Your Collection: Honda Mini Trail 50

January 30, 2011, 6:00am

This week's collection comes from Kevin Sleeth in Laguna Niguel, CA:

Honda Mini Trail 50, before.
- Honda Mini Trail 50, after.

"I guess this would qualify as my "First" bike. Like most guys my age, my "First" bike was a Honda Mini Trail 50. If you didn't own one (Me) you knew someone who did and you hung out with that guy in hopes that he would let you give it a try. It was my neighbors Honda Mini Trail in the summer of 1969 that I scored my first ride on. I remember it like it was yesterday...

I straddled the seat and my buddy aimed me up the driveway. He gave me the basic instructions - this is the gas, this is the brakes, three down, let off to shift and don't forget to let off when you want to stop. Like most people on their first ride, I didn't really listen to a word that was said to me. I banged the gear lever down, twisted the throttle to the stop and held it wide open.

Thank God the driveway was only a few car lengths long and the garage door was closed, I did try, however, to climb the garage door on that little 50 and I can personally tell you that a 55 lb nine year old hanging on to the bars for dear life can get pretty far up a closed garage door before coming back down to earth!

Anyways, we cleaned all the rubber tire marks off the garage door before his parents came home and with that single two second ride, I was hooked. I knew I was going to ride motorcycles and some day, I too, would own a Honda Mini Trail.

Forty One years later.... Finally !

Right before my last race a couple of weeks ago at Glen Helen, my wish came true, It took a while, but I finally did it. After four months I finished the bike the week before my last series race at Glen Helen. Blue and silver Honda Mini Trail 50 - exactly like the one I vowed in 1969 that I would own some day. I have to tell you, as much fun as I had racing those two days at Glen Helen, I really had fun riding that Mini Trail around and in some ways, even more fun than the racing.

Hope the pictures bring back smiles and if you see me in the pits and want to ride it, let me know. It sure is a blast to go back in to time when the only thought in your head was when is the next time I get to ride...

It started out red.

I am 50 now and have been racing since I was 17. The last series I did was the Fire / Police MX National Series this year and I finished out the series as number 1 in the 50+ Open class. I plan on representing So. California in the World Police / Fire games scheduled for New York in 2011."

-Kevin

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