The road to dirt bike nirvana for young motorcyclists got underway in the 1960s, though the offerings weren’t impressive. Early in the decade, you could buy a Taco, which featured a rigid frame, lawnmower engine, tiny tires, and no front brake—grim. Priced at $150 (about $1475 in today’s dollars), Taco sold what seemed like millions of them. Tacos were tearing up vacant lots across the country. There were a few odd European minis, but you rarely saw one outside a magazine ad.
The 1968 Honda Mini Trail 50 changed everything. It looked more like a motorcycle than a contraption, had a three-speed transmission, front suspension, and a front brake. Again, Honda sold countless Mini Trails, eventually expanding the brand to 70 and 90cc versions.
Yamaha up-ended the genre with the 1971 Yamaha Mini Enduro. It wasn’t just that it was a two-stroke dirt bike with no lighting, a four-speed transmission with a manual clutch, and fully suspended. The Mini Enduro looked like a full-size adult motorcycle—just shrunk to kid-size. From there, the world of mini motorcycles for kids never looked back. Honda countered that same year with the SL70, a small dual-sport bike with the same adult-motorcycle look and features
Honda got into the pure-dirt mini market via the 1973 Honda XR75. Released the same year as the revolutionary Honda CR250 Elsinore motocross bike, the XR75 looked close enough to the Elsinore—as long as you didn’t note the XR75’s all-new upright four-stroke motor was nothing like the Elsinore’s two-stroke ripper.
We talked to noted motorcycle collector Justin Young about his 1973 Honda XR75 and his emotional attachment to the historic mini celebrating its 50th birthday this year.
Ultimate Motorcycling: What was your first memory of the Honda XR75?
Justin Young: I got my first proper minibike when I was 10 years old. As a new buyer and being only 10, I hadn’t done my research on the market and its offerings, so I ended up with a Yamaha GT80. I had a lot of fun on it, but soon learned that there were other options that would have better suited the all-day trail riding that I had been doing. I tried to make the GT better but putting a Bassani expansion chamber on it, but the other guys in our group started to show up on XR75s, and I was in awe!
The XR75 was everything that my GT80 wasn’t. Straight out of the box, it was ready to go. Knobby tires, number plates, and a purposeful appearance that mimicked a true motocrosser. I quickly went to work on my mom to trade in the GT for an XR75.
UM: Were you aware of the Yamaha Mini Enduro and Honda SL70 that preceded it?
JY: I was aware of both. I had seen the Yamaha Mini Enduro, and a friend had an SL70 that I got to ride a few times.
UM: Why did the XR75 appeal more than the competing two-stroke minis?
JY: My closest local shop was a Honda, Suzuki, Maico, and Husqvarna dealer. The owner’s son had a first-year XR75 that was understandably loaded up with all of the cool aftermarket goodies you could get—Powroll big bore, stroked crank, pipe, cam, big carb, Boge Mulholland shocks, and a cool flame paint job to top it off. I was hooked! That bike, and the other XRs in the neighborhood, made it the bike to have. I had motocrossed the GT80 once by this time, but was still mainly trail riding, so I hadn’t been smoked, pun intended, by any of the two-strokes at the time.
UM: What was it like the first time you rode an XR75?
JY: I think my first time riding an XR was probably one of my buddy’s bikes. At that time, we could jump on our bikes in the garage, do a little sidewalk riding, and be at a vacant lot in a block or so. Those vacant lots were connected to other lots and led to the railroad tracks that allowed us to get to “Leaders Park”, which was the unofficial ORV park. It had hills, a creek to cross, and tons of trails that we could ride all day without being hassled by the man. It was a Mecca for the local dirt bike riders at a time when that market was exploding!
UM: What were your favorite, and least favorite, 1973 Honda XR75 features?
JY: At the time, I didn’t have any complaints about the XR. I now know that the footage mounting bosses on the bottom of the engine cases were a weak point. I never had an issue, but the bike I rebuilt needed some machine work to restore the mounts and save the numbers matching engine cases. Thanks to XR75 expert Scott Stewart of Stewart’s Cycle in Jonesboro, Arkansas, who rebuilt the motor, I was able to save my original cases.
UM: Did you modify your XR75? Were there any shortcomings?
JY: My first XR75 was a 1974 model that a technician at the local shop had been using as a play bike. I rode it for a while before convincing mom that I needed to make some mods. The aftermarket for the growing dirt bike segment was exploding, and a cottage industry for XR75 performance parts was going strong. The upgrades were only limited by your budget with companies like Powroll, JWRP (Jeff Ward Racing Products), and Vulcan Industries, where you could buy everything—even a mono-shock frame.
I had my XR for quite a while, and in its final iteration, it was sporting a big bore Powroll cylinder, stroked crank, cam, intake, Vulcan pipe, and bigger carb. Power output was significantly better than stock, and I believe that it worked out to be approximately 120cc. The downside was a sacrifice in reliability. Rebuilds became frequent, and it became hard to keep up with the [Yamaha] YZ80s and [Kawasaki] KX80s on the motocross and short tracks.
UM: How long did you ride an XR75?
JY: I’m not sure how many years I rode the XR, but it was a pivotal motorcycle that introduced many to the joys of motorcycling. The 1973 model, introduced in 1972, was actually Honda’s first motocross machine, since the CR was introduced after the XR.
UM: When you outgrew your XR75, what did you move up to?
JY: When I outgrew the XR, I was still racing weekly, so the next logical step was the 125 class. I bought a used 1974 [Honda] CR125 from my buddy, Bob Boyd, #26 locally, that was set up for flat track racing. I also got a [Kawasaki] KX125 that I could use for trail riding and motocross.
UM: What did you think of that next step up?
JY: At our regional tracks, the step up from mini to the 125 or 250 class was a big one, and Sioux Valley Cycle Club was very active. We had regular events, both flat track and motocross, that would draw lots of riders. At flat track events, it wasn’t unusual to have to qualify to ride the main, and the 125, 250, and open classes were loaded with fast guys. Since the competition was fierce across the board, the jump to big bikes only took a few weekends to get accustomed to.
UM: What inspired you to revisit the XR75?
JY: The XR75 was a pivotal motorcycle for me and many others personally, but, beyond that, after the Z50, it was a groundbreaking motorcycle for Honda and the industry. The little XR75 introduced many of us to the joys of motorcycling and provided us all with years of trouble-free enjoyment that just can’t be had in any other way. Because of this, I have wanted to do an XR75 for years. I happened to see this one in the basement of one of my old racing buddies, Jon Faulds. Jon was a member of the Sioux Valley Cycle Club that I had grown up with, and he finally agreed to sell it to me.
UM: What condition was your current XR75 in when you bought it?
JY: It ran, but it was getting pretty rough.
UM: What challenges did you face restoring the 1973 Honda XR75?
JY: The XR ran, but rust and other cosmetic issues posed serious challenges. I dealt with those, but Scott Stewart, who is a Honda minibike expert, did a full rebuild on the motor. If you need Honda minibike work, he’s the guy.
UM: When you rode it, how did it compare to your expectations?
JY: This bike runs just like it did in 1973! I may have thought it was a bit faster when I was 10 years old, but it makes an awesome pit bike, and more importantly, it seems to bring back great memories for everyone who sees it.
UM: Do you plan on keeping the XR75, or selling it and moving on to another challenge?
JY: I bought this from a great friend, and I love having and showing it to others, so I plan to keep this one. As for the next challenge, I’m not sure, but I did recently pick up a 1979 Suzuki GS100S Wes Cooley replica.
1973 Honda XR75 Photography by Jason Stillwell / Shutter Button Studio
1937 Honda XR75 Photo Gallery
