The procedure that I am discussing is in my opinion. comments are welc omed but remember we are all just riding to have fun. I'm not an expert so take it with a grain of salt.
I have always known this but I am glad to see such a clear explanation on it for those that do not understand how this duel clutch system works. Good job.
This will be my first motorcycle purchase. I'm purchasing it because gas is way too high nowadays (as well all know) and this is my best option. Thanks for clearing up my concerns.
I too have been riding for many years and I'm still trying to get used to the transmission. Thanks for posting your input. I like my Trail 125, but it's just taking me some time to feel truly comfortable with the lack of a manual clutch.... I know I'll get used to it eventually, it's just so different than having an actual clutch lever. Yes, I'm an old guy and it takes old guys some time to adjust to new things! Greetings from Clemson, SC - Happy Thanksgiving to you all !!
I agree. At first I was a little disappointed at how it shifted. Once I got how it worked I now enjoy riding the bike more and more. Happy Thanksgiving.
That auto clutch setup is tried and proven. My first bike was a 1969 Honda 50 minitrail. That was enginered perfectly for a 10 to 13 or small 14 yr old. Like a tractor. Trust me, the old tech Honda centrifigal clutch is bulletproof and genius in the woods where you need to stop and go to maneuver around trees and stuff. No stalling of the engine. I abused that clutch for years and sold it to a friend who further abused it and it just kept working. I wish all bikes had a auto clutch.
Im 25. Id rather have a normal clutch. Im looking at picking up one of these simply to use as a pack mule around my local small town and to haul my stuff to my various campsites in my county. Where i live a klx 300 or a full blown 450 dirtbike will be better for the type of stuff im dealing with but those also cost a lot more and arent as good at being pack mules. Frankly theres areas arpund me youre going to want a sidebyside with water food a shelter. You have to be caredul, you can overheat in day time and freeze at night. If i hace a pacl mule type bime i can haul ice blocks to my camp an that helps with the various activities im involved with trying to do. Its evry hard if all i have is a klx300 and whatever i ca. Fit in a backpack. A trail 125 isnt as capable but itll get better mpg and i can carry morr water which is key in the desert and carrying water in a backpacl is a terrible idea if you need multiple days worth
Excellent explanation of the Honda centrifugal clutch system. My first motorcycle was a Honda Passport 70 I got back in the 1970's. Rode mostly bigger bikes for most of my life but when I retired I returned to my first love and bought a new Honda SuperCub in 2021. Only $1,400 from the dealer (assembled in Thailand). I ride it all over the Pattaya Thailand area and it's a blast. When I picked up a place in Cambodia I bought an old LittleCub (2005 or 2008, things are a bit foggy on that). The 49cc engine is now a 125cc out of a Honda Dream, and it's stripped down to a street rat cub. Great fun for getting around, and at 6'4" I look wonderfully dorky riding that little speed demon through the countryside.
I have a 2019 Super cub. It took a few miles to get the hang of it, but when you do it's nice! I've seen countless videos were people are switching the shift lever to get rid of the heal function. I usually tell them to give it a chance. South Carolina here!
I agree. There is some getting used to it but once you do it's kind of a unique feature of the bike. One that I like. I may be doing the SCAR in the spring on my Trail 125.
I gonna have to install a gear indicator. Thank you for your video Canuck. I think I see my problem lol. I was starting to think 70 years old is too old. Just bought my new 2024 Trail
I figured this out on my own too but the bike soon started shifting weirdly, I felt something wasn't right, so I decided to get back to the usual shifting method - let off the throttle shift gear then roll back up. It does make a more bumpy ride but it doesn't shift weirdly anymore.
2:02 When you push the front lever down & hold it between say 3rd & 2nd gear.. Other people say it's not actually in neutral but instead causing the centrifugal clutch inside to be partially engaged/disengaged & slip which wears it out quicker. Many riders unknowingly ride with their foot slightly pushing down front lever which burns their clutch up. A semi automatic scooter 🛵 is made to be much easier to ride than motorcycle with manual clutch.
Lots of Honda fun bikes in 70s had that type transmission. Once you get used to it, you will love it. Remember, ATC 90, 110,185S?? Trail 70, Trail 110? I sure do. Really Fun,!!
I’m sure I’m missing the point entirely, but I would prefer it if Honda had a standard hand clutch option. Feathering with a foot on seems hit and miss on uneven pavement or wearing boots. Gotta try one of these gems.
It seems the USA has a different shift pattern due to federal DOT motorcycle laws everywhere else has a Small bike shift pattern where you press down on the front to shift up.
Unless I miss understand, this seems not right for mine in Canada. If in N and you shift up you are in 4th. I was starting out in 4th and had it all backwards. When in N on mine you shift down for 1st and so on. One question, for safety we are supposed to park in gear so it does not roll fwd off the kickstand and so I wonder if I can start it in gear or do I have to shift into N to start it when I get on as there is no hand clutch..
My antique Soviet Union KMZ Dnepr military sidecar motorcycle has a similar semiautomatic clutch system but it retains a clutch lever and cable. The semiautomatic feature doesn't work when activating the reverse gear lever so you must use the clutch lever. Also because of the weight these military bike's are geared to handle you need the clutch to get them going from a stop. Three soldiers, 80 pounds of gear weapons and ammo for each, and a 1/4 ton trailer you can understand why you still need a manual clutch to get going. Once moving when you shift a pin pushes the clutch lever on the back of the gear box depressing the the lever the clutch lever is also connected to it. This disengages the clutch and shifts up or down a gear so the driver need not release his grip on the handlebar to pull in the clutch lever. I wish Honda had included a clutch lever enabling the driver to decide if he or she wanted to let the bike activate the clutch automatically as normal or override it using a manual clutch lever like the clutch system on my KMZ Dnepr. If you wonder what a Dnepr is simply Google "KMZ Dnepr motorcycle".
If only Honda kept the high low range feature, I'd buy one, but without that it is a compromise gearing wise. Geared barely low enough for trails, via sprokets, yet too low for the highway. They could have geared it higher with a larger front sproket so it can keep up with traffic and throw the low range lever to gear down for in the woods. Honda missed the mark on this one.
Some interesting opinions. Yes the bike is not geared for off road or highway riding. It is geared for city and dirt road riding. I think Honda after making some 100,000,000 of these bikes. Starting at the small CT's and to the present Trail 125 may know a thing or two about how to build a bike for the masses. I'm not dumping on your opinion just adding mine. Ride safe.
I dont think that's the clutch, it's the synchros. I could be wrong. My old 240sx had strong enough synchros to move the car forward if you pushed it hard enough 😅
I believe , in the section on shifting down, you stated that depessing with toe put you in neutral. I think you meant to say you disengaging the clutch.
Thank you for this explanation. If I understand correctly, you push your heel down and let it back up to shift to a higher gear, and you don't have to let it up gently; but when you shift down, you press your toe down and let it up slowly? Will there be a problem if you let it up too fast? Also, if I use my heel to shift up to 4th and then shift up once more, does that put the bike into neutral? If so, is that a good way to prepare to stop, or should I gear down to 1st and then stop, or down to neutral and then stop? I have never ridden a bike, so any help will be appreciated.
Bro i have no issues with upshifting but whenever i downshift by letting go of the throttle all the way then pressing the shifter hard then lifting my foot then back to the throttle i feel a huge jolt I can't find a smoother way to downshift right now im literally driving in third gear without shifting at all because of that jolt any suggestions?
im glad you explained the heel toe shifter so clearly. that's exactly what the manual says, but every single review of this bike online says its the opposite. . i have no experience with motorcycles, but have been considering buying one and this and the super cub caught my attention and ive been watching countless hours of reviews and every single one says the shifting backwards of how you explained it.
that is because NC reside in the states, new vehicle have to conform to (DOT?) rules, shift lever action works like other bigger bikes where clicking (or stepping) down on the lever means downshifting (...4->3->2...), this is the regular, non-GP style shift other videos you have seen are (likely) from asia, stepping on (front) shift lever means upshifting (...2->3->4...) in small displacement bikes
I got a question NCC. Is there a way to make the Honda trail's clutch grab harder so it will pop a wheelie in first gear. It seems to slip a lot when reving up the engine and letting off the shifter to engage it in 1st gear. I can't get it to pop up more than an inch or two. I got a small bump in my yard. When I'm coming off my driveway, I It pulls the wheel up a little in second gear when I hit that small bump. I noticed the clutch doesn't slip like it does in second. It grabs it hard but because it's in second and with the weak motor, it barely popps the front up. I have an old 2000 Honda foreman 400 4 wheeler that has the same no clutch hand grip set up. I have been doing wheelies and abusing it for like 23 years. Never had anything go bad or never had to replace the clutch. While reving it and letting off the shifter in first gear will pop up so hard to where I will fall over on my back If I don't let off the throttle. Is there something that can be adjusted or add stiffer springs so the clutch on my Trail will grab harder? The way you described it, it sounds like the clutch is still a clutch like the one on my Monkey and I can just replace the springs with stiffer ones? I'm not a mechanic by no means, but I do work on all my bikes, atv's and cars. I never had the need to know about this honda clutch set up. Thanks for any help you can give on this so I can do some stunts on my Honda Trail.
New rider here, just passed my course and looking to buy a Trail 125. Sorry if this is a silly couple of questions but in the case of an emergency stop, you would just kick down the front shifter into neutral and then break that way? Also after that without holding the clutch how can you shift the bike back down to first gear to take off again? Thank you!
Late reply, I know. In an emergency. hit your engine Kill Switch. the Switch near your Right Thumb. and while it's off, you can shift it, so Shift it to neutral before turning it on again
it has a centrifugal clutch, when starting from stationary, engine and transmission are disconnected until engine speed becomes high enough coming to a stop, power disconnects once again when engine speed falls below certain threshold
This is bizarre please can you confirm your bikes gearing is neutral then 4 up for years 1 to 4 ? Then down 4321 neutral? The reason ask is that the CT 125 here in Thailand is 4 down gears 1234 and gears up 4321 the complete opposite of the same model here in Thailand a real head scratcher
Here in the USA our gears are set up different then yours. Here is all the way down is neutral and all the gears are up. There may be some confusion because to shift up I push down on the heal shifter to go up a gear and push down on the toe shifter to go down a gear. Hope this helps.
Hi, I am riding a Honda Future 125cc and tend to sit nearer to the front but when doing so, I find it very difficult to use my heel to step on the back pedal to downshift to lower gears because my legs are bent inwards. For the lower leg, is it ideal to be 90 degrees to the knees or bent slightly outwards? Otherwise, I really can't get used to downshifting using heel to step down back pedal, can I downshift by lifting my toes upwards against the front pedal?
For some reasons , it kinda different then the other semi auto where to upshift first second is in the front and to downshift is in the back? It feels like a standart clutch systen just without the clutch on this CT125?
I'm at 1,600 miles on mine. Just did another oil change (one at 600 then one at 1600 just to ensure most of the break in junk was out) and today my shifter seemed to just randomly shift much easier. Prior to today it seemed like my shifts were more deliberate with a tiny bit of a clunk into position. How's your shifter feel? You looked like you could depress it pretty easily by hand on this video. Just curious.
I found it did shift better/smoother after I changed the oil at 600. I'll change it again at 1000. It's cheap and fast to do a oil change. I did the same on my Monkey and it shifts smoother now.
@@nothcarolinacanuck4427 Glad its a common sounding thing. To be safe I went ahead and completed the clutch adjustment steps. PSBE and Dabinche have videos on how to do it. I went through the process and my adjuster screw ended right back where it was in the first place. Test drove it then and no issues. It was just weird how all the sudden it went from having to use a slight bit of pressure to switch gears to it being almost effortless. In the past I tried adjusting the clutch on a 1970 ct90 and ended up making it worse. Guess I'm just paranoid. Thanks for your input. Much appreciated. Off topic, not sure if you'd be interested in one of these or not, but it's a very cheap and easy upgrade... F FIERCE CYCLE 12mm Diameter Gear Shifter Kick Start Lever Rubber Universal for Motorcycle www.amazon.com/dp/B08FD5HDWB/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_navT_g_YB5GRRRPSM4HDJJ25SRZ Saw it on Best of Backroads channel. Just sharing.
@@findingneutral I took a look at the link. So you added this to your kick starter lever? Was it a good fit? May have to add one to keep up with the Jones's. Lol.
@@nothcarolinacanuck4427 Got my fancy kick start rubber. Fits perfectly. Threw me off at first as it has one smaller hole on one side. Buts thats the outer hole. Needed a bit of soapy water to help slip it on. Looks great though.
On my 1980 Trail 110, I have to blip the throttle while downshifting. I can’t hold it down and coast, the minute I push down, it shifts. Maybe it needs adjustment or is just worn out.
I notice that your bike shifts a lot “easier” than mine. There are times where I have to repeatedly attempt shifting before it goes into gear. Any tips or advice on what I might be doing wrong?
You can also double clutch to get it to drop in to gear. When shifting release the throttle, press down on the shifter, and if you feel resistance keep it pressed down (lightly) while giving the engine a little rev. It will then drop in to gear.
There is no difference. Some riders with larger feet cut the heal shifter off and only use the front portion of the shifter. Just as you would find on a regular toe shifter.
Don't know why Honda does not give the buyers the option of a conventional clutch and shifter. I don't see any benefit of this system, especially on gravel tracks, and it would put me off buying one.
Dont take this as the gospel but I do remeber seeing a documentary on Honda. They said the original Cubs, CT's were designed so that a rider could operate the bike with one hand and carry Ramen Noodles at the same time. I think they are trying to stay true to the original CT's and kept the semi automatic as part of this.
It's a shift drum. A start. A spring. A few things. For a person that quotes 35+ years you think you wouldve known this to a t when the ct first came out. Lol
My CT125 shifts in reverse than yours! Toe down increases (from N to 1, 2, 3, 4) the gears. Heel down lowers (4,3,2,1 and neutral) the gears. I bought the CT 125 in Thailand. Are they somehow geared differently? Check out ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-tB81Q9zcods.html
Honda has to offer a much better 5 speed w/ clutch system in this bike ! Offer this dummy version with no riding skills too, but the clutched 5 speed would be exactly what it should come standard /stock
Not sure if calling it a dummy version or a no skills bike is fare. The bike is a great example of a small cc bike that has provided well over 100 million riders the ability to ride these bikes almost anywhere.
