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“Is it fast?” the young girl asked, raising her eyebrows. The “ha!” came out so fast I surprised myself. “No…not really.” “Well, it looks cool,” she said.
In some ways, I could end the Honda Dax review there — no, it isn’t fast and yes, it looks great. Then again, there’s a whole constellation of reasons that the new-to-America Dax even has that kind of kickstand presence and why that gal, too young to have a driver’s license, thinks it’s cool.
The Dax is new to America in 2025 but the concept and the name are old news, as Dustin wrote in his first look article. Revived, maybe that’s a better word. And if any company was going to dredge up a lovable silhouette from decades ago, it had to be Honda. Big Red already has a fleet of machines powered by practically the same 124 cc engine — the Trail 125, Super Cub, Monkey, and the famous Grom (or MSX125, elsewhere in the world) — and most of them reach for some vintage charm. Honda's Navi is a different ball of wax, for what it’s worth, a mutant scoot-orcycle with a smaller engine and a shockingly low MSRP.
The Grom and Monkey are motorcycles in miniature, with clutch levers and five-speed transmissions, where the Trail 125 and Super Cub use semi-automatic gearboxes. The Dax borrows the latter, meaning no clutch lever, just four gears that the rider shifts manually and an automatic clutch that makes the bike nearly impossible to stall.
Training for the new, and the old
Basically, if you’re new to riding you won’t need to know how to use a clutch at all. All you need to do is get used to shifting gears with your foot, but on the Dax it’s as easy as it gets. Lift with your toe to engage first gear and you’ll get a strong click from the engine; the Dax is ready to go. Twist the grip gently and the bike will start moving. And with that, you’re a motorcyclist — welcome to the world of easy parking and everyone’s parents thinking you’re crazy.
Once the engine revs climb a little bit and you’re going five or 10 mph, pull up on the shifter ‘til it clicks again (while closing the throttle at the same time) and when you release it you’re in second gear. Repeat for third and fourth, and pretty soon you’ll be trotting down the road at literally dozens of miles per hour.
If you’re a seasoned veteran of motorcycling, bored and smug with my dumbed-down explanation of how to row through the gears of a classic four-speed slushbox, pay attention. Chances are, it could help you, too. Coming to a stop is a perfect example.
Pushing down on the shift pedal will downshift, as is tradition, but the Dax’s semi-auto gearbox defies the logic of “real” transmissions in a crucial way. Since pressing or lifting the shifter enlists a clutch, the next gear doesn’t engage until the pedal is released. That means that the amount of time the rider chooses to push or pull the shifter before letting it spring back into position dictates how long the engine is decoupled from the transmission.
Practically, what this means is that the rider has a lot of control over how the bike shifts. If you kick the pedal quickly on an upshift without closing the throttle enough, the Dax will lurch forward awkwardly as the next gear engages. The same goes for downshifts, where a jerky motion and not enough thought will make the rear tire chirp and the bike might get all squirrelly.
During upshifts I found giving the engine a beat for the revs to come down between gears made for smoother acceleration, and matching revs with a blip of the throttle on downshifts became a pivotal part of slowing down.
Maybe these tiny details of how the transmission works are only interesting to me and a few other moto nerds. The reason I’m harping on them is that they are the Dax (the Trail 125 and Super Cub, too) in a microcosm. These bikes are geodes, stone simple when you first see them, but when you crack them open and ride they glitter with all kinds of skills and facets of motorcycling waiting to be honed.
The thing I love the most about the Dax’s idiot-proof powertrain is that it’s good for any type of rider. Even with many miles and different types of bikes and riding in my past, I found getting around on the Dax truly engaging. Most of the joy of learning how to have mechanical sympathy, with almost none of the consequences of messing up a shift or stalling in traffic.
There are a couple of small misses, I think. One is the dash, which offers nice contrast as long as the lighting is good but if you’re riding toward the sun it’s hard to see a lot of the info. I could complain that there’s no gear-position indicator and no clock, but the fact that I can’t always see it seems like the bigger mistake.
In my riding around Los Angeles surface streets, I could have used taller gearing. I often reached for a fifth gear in the semi-auto transmission, in part because my tendency is to lug engines but also because Honda’s undersquare MiniMOTO mill loves to lope. The Dax will hold 45 to 50 mph pretty well on the flat and if I could upshift once more we’d both be happier. Gearing up with a smaller rear sprocket is always an option, right?
Long story short
Despite my complaints, I just love the Dax. You can be cynical if you like. You can say the Dax is overpriced, or underthought, or otherwise “not worth it.” Maybe you think it’s a poorly disguised attempt to channel the glory days of mini bikes. Tell yourself that if it’ll make you feel better, but I’ll prefer to disagree.
The Dax costs $4,200 and I can understand how that seems like a lot, especially compared to a Grom with an MSRP that starts with a three. Well, it costs more than the Grom because it’s made of metal, and the Grom costs more than most of its copycats because it’s actually good — because the brakes work and the transmission doesn’t feel like it’s made of LEGOs.
To lifelong motorcyclists, the Honda Dax is an obvious throwback to the Trail 70 of yesteryear. Those Honda mini bikes of the past delivered a lot of joy to people, no doubt. But, it’s not so much that the Dax has roots tracing to products of the past that makes it good, it’s the fact that Honda is putting a solid foot forward in the present.
If you’re newer to the world of two wheels you probably don’t see it as a direct descendant of anything. The basic, hollow-steel frame might make it look more like a piece of farm equipment than a motorcycle. Some of the subtle, retro touches might go over your head, like the round headlight or the bullet blinkers and slotted heat shield around the exhaust, thick with chrome.
That’s OK. I don’t care if it screams 1970s Americana or just has that whiff of bucolic simplicity that draws people in, the result is clear — a delightful little machine that you’ll be hard pressed to dislike.
Anecdotally, the Dax’s aura is strong enough to pull some curiosity out of a random young person in a parking lot. On the off chance you still feel like the Dax and its siblings aren’t somehow a blessing in the world of motorcycles, we must have gotten into this whole motorcycling thing for different reasons.
| 2025 Honda Dax 125 | |
|---|---|
| Price (MSRP) | $4,199 |
| Engine | 124 cc, air-cooled, two-valve, single |
|
Transmission, final drive |
Four-speed semi-automatic, chain |
| Claimed horsepower | N/A |
| Claimed torque | N/A |
| Frame | Pressed steel |
| Front suspension | 31 mm fork; 3.9 inches of travel |
| Rear suspension | Twin shocks; 4.7 inches of travel |
| Front brake | Nissin two-piston caliper, 220 mm disc with ABS |
| Rear brake | Nissin single-piston caliper, 190 mm disc |
| Rake, trail | 25.0 degrees, 3.3 inches |
| Wheelbase | 47.2 inches |
| Seat height | 30.6 inches |
| Fuel capacity | 1.0 gallon |
| Tires | IRC NR77U, 120/70-12 front, 130/70-12 rear |
| Measured weight | 237 pounds |
| Available | Now |
| Warranty | 12 months |
| More info | powersports.honda.com |
