Next year, we’re gonna party like it’s 1979! Or at least, they’re going to do so in Europe, where we see the new Honda Dax announced for 2023, expanding Big Red’s miniMOTO lineup once again.
We didn’t get the Dax series in Canada in the 1970s and 1980s, but we did get the CT lineup, and some of those models were identical to the Dax series. Remember the Honda CT70? In Japan, that was a Dax; in Europe, it was the ST70.
Now, Honda’s bringing the line back, recycling the air-cooled, fuel-injected, four-speed Grom engine once again. Once again, the Dax gets a pressed-steel frame, with underslung engine and groovy disco-era styling, with just a hint of scrambler DNA. There’s a high-rise pipe (at least, it’s as high-rise as you can get on a minibike), a straight, offroad-style seat and while the stock tires are street-oriented, we’re guessing plenty of these machines will get knobbies in the future.
According to what we can decipher from the Spanish-language press release, the Honda Dax will weigh 107 kilos, and comes with a 31 mm front fork, LED lights and a blacked-out LCD gauge. Max horsepower will likely run close to other bikes with this engine, around 9.5ish hp at 7,500 rpm. You should also expect roughly 7.5 lb-ft of torque around 5,000 rpm.
What you probably can’t expect is, for this bike to appear in Canada anytime soon. Honda Canada still hasn’t brought the CT125 (aka the Trail 125) to our market, or the Super Cub, which are both based around this same engine. At least the Grom is familiar here, and the Monkey started coming in last year. There’s hope, just don’t expect it to happen overnight, as Honda is apparently selling as many of these 125s worldwide as it can manufacture.
I like it and wish they sold it in U.S. I think it needs a universal tire tread and the front fender needs to come up a little. It looks like fun.