MMRanch wrote on Yesterday at 16:33:24: 
Dave you've had the Trail Honda for a while . How was it ?
My Trail Honda is a 1982 110cc version. It is a typical Honda and starts first kick. It is very hilly where I live, and that is a bit of a challenge for keeping the speed up. There is a steep hill on the road to town where I can get my errands done - I can maintain about 30mph on that hill and the speed limit is 35 (thankfully the road is curvy so cars can't easily maintain 35 and I don't hold traffic up much). On the main road through town the speed limit goes up to 40mph, and I can ride through town with traffic as the STOP signs and traffic lights slow people down. Once you leave town and the main highway speeds go up to 45 or 50 - I am a menace to society and it is not advisable or safe to ride the bike in traffic.
The little Honda 110 is great for riding over to my neighbors house(s) when I need to go over to help them or visit.....or borrow a bigger tractor from Bruce! It is my "go to" bike for anything within 5 miles of home. On level ground 40mph is the highest comfortable speed, as anything over that feels like the engine is revving too high. With the off road transmission gears engaged it can climb around on some very steep grades - however the soft suspension keeps the off road travel speeds very low.
The Honda horizontal engines are durable - but they have always had low HP....this bike is 7.6HP when brand new. The 1984 Honda CB125S that I had was far better at keeping up with traffic - it had 12HP and could maintain 50mph on level ground.
The older Honda trails bikes are great for short trips in slow traffic, or for riding around a campground - they really aren't commuter or touring bikes. The modern 125 Trial Bike is a bit less than 9HP - which is still not enough to ride safely on highways with speeds over 45mph.
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