Honda 55
HONDA 55
A New Feature; Trail Test
WHAT'S IN A NAME? A difficult question to answer when discussing such names as Honda. Without question the largest selling single type of motorcycle in the United States is the Honda 50, in any one of its various disguises. To individuals within the vast audience of new two-wheeled enthusiasts that Honda has reached through their immense advertising program in newspapers, television and magazines, they are not motorcycles, nor are they motorbikes, or anything else for that matter; they are Hondas.
We approached the latest version of their Trail 50 with all of this churning about in our minds; were we about to deal with some special heretofore unknown species of machinery? Would we speak the same language? Were we, as they say, biting off more than we could chew?
We are more than happy to report that the Honda 50, or 55, to be more correct, is just as we have suspected for some time, a motorcycle. This may, or may not, come as somewhat of a shock to some people, but it is true. To be honest; it is not only a true dyed-in-the-wool motorcycle, it is one with more than a passing degree of merit for the cycle enthusiast, regardless of his tastes.
Since the Trail 55, as its nomenclature indicates, was designed for trailing, we toted (no pun intended) it into the mountains of Southern California for some rough going, and we were not disappointed in either our abilities as scouts for testing ground, or in the little charger's talents as a trail scooter. To bring our readers up to date, the "55" tag is due to an increase in displacement to, as you may have guessed, 55 cubic centimeters. The increase is felt in a most important manner as the performance is excellent for a machine so small. Another new innovation is a Wi gallon fuel tank, adding considerably to its trailing range.
The 55 climbed almost every hill, lump, pile, slope, or whatever we attempted to negotiate. Even from a standing start on an extremely steep hill of soft sand it got underway with only a meager amount of assistance from the rider. Once momentum was achieved amid a din of loud motorcycle music from the baton-like exhaust pipe, almost nothing stopped it. Of course the minimal amount of power available, though well geared to the demands with a huge rear sprocket, means that the little 5 hp + one-cylinder engine is often working quite hard at its appointed chore. When power fails, the 55 proves its worth in a most needy category; it is very light and can be lifted or carried through, over or around the most impassable obstacle.
The Trail 55 is not, we feel wisely, equipped with electric starting, as are others in the Honda 50 category. Considering the beating the machine takes it is probably a good thing. However, it is provided with a battery for the ignition that also furnishes power for the lights. We said earlier that it is a machine for any enthusiast, regardless of his tastes; naturally to some this would mean getting off of powerful trailing bikes, a change we would not envision. But, when the low price, satisfying performance, extreme ease of portability, lightness and handling are considered, any rider can enjoy it.
Our only criticism, if it can be called such, fell to the narrow handlebars. Though they are fine for slow trailing and easy riding, we would have liked a wider spread when the going got really rough and our enthusiasm exceeded our common sense and we temporarily forgot what we were riding. Also, the gearing is extremely low, so speed is limited, but this also has to be prefaced with a consideration of the market for which the machine was designed. Top speed is in the neighborhood of 25 mph to the accompaniment of very high winding engine sounds indicating an obvious abuse of the little single.
One thing we do like quite well, though, is the centrifugal clutch, and in place of the clutch lever on the left handlebar Honda has thoughtfully provided a rear wheel brake lever. This feature, in combination with the front wheel brake lever on the right handlebar, allows the descent of nearly vertical slopes with both feet planted firmly on the ground. Little elaboration is needed to evaluate this feature. We slid down hills fully under control and at a ridiculously slow pace, some that would have had to be taken at wild speeds on most other machines.
Our concluding message is a simple one; to you staunch, hairy chested, full size bike riders (and this includes us), to you trailing addicts (this also includes us), and to you new riders who have yet to experience the joys of trailing (and this includes our wives who rode the Honda 55 until they had to be pried off of it), we heartily recommend you go Trail Fiftying. Don't let their advertising scare you! •
