Just completed this project 80+ mpg!

[Tom Reed]

This little thumper bike has a Lifan 140cc engine, upgraded to 12v. Lots of fun do ride too!

[Tom Reed]

More pics

[veggie]

Ahhhh!
A Honda "Trail 90". I had one in 1976 as my very first bike.
Nice job !

veggie

PS: Can't say it attracted very many girls though !   

[cujet]

I had a 68 trail 90. It was an incredibly fun bike. It got about 90 MPG and had a top speed of 45 to 50, depending on conditions. 60 mph downhill.

I loved that bike, even though it was a girly bike, it always made it up the toughest trails. Even more so than the bigger bikes. Mine had the Hi/Lo setup on the gearbox. In low it went 30. But would climb any hill.

We put the biggest knobbies we could find and rode all over the place. What finally took it out was a chain broke and cracked the engine cases, and it lost oil. We were not savvy enough to repair the hole. So it eventually got junked. Man, that was stupid. I sure wish I had it today.

[KeithO]

Brings back childhood memories for me also

Really good for rounding up dairy cows too.
With the centrifugal clutch, just puttering along behind the herd it was so easy

[Tom Reed]

It's making new 2nd childhood memories for me too! Just got a deal on a nice clean '86 trail 110 for the wife $850 and she's working on her license so we can ride together. I still have my '68 Rupp Continental mini-bike from when I was 10, man I used to lust after a trail 70 back then.

[XYZER]

I used to know the honda 55 inside and out....or so I thought....The later 90's had more power and then a 2 range tranny!.....I had to swap sprockets when the old man wasn't arounf d to go fast...

[Tom Reed]

When the 90 was switched out for the Lifan 140, the dual range transmission went with the 90. I was concerned about missing the extra gears, but the gear ratios in the 140 are wider and with a really low 1st the dual range is not missed at all. In fact not having to change ranges in nice. The significantly higher torque of the 140 makes riding off-road quite pleasant too.

Cujet's recollection of doing 45-50 mph must have grown fonder with age. 40 was about the average with an occasional burst to 50 down hill with a tail wind, unfortunately up hill with a head wind was 30-35 mph. The 140 goes a good 50-55 mph. I'm going to try some different sprockets to see if a higher top end can be achieved.

[vdubnut62]

Had to change sprockets when the old man wasn't around--sounds like me........

Ron

[XYZER]

Had to change sprockets when the old man wasn't around--sounds like me........

Ron

Oh and pull the muffler and clamp a piece of conduit in its place.....

[cujet]

Cujet's recollection of doing 45-50 mph must have grown fonder with age. 40 was about the average with an occasional burst to 50 down hill with a tail wind, unfortunately up hill with a head wind was 30-35 mph. The 140 goes a good 50-55 mph. I'm going to try some different sprockets to see if a higher top end can be achieved.

I probably should have said the "speedometer indicated 45-50". However, I do remember riding it to high school one day and a classmate who was following noted my speed was 45.

[Tom Reed]

Been driving this bike all summer and haven't put fuel in the Scout since then. What a fun ride, even when carrying my fire gear on the rack. I did change the clutch to a heavy duty one and had to deal with a bit of extra end play on the shaft the clutch is mounted on, but other than that it's been a good reliable ride. I was hoping for a bit more speed though it's still not fast enough to take on the freeway though it is plenty fast for country back roads.