Herb Uhl’s Honda Trail Cub - The story behind the Video

Written by: C Blackmore.
For many Americans, Aussies, and Kiwis, a small red Honda riding past likely means you’ve seen another Honda Trail bike. I myself grew up in New Zealand, where the CT110 variant powered our nation's postal service for many years. In Australia, the bike is almost exclusively known as a Postie Bike, and it was once the favorite of Australia Post. However, the CT110 has fallen out of favor for a newer, Thai-made variant known as the Honda NBC110. While this means you no longer see hordes of Posties delivering on Postie bikes, the used market now has a healthy offering of bikes, prime for adventure, customization, and daily riding. But the story of this single-cylinder iron horse doesn't start here. It began over 60 years ago in a small workshop based in Boise, Idaho. Not everyone realises we have an American to thank for one of the Japanese motorcycle industries most popular models of all time.

Many enthusiasts know the story of a USA bike dealer stripping down and beefing up an original 50cc Honda Super Cub in the early 60s. However, aside from a few recollections told online, the detailed story has never been ironed out properly.

While this story is about Herb Uhl and his solution to the trail bike problem, first, we need to add some context with my own Small Bike journey. You see, I've been obsessive over small-capacity motorcycles for over a decade now. This passion started while living in Southeast Asia through the early 2010s. It began with a small Honda Dream 125cc rental bike, of which I learned to ride with 2 people on the back, and culminated with a completely custom Honda Super Cub C70. All the others were just means to an end, but the custom C70 became my pride and joy. I doted over this machine, cleaned it multiple times a week, took photos every time I saw it, and eventually uploaded a bland 90-second walk-around video that's clocked over half a million views on YouTube since its release. Seeing how much this small machine resonated with others was my Small Bike epiphany.

By the time I moved back home to New Zealand, the bug had bit hard. I found myself compelled to buy a Honda Cub basket case online before I even arrived back in the country, and I was certain from that point forward that whatever I did, Small motorcycles would have some part of it. In the years that followed, there have been dozens in the fleet, mainly small Hondas like the Chaly, Super Cub, and Dax. But a few offsiders in the way of CVT scooters, mail delivery motorcycles, and even a petrol-powered skateboard made it into the mix. By  2018, Honda thrust their classic bikes back into the spotlight with the release of the Super Cub 125 and Monkey 125. Two beautiful, 125cc fuel-injected offerings that were at first exclusively sold through boutique Honda dealers in Thailand called "Cub House." On a return journey to Thailand the same year, I was lucky enough to visit the flagship Honda Cub House shop in Bangkok, Thailand. By this time, I had decided to document my view of the world through Small Bikes, and with a GoPro in hand, I walked through the door. As fate would have it, one of the workers had spent a few years in New Zealand and gave me a personal tour of the shop, followed by a quick ride on the Honda Monkey.

Riding the new Honda Monkey was amazing, but the history of Honda plastered all over the walls was what held my attention. I spent hours gazing at this incredibly designed shop. Photos of Soichiro himself were on the wall, along with a timeline of Honda's history. Despite it all being in another language, I spent hours looking over that timeline, trying to decipher what I could of the Honda story.

Cub House even had a replica of the first-ever Honda model made by Soichiro, called the Honda Batabata. It was essentially a bicycle powered by Tohatsu radio generator motors left over after World War II, although this particular  reproduced machine had a tiny Honda GX engine in the frame. It's safe to assume that Soichiro had used up the supply of Tohatsu's long ago.

Upon returning to New Zealand, I couldn't help but reflect on the Honda journey and how the company got its start. I was fascinated by every facet of the small bike world and began adding everyone I could find online who shared my interest. For several years, I worked full-time at a classic bike dealership and spent my spare time creating videos about small bikes. Then one day in 2022, as I was scrolling through Facebook, I came across a photo of an old man standing next to a Honda Trail which was mounted to the back of a car.

At first, I didn't recognize the person in the photo, but something about it made me take a second look. It turned out to be Herb Uhl! I had some basic knowledge of the Honda Trail origins and had even referenced it in Small Bike Stuff's highest viewed video, "Finally, a Proper CT125 review”. Long story short: Herb got some Super Cubs, had no idea how they would sell in Boise, Idaho where nearly everyone rode in the mountains and not on the road. He removed the leg shield, added a big sprocket, added some knobbly rubber and voila; we have the story of the Honda Trail, right? Seeing this photo, curiosity got the better of me. Surely there was more to the story than was already known?

I quickly messaged Eric, who had posted the photo, and found out that he lived in the same state as Herb. Through a lengthy process, Eric managed to contact Herb and even visited him in person, bringing along a Honda Super Cub that he had modified using Herb's method. This allowed Eric to gather more information about Herb's Honda journey.

After some back and forth, I found myself dialling a USA phone number. A lovely older lady answered, and I explained who I was. She told me to wait a moment and then said, "Herb, one of your friends is on the phone." In that moment, I felt like a small bike enthusiast who was living a thousand dreams all at once. Despite being closer to 100 years old than most of us will ever get, Herb is still sprightly and retains a wealth of knowledge from his early days. He was happy to share information about the Trail Cub origin.

It took some time to organize, with winter approaching and Herb busy prepping wood for the season, but eventually with the help of some local friends, we managed to capture Herb's story on camera. You can watch it for yourself, and I assure you that Herb recalls the story better than I ever will.

Watch here: