The CT had a dual-ratio gear box, which meant four low and four high gears. Proof of that is the fact that apparently these bikes sold well new right up to the end and apparently none are now are left on dealers floors. Us Kiwis never seemed to give the CT bikes quite the same status, but, no doubt thanks to the outrageous price of small trail bikes, the long-standing farm bikes were becoming just a little more common around town in the year or two before Honda pulled the plug on them. Those colourful Aussies stripped theirs down, hotted them up with trick engine parts and ran them on exotic fuels for more speed. The Aussies have evened turned the postie bike into a cult vehicle, with clubs and race meetings now well-established in several states. On both sides of the Tasman, enthusiasts would fall over themselves to snap up ex-postie bikes auctioned off at the end of their delivery lives. They had a low centre of gravity, were mostly made of steel and seemed pretty well bullet-proof mechanically.Īustralian postie bikes were even tougher than ours, coming with extra-strength wheels for 'crash bash' curb hopping. Though unsuitable for motorway speeds they were well proven as an economical round-town mount - or for light trail riding. The last CT 110s imported were hardly cheap at around $5000 new, yet they were arguably the perfect recession bike. Even with an engine bored out from 90cc to 105cc, the design was essentially the same as when it first arrived here in 1966. The bike seemed to be the last out of Japan with that odd 1960s style off-road step-through design. The first CTs had 90cc engines, primitive suspension and points, rather than today's electronic ignition. New Zealand and Australian postal services long used the CT 110, and its predecessor the Honda CT 90, to deliver mail and it's been a respected pack mule (in back blocks of both countries) for well over 40 years. It's a wonder that news of its demise, apparently a decision made by Honda Japan about three months ago, did not create uproar.

It may have been been the ugly duckling of the motorcycle world but the CT 110 was probably the longest-serving, strongest and most respected four-stroke bike put to work in Australia and New Zealand. The demise of the postie bike marks the end of an era, writes Paul Charman

Used postie bikes