1. Honda Mini-Trail 50
The Honda Mini-Trail 50 (later Z50) is to “mature” dirtbike riders what the PW50 is to the generations behind them. Who can forget watching Jeff Ward wheelie is Mini-Trail 50 across the silver screen in Bruce Brown’s iconic movie, On Any Sunday?
When Honda’s Mini-Trail first arrived in 1969, it had no rear suspension, but Honda quickly improved the machine by adding a swingarm and shock absorbers just a few short years later. Beyond that, the little 50 pretty much remained unchanged mechanically, undergoing evolutionary styling changes throughout its lifespan until it was finally discontinued at the end of the 1990s.
Thanks to their reliability, most Honda Mini-Trails and Z are either still running or easily brought back from the dead. OEM parts are getting harder to find, but there are plenty of aftermarket parts available by companies who are dedicated to the cause. As with other machines on this list, the older the generation of the Z50, the more it’s worth to collectors. Like CT70s and XR75s, these cool little four-strokes are worth buying, restoring, riding and owning. It is number one on our list of the 10 coolest minibikes of all time, and maybe it always will be.
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