Honda Dax Gets (Even More) Funky, But You Still Can’t Buy One

Quick! What’s small, motorized, with a look straight from the decade of disco? If you answered “Honda Dax,” you’d be correct, and even moreso with the release of the Honda Dax 1978. And, alas, you still can’t buy one.

In late 2022, Honda released the Dax for European and Asian customers. It’s a modern update of the classic CT minibike/trailbike lineup, which was known as the Dax in some markets. Here’s what we told you back in 2022:

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.

Clearly, the idea here is to emphasize form over function (not that there’s anything wrong with the Grom engine; it’s more than proved itself). Honda carries that idea forward with the Honda Dax 1978, a project built by Cub House.

Cub House is actually a Honda subsidiary, set up in Thailand to build cool minimotos and promote the brand. Remember that minibikes are big business overseas, with custom shops for these machines all over Asia. Cub House is Honda’s way of capitalizing on this trend with its own cool chromed-out accessories (just like the 1970s!) and a retro paint style.

This machine recently debuted on the Asian show circuit, and we’ve seen no indication that the Dax itself is coming to Canada, so we wouldn’t expect this bike anytime soon either. We don’t even get the latest-generation Super Cub C125, which the US even gets.

But Honda will almost certainly sell these by the truckload over in Asia, where the moto-mad locals are keen to buy this sort of bike—see the show reveal below!