Honda Dax - A Man's Best Friend?

Honda’s ST or CT minibike series were just one successful manifestation of a decade’s long success story in miniature. And just like the much-loved Monkey and Gorilla models, the dax has a back story which is, frankly – or “frankfurterly” – bizarre.

Apparently, for Europe and Japan the dax moniker was employed as the bulbous spine tube frame looked rather like a Dachshund "sausage dog" which was shortened to simply dax. As ridiculous as it sounds, that is where dax was born but, sadly, in other markets just plain CT was used for 70cc and 90cc variants with production lasting between 1969 and 1981 for the 70 and ’73 to ’75 for the 90.

Distinct from other Honda mini-bikes that were equipped with tubular frames, dax (or CT) models utilised the ubiquitous Cub based 3 speed semi-auto gear box or – on some – a four speed manual. They might looked cramped yet the generously padded seat allows two to travel in comfort and at a remarkably fuel frugal rate.

That said, there is a lot to commend a dax/CT. For one, entry cost. As classic mini-bike prices spiral out of control these bikes are still relatively under-valued. They are also more practical than their predecessors and, finally, spare parts are more abundant. In fact, CMS have a real soft spot for these bikes and have become a bit of a “go to” specialist for all Honda minibikes so let your search for parts start with us.

Another important factor that keeps the dax alive is the large number of collectors and owners who like to customize and tune their bikes with special parts. Did you know that CMS is an official distributor of the Japanse Tuning brands Over Racing, Takegawa, Daytona and Kitaco? Make sure to check out our website if you want to make your dax even even more special!