landscape we passed through. The little Honda is a perfect companion for me. I love riding it. And I’m certain there will be many more adventures ahead.