ST DAX SERIES: Quirky or what!
Not that long ago folk who were into small-wheeled, semi-children’s, not-safe-on-the-road motorised two-wheelers were looked upon as being certifiably mad. But there’s plenty of fun to be had at the small end of the biking spectrum. That’s where Honda’s DAX comes in. Steve Cooper breaks down what you need to know about the Monkey bike’s less desirable brother.
Only the truly loopy really ‘got’ the lure and appeal of such strange and perverse devices. These were the true devotees who willingly would pay bonkers money for a machine with no suspension and the handling characteristics of a chinchilla on meth amphetamine! Most of us Brits really couldn’t grasp why you’d want to ride any motorcycle with tyre sizes less than 16 inches, let alone 10-inch ones, and fewer still could get their heads around paying serious dosh for what looked like a commuter bike that had shrunk in a hot and aggressive wash.
Things began to change back in the late noughties when we went into a recession and enthusiasts were still keen to restore something, anything in fact, just to stay ‘on the tools’. Folk began hoovering up projects and spares for the Honda Chaly, Suzuki trail Hoppers, Kawasaki KVs and the like. Even this numpty got caught up in the giddy spiral of Japanese mini-bikes and restored a Yamaha Chappy. The seeds had been sown and gradually these quirky little motorcycles gained grudging acceptance. Things took a dramatic turn a couple of years ago when John Lennon’s Z50A Honda was sold at auction for a jaw-dropping, poke-mein-the-eye-with-a-stick-please, theymust-be-raving-mad, £57,000. Yes, obviously The Beatles’ provenance had a lot to do with it, but suddenly ‘monkey bikes’ had come of age!
Our subject matter this month represents the higher middle ground of pseudo-simian motorcycling; unquestionably more prestigious than the later Chaly’s, but significantly more affordable than almost any of the iconic Z series. The bike in camera is a mid-1970s Honda DAX, also marketed as the ST70, Trail 70 or CT70, depending upon which part of the world you were buying it. Designed in the late 1960s and launched globally in 1969, the range offered 50, 70 and 90cc variants depending upon market preferences, targeted age groups and local licencing laws. Rather than attempting to reinvent the wheel (something Honda would later actually do with the Comstar hoops) the firm utilised exhausting power plants from its series-C commuter range with two transmissions, again dependent upon market. Your DAX (the Japanese market model designation) could either utilise the conventional, proven, tried and tested, semi-automatic, crunch 3-speed or a 4-speed manual gearbox with conventional clutch.
Even if the DAX/ST vaguely aped (sic) the original monkey bikes in general profile there was a raft of important changes applied that, in reality, totally distanced the new model from its predecessors. Most obvious was the T-bone or pressedsteel frame that ousted the earlier basic tubular construction. Next up was the suspension – it actually got something that worked. Rear shocks and vaguely compliant forks took the DAX/ST variants several leagues ahead of the previous offerings, which meant rider comfort was no longer entirely dependent upon bouncy balloon tyres. A semi-sensible dual seat and pillion footrests added a touch of conventionality to the bike, even if it was only the maddest who actually used one two-up!
Despite being what many would perceive as something of a novelty machine, the ST range ran from 1969 through to 1982 for certain models, with the ST50 coming back on line from 1995 to 2000 for some markets. One of its key appeals has to be the way Honda chose to paint the bike. Earliest examples are generally in candy colours and for once not just red or blue. Both the gold and burnt orange variants really stand out along with the ivory white version here. Subsequent colour schemes attempted, and largely managed, to keep up with the times, employing flat silver, bright blues and vivid greens counterpointed by lurid decals… no one could ever accuse the model range of being dull!
So what are they like to ride, you ask? Simply, totally and utterly unlike anything else you have ever experienced. You don’t just sit with your feet flat on the deck, your legs are bent at right angle from the hips. Although there’s only sub 10bhp to hand, the lack of mass and proximity to the ground more than makes up for absence of brute power. Things seem to happen much faster than you’d expect and, with a minimalist wheelbase, you find yourself negotiating bends much faster than you’d expect or possibly even like. The first few rides on any monkey bike can be a heady mixture of overt surprise dosed with manic hilarity. And if riding a DAX doesn’t have you smiling and giggling at the absurdity of it all, you probably need to have a word with yourself!