Instant regret?

[vintagegarage]

I see another Trail 125 in the classifieds today with less than 500 miles on it, joining many others there. I think the Trail 125 will go down in history as the most frequently sold used Honda motorcycle with less than 500 miles on it. What is the reason for that? I know there are many reasons, but what is the most frequent reason. Is it because it is the buyers first 125 motorcycle and they were expecting the power of a Rebel, or is it because they don't fit the motorcycle, or is it money related, or what? What is your best guess?

 

[oldskool]

It is because some people don't do their homework and have completely unrealistic expectations.

 

[SneakyDingo]

It is because some people don't do their homework and have completely unrealistic expectations.

I don't think it's just that, and I don't think their expectations are that unrealistic.

There's no chance to sit on one, because everyone's buying them sight unseen. You're buying into a promise of nostalgia.

Frankly, once the nostalgia dissipates you're left with.... **points to signature** something that's not a great motorcycle objectively, especially with the offerings of the 300-400 thumpers on the market. Even the XR150L is a better bike than this as a motorcycle. The CT125 didn't keep up in terms of what you pay for and what you get.

I don't see this as being that different to the purchases of KLR650's, except I can actually find a KLR650 to swing a leg over. EDIT: it's why I've said if this bike gets totaled, I'm not getting another one. This one was buying a dream. That dream has come true, and given how difficult, how expensive and how little power it makes, I wouldn't buy another one. I'd get a XR150L over this any day if I had to make a purchase as 2023 me. Or, now that I've learned how to rebuild suspension, something that does lots of wheelies.

 

[MonotoneCulprit]

This bike is a fairly capable machine that will drag you slowly to just about anywhere you want to go without much fuss. It is extremely simple, low maintenance, gets great gas mileage, has amazing aftermarket support, and will take a beating without breaking a sweat. If your intended riding aligns with this it will feel like a fantastic jack of all trades not even close to master of anything. If your intended riding does not align the jack of all trades bike will quickly become the not good at anything bike.

On top of that it is a very approachable first motorcycle for a lot of reasons. It has a low seat height, step-through frame, no (real) clutch work, and fairly low price. Many first time or newer riders will pick up a Trail with an idea of what their preferred riding will be, and quickly figure out that what they actually like to do is completely different from the idea they had in their head. Maybe they think that they'll only ever do light trails, and then find that they want to do more serious off-roading or single track riding, and so outgrow the capabilities of the Trail. Maybe they think they want to keep it local and won't need much top end, and then find out they want to go further than they thought and find themselves holding up traffic in an uphill 50MPH zone and so outgrow the capabilities of the Trail.

The Trail is a fantastic little bike, but it does fill a very specific riding niche that not as many people fit into as they might think. The approachability of the bike, and the fairly low price make it easy to pull the trigger even if you're not 100% sure you align with the bikes capabilities. This combined with the fact that you'll likely never see one, let alone sit on one, beforehand makes it difficult to actually know whether the bike is right for you before you buy it. Predictably, this leads to more instances of people buying the bike and realizing it's not exactly what they are looking for.

 

[MonotoneCulprit]

I do agree with SneakyDingo in the sense that when this bike goes, for one reason or another, I will not get another one. One of my close friends just got his license, and is buying a 70s Honda CB Cafe/Scrambler this Saturday. He will be my primary riding partner, and so, as he gains confidence and starts to want to get into bigger/further away rides on and off road, I will likely end up with a bigger ADV bike of some sort so our adventures are not held back by the Trail.

 

[SneakyDingo]

The Trail is a fantastic little bike, but it does fill a very specific riding niche that not as many people fit into as they might think. The approachability of the bike, and the fairly low price make it easy to pull the trigger even if you're not 100% sure you align with the bikes capabilities. This combined with the fact that you'll likely never see one, let alone sit on one, beforehand makes it difficult to actually know whether the bike is right for you before you buy it. Predictably, this leads to more instances of people buying the bike and realizing it's not exactly what they are looking for.

Everything you say is true, but it's not that it's still best in class. The Grom costs less, has a lower seat, has substantially better support (IMO the CT125's aftermarket support is woeful) and until DCT or EV bikes completely overtakes the market, learning to operate a clutch for most other bikes will be a thing. The XR150L is also cheaper, develops more power, can do pretty much everything the CT125 can, with only small differences that could be considered positives or negatives relative to the CT125 that usually tip the scales towards the XR150L. Like the price difference is what... $800 $1000 less for the XR150L or the Grom? That's a lot of upgrades right there, for a similar but better experience.

Undoubtedly, this bike is a niche market solution. You can't explain why someone buys a Trail 125, especially as their only motorcycle. They either know, or they won't understand an explanation.

 

[MonotoneCulprit]

There is a practicality difference that I don't think is addressed by either the Grom or the XR150L. The Grom is cheaper and more capable on the road, but you're never putting it on dirt. The XR150L is cheaper and better on dirt, but not great on the road plus has the stigma that comes with riding something that "looks like a dirt bike" on the street (If that's something you care about, a lot of people I know will not buy a dual sport of any kind for this reason). The Trail will do both the road and the dirt reasonably well, but the biggest actual difference for me is the giant rear rack which makes it a much more capable pick out of the box for grocery getting and motocamping.

 

[SneakyDingo]

Very true. There's a distinct lack of marketable road legal Ag bikes in the USA that look good and can haul 2 cases of beer without difficulty.

 

[MonotoneCulprit]

100%. The Trail is great as a farm bike. The ideal owner is probably a small town farmer that needs something simple and reliable to help lug stuff around the farm, but can also run to the store.

 

[m in sc]

XR150 is actually great on the road. and, you can haul a lot on it, the rack is smaller but you also have the long seat to strap stuff to.

biggest issue hands down is the trail is an absolute performance turd. flat out, the performance for a street legal vehicle is just absolute garbage. the grom and supercub flat out out perform it for absolutely no good reason, honda screwed the pooch there. bigtime.

That being said, i like mine quite a bit, actually rode it in to work today, had to move the XR over to get it out of the garage spot i had it in.

However, if it were my ONLY motorcycle, id def have gone a different way. .02

 

[MonotoneCulprit]

I really thought the XR150 came stock with knobbies. With the tires it has OEM vs the Trail it is probably strictly better on both road and dirt. Consider me corrected.

 

[m in sc]

it is probably strictly better on both road and dirt.

It honestly is. its way more comfortable as well. I can tell you this, the dealer i bought the XR at had 2 trails on the showroom floor, Saturday before last, but zero XR's, they have been selling more vs the trail they said (we were down there looking a zx400rr).

 

[RedRyder]

When I was deciding which bike to buy, I was unable to find either a Trail or an XR150 new anywhere from Cleveland to Buffalo to Pittsburgh. This video gave me the most information about the two in a side-by-side comparison. I managed to find one of each to ride from the used market. But I think the observation that people who buy and then immediately sell them due to underwhelming performance is probably the most accurate. I bought mine with 400 miles from someone who was selling it for health reasons (so they said). But I had very specific criteria, and the Trail met those criteria better than the XR150. I did my homework, and am very happy with my purchase. With the Mototote, I can carry this on either my SUV or RV, take it to places where the trails are fun to ride without being extreme, and I happen to live in a part of NY that has a wide selection of back roads and dirt roads from here across the southern tier, up and down the Finger Lakes, and beyond. The bike came with a front rack, a Diabolo seat, a USB charge port, and a large milk crate for the rear. And if I want or need more speed, I get on my Kymco. So, as someone who bought used, I can verify that I found a lot of 125s for sale within 250 miles of me with less than 500 miles for anywhere between $4-4800 USD. The XR150 is a fine bike, and if I were 10 years younger I probably would have bought it. But for a geezer like me, the 125 is a better fit both now and hopefully 10 years from now.

 

[Low-gear]

Greedy speculators seem to be a factor too. There seems to be one listed weekly in the classifieds for hundreds over MSRP. Unfortunately for them, that ship has already sailed.

 

[RedRyder]

As a side note, within the week it seems that two 125s have come up for sale in the Classified forum. One has one (1) mile on it for $4500, the other 797 miles for $4K. The unit with one mile on it, the person seems to have joined the forum literally for the purpose of selling it. The other unit, the owner has been on a month.

 

[dmonkey]

I see this as being more common than just for the Trail 125. I regularly see small displacement street legal motorcycles for sale with low miles. Starter bikes like the Grom and Z125, scooters and mopeds in cities and around college campuses, as well as vintage bikes (Z50, CT70, CT90, CT110, C70, etc) that are frequently flipped after only a few miles (or none) between each owner for reasons more specific to the collector market. Motorcycle riding in the USA is already niche, and expectations can drift even further from practical capability when it comes to riding a small motorcycle in places designed for cars and highway travel. Low mileage 2023 Honda XR150Ls are already hitting the used market with sellers mentioning speed and engine displacement not meeting their needs, a mismatch of expectations. They don't seem to have done enough research before purchasing a new vehicle, maybe there's a misconception that "street legal" would mean it's adequate for highway use?

For the people who do have "instant regret", test rides could address that, but offering test rides or setting aside demo bikes is not adequately incentivized for dealerships. Motorcycle rental isn't very common in the USA either, and it's even less popular for small bikes. I was only able to find one Trail 125 on Twisted Road, which would only be practical for someone in that area.

Something that is more specific to the Trail 125 is that it's a "retro" bike, selling an aesthetic and heritage that is nostalgic to some, and just plain attractive to others. Purchases made out of nostalgia often don't hold up to expectations because you can't buy that feeling. Most people wouldn't stay satisfied if they were sold the exact bike they were nostalgic for or liked the aesthetic of, especially when faced with the practical limitations of a small bike with low power.

 

[NMCoyote]

I think they see an opportunity to profit on the limited availability of these, it'd not that they don't like them. Who the fuck wouldn't like one if these in the garage.

 

[m in sc]

plenty of people i know and have let ride the trail don't ever want one. I mean..

 

[NMCoyote]

They are in denial! plain and simple!

 

[BaldRider]

If they were just being dumped on the used market because people didn't like them, I wouldn't have waited as long as I did and still ended up paying over MSRP.

One of the most frequent questions on my YouTube channel is 'is it too small for me?" to the point my last video was about it. There are too many variables to just give a straight answer to that question. On the flip side, the secondary market being what it is, you don't have a lot of depreciation if you want to buy one and take an extended test ride.