CT125 Trail (1976-1977): The Farm-Ready XL125 Built for Getting There and Back
Rider Magazine's retrospective frames the CT125 as a genuinely utilitarian machine in a country that doesn't often think of motorcycles that way — this was a working trail bike first, built around the same 124cc engine as the road-oriented XL125 but wrapped in a chassis specifically tuned for farm, forestry, and backcountry duty. The original CT125's frame geometry closely mirrored Honda's trials bikes, excellent in rough terrain but compromised on pavement; that geometry was revised in 1976 to improve on-road manners, and American Honda began importing the model for the 1977 model year.
Power comes from a 124cc air-cooled four-stroke single, delivering modest but genuinely usable output through a compact chassis weighing around 238 lbs. Top speed sits at a claimed 57 mph — plenty for trail work and back-road commuting, if not highway cruising. Front and rear tires ran 3.19 (19-inch) and 4/18 sizes respectively, on drum brakes front and rear, with an inverted fork and twin rear shocks handling suspension duty.
Genuinely farm-oriented touches set the CT125 apart from its XL125 sibling: a 32-inch-high solo seat, wide handlebars fitted with brush guards to protect the rider's hands from vegetation, a full steel loop crankcase guard plus underslung bash plate, and oversized mud flaps on both fenders — a clear signal this bike was built to go to genuinely muddy places. A small handle bolted to the left rear of the swingarm near the shock served utility purposes on the trail. The 1977 model, the first year sold in the US, came finished in Shiny Orange with yellow-and-white "TRAIL 125" tank decals, a chrome rear carrier, and chrome brush guards on the handlebar and lower frame.
This factory service manual covers the procedures, torque specs, and diagrams needed to keep a 1976-1977 CT125's engine and driveline running the way Honda built it.
