2023 Honda ST125 Dax First Look [A Dozen Fast Facts + 21 Photos]

March 15, 2022

The Honda miniMOTO line has been a great success around the world. There are two modern models—the Grom and Navi—along with a trio of retro-inspired 125s. The Monkey recalls the Honda Mini Trail 50, the Super Cub C125 is a reboot with a larger displacement, and the Trail 125 reinvents the CT90 trail bike of the 1960s and ’70s. Honda mines nostalgia again with the 2023 Honda ST125 Dax.

The 2023 Honda ST125 Dax recalls the Honda Trail 70—the big brother of the Mini Trail 50. The distinguishing feature of the Trail 70 was its pressed-steel frame, and that’s back for the ST125 Dax. The Trail 70 was an American name, while most of the world knew the bike as the Dax, which was last seen in Japanese dealers from 1995 to 2003.

The air-cooled fuel-injected horizontal single gets another home with the Dax. Honda claims a peak of 9.3 horsepower at 7000 rpm, with 8.0 ft-lbs developed at 5000 rpm. Estimated fuel consumption is 150mpg—just in time for $10/gallon gas—from its 1.0-gallon fuel tank. The exhaust gets a catalyst, making the motor Euro5-compliant.

The Honda Dax gets the transmission with the auto-clutch and four-speed manual-shift transmission. Some miniMOTOs get a five-speed transmission, and some have a manual clutch. The Dax keeps it simple with the minimum of gears, and all you have to do to shift is move the gearshift lever. There’s no clutching as you come to a stop, as the centrifugal clutch automatically disengages the transmission when revs drop. The Dax is positioned as an easy way for a new rider to get started.

Suspension styling is a mix of old and new. Traditional twin shocks are matched with a non-adjustable 31mm inverted fork. Damping and spring-preload are fixed on the suspension units—whatcha see is whatcha get, as The Dramatics’ song went in 1971, as inspired by Flip Wilson’s Geraldine Jones character.

Disc brakes with IMU-supported ABS slow down the Dax.

IRC NR77 tires are mounted on 12-inch rims. The tires are wide, giving the Dax a reassuring footprint.

Chrome is abundant on the 2023 Honda ST125 Dax. Front the headlight to the taillights, you’ll see the shiny stuff. You can’t miss the grab bar and the left side cover, not to mention the exhaust system—which we just mentioned.

With a frame that resembles a Dachshund, it’s only natural that the Dax would have a nod to the lovable wiener dog. A graphic featuring a helmeted Dachshund wearing goggles and wheels for legs adorn the right side of the Dax, underlined by the ST125 logo.

Just like the Trail 70, the Dax gets a racing stripe across its dual-function frame/fuel tank. However, the front fender hugs the IRC, instead of the high-mounted Trail 70 fender.

Lighting is modern—there are LEDs from front to back. The dash is retro-round with a negative LCD dash—light letters/numbers on a darker background.