How I Found Myself Restoring a Honda Minibike
Restoration work is something I've said before that I’d be keen to explore more. It’s a great way to learn about motorcycles and the era they were built in. When I said that, I wasn’t specifically talking about vintage Honda minibikes—more the classic performance machines. But fate had different plans for me.
Why We Couldn’t Say No to Jake’s Honda Dax Project
Jake is a well-known local bloke and a great guy all around. I often see him and his wife out for a walk with their dog. He’s also the owner of the Speedway build we’ve done from the frame up around the Italian GM Speedway race engine. Though the Honda Dax wasn’t my ideal candidate for a restoration job, I know Jake doesn’t cut corners on his builds, and he’d want this bike done right with all the sensible upgrades. How could I say no to a guy like that?
The backstory on this bike is that Jake uses it to run up to the shops for late-night snacks, grab a coffee, or even pick up a beer on Sundays, hooning around Mermaid Beach and generally keeping his neighbours on their toes. Before that, the bike was owned by his wife as a kid and had always been in her family. So, Jake decided to restore the bike to 180% pristine as a surprise for her (or at least that’s how he got the green light to start the project).
Building the Heart: Jake’s Dream Engine Comes to Life
Jake wanted to get started right away, but we were booked solid for six months at the time. So, we agreed to start with the engine build and help project manage a few things before the whole bike came into the shop. Jake wanted an upgraded engine, so we sourced a 110cc kit from Japan. Incredible, this kit provides almost everything brand new—the only thing used from the original engine was the crankcases and gearbox. The rest was replaced with an upgraded crank, piston, head, and ignition kit. A lot easier than our usual scouring the globe for discontinued parts and NOS engine bits. What a dream! The parts were vapour blasted, polished, and resprayed where needed, delivering a shining heart for the rest of the project.
Chrome, Character, and Custom Craft
With the 110cc upgrade, we sourced an aftermarket stainless steel pipe and modified it to fit the original pipe route of the Honda Trail 70. The bike still has crash bars and a bash plate as standard. We refinished, blended the welds, and polished the exhaust to make it look as standard as possible and era-correct for this bike. Once finished, it’ll be dripping in chrome and polish.
Moving on to the mechanical work, the forks were rebuilt, rechromed, and polished, as were the triple clamps. A few vintage aftermarket parts adorn the front end, like the stainless steel headlight eyelid, which has been fitted with a chrome diecast Honda wing. These parts have been painstakingly repaired, cleaned, polished, and chromed to bring not just the factory styling back, but the “as found” condition of the bike. We’re not restoring a factory DAX here; we’re recreating someone’s childhood memories. Details like these little trinkets count for a lot.
Bringing a Backyard Legend Back to Life
Moving forward with the ultimate minibike build, we had the seat re-trimmed and foamed by Timeless Auto-trim in a replica covering. All the fenders, bash plate, and covers were re-chromed with no expense spared in making this bike the perfect example of a CT70.
A lot of the handwork on this bike was about correcting years of abuse. Although it was a kid’s bike in the 80s, no doubt the uncles and dads of the family would’ve had a few beers at the BBQ, built a makeshift ramp with some planks and bricks, and sent it around the backyard. At least that’s how I grew up. This was evident in the bent/cracked fenders, bent footpeg mounts, crooked bars, and other small parts that needed repairing and restoring along the way.
Restoring Factory Shine: Custom Paint & Wheel Upgrades
Once all the parts were repaired and the bike was ready to tear down for paint and chrome, Justin from Popbang Classics took on the job of bringing the shine and pop of colour back with the incredible candy teal these bikes were known for. He’s done a stunning job with the paint, mixing the colours by eye and laying in the factory decals before clear-coating to give it a finish that’s better than factory.
Another styling call we made was on the wheels. As they’d suffered some pitting and corrosion in the past, we split the three-piece wheels, polished the hubs, and chromed the steel rim halves. An epic styling upgrade, making the bike pop against those great colours—again elevating the factory finish just a little bit more.
Built for Fun, Fueled by Memories
As we started putting everything together, seeing these elements come together got the whole team—and anyone visiting the shop—excited for the end result. These bikes just have something endearing about them. They look like fun.
Finishing up the build and hearing the fresh engine crackle to life through the new stainless exhaust, we had to take turns cutting laps around the carpark and enjoying this little beauty. Anyone who sees this thing on the road can’t help but smile (and probably feel a little jealous). Reviving a childhood memory for Jake’s wife was a fun process, especially seeing the look on his face during his visits to the shop and his wife’s reaction when it was delivered.
I wasn’t super excited about this build to start with, but it quickly became a favourite for me and the boys in the workshop. Small bikes, big fun—it rings true as ever on this build.
Happy hooning, Jake!
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