Honda Trail 125 Gets Long-Stroke Engine For 2023

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Discover the enhanced 2023 Honda Trail 125, featuring a longer-stroke engine, sleek green paint, and reduced weight for an improved riding experience.

How can you update a dead-simple bike like the Honda Trail 125? There’s only so much you can do on such a basic machine, but Honda did make a few tweaks to the 2023 model that might improve the bike’s rideability.

Most notably, the Trail 125 gets a longer-stroke engine (still air-cooled, still 124 cc). Honda has reduced cylinder bore to 50 mm, and lengthened stroke to 63.1 mm. Those aren’t huge changes (bore reduction of 2.4 mm, stroke increased by 5.2 mm), but they should change the motor’s power delivery, perhaps adding a bit of torque at the expensive of high-end revvability—not that there is a whole lot of torque and revving going on here to start with.

Photo: Honda

Honda also upped the engine compression to 10.0:1 from 9.3:1.

These engine changes appeared elsewhere in Honda’s mini-moto line in 2022; while Honda is probably trying to maximize the rideability of its small-capacity motorcycles, the changes are also probably intended to reduce tailpipe emissions. Smaller-diameter cylinders can mean less blow-by, which means cleaner emissions, something that’s very important these days.

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Photo: Honda

Other changes

Honda also managed to find 3 lb of weight savings on the ’23 Trail 125; some of this comes from changes to the EFI system. Curb weight is now 256 pounds. The bright red paint option is gone, replaced by a new “Pearl Organic Green” for 2023, at least for US customers (other markets may have other options).

Photo: Honda

The same basic package

Overall, the Trail 125 is basically the same machine for 2023: The same four-speed, clutchless gearbox. Same utilitarian design, with large rear rack and 17-inch spoked wheels with knobbyish tires. Front wheel-only ABS is available (standard, in some markets). MSRP for US customers is $3,999.

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