When Honda first announced that it was reviving the CT125—and more importantly for us, that it was coming to America—we were extremely excited. Thankfully, the actual bike lived up to our expectations, as Dustin later found when he got his hands on one. It’s quite good at its intended purpose, and what more can you ask from any bike? 

More power, as it turns out. According to new reporting from Japanese magazine Young Machine, it seems there’s a possibility that a CT150 is currently in the works at Honda, possibly as a 2022 model. The magazine dropped this bombshell when revealing its June 2021 print magazine cover, which features a render of what the rumored CT150 could look like.  

Now, a CT150 certainly doesn’t seem like a bad idea. I’m sure plenty of people would appreciate having just a little more oomph in their mini dual-sport bikes, right? Since Honda is, well, Honda, it certainly has its pick of existing drivetrains to stick inside such a bike. The fun thing to speculate about now is, which one would it choose?  

Here in the U.S., we already get some Honda 150s that Team Red might consider—the liquid-cooled, 149cc singles tucked inside the ADV150 and CRF150R. That already sets them apart from the air-cooled 124.9cc mill currently found in the Trail 125/CT125, but perhaps Honda would consider them anyway. Bore and stroke and compression ratios are completely different amongst the three engines mentioned here, but there’s still one more important consideration to take into account, as well. 

As it exists in the world right now, the Trail 125/CT125 features a four-speed semi-automatic transmission with a neutral-down, four-up shift pattern. The ADV150 is, like most twist-and-go scoots, a CVT with a belt final drive. Meanwhile, the CRF150R features a close-ratio five-speed gearbox, which is all the better to control your every move in the dirt.  

If possible, it makes sense that Honda would repurpose an existing drivetrain to fit inside this upscaled CT. The company could, of course make a few tweaks here and there to bend it to its will. Perhaps there’s another 150cc mill that the company could use, as well. Where Honda ultimately goes with this, if anywhere, is something we’ll just have to wait and see. 

Top comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
Comment!
Got a tip for us? Email: tips@rideapart.com