Honda Dax 125 ST 2023 — Specifications

Forty years of absence, dozens of Chinese clones on the roads, and Honda decides to resurrect its little two-wheeled dachshund. The Honda Dax 125 ST rolls in for 2023 with a simple mission: prove that the original is still better than the copy. And at €4,349, the Japanese manufacturer isn't exactly running a charity, but it's banking on a reservoir of goodwill that nobody else can claim. Born in 1969 as a 50 and 70 cc, the little beast had never tasted 125 cc. That's now been rectified, and the Honda Dax 125 ST spec sheet reveals a small air-cooled four-stroke single borrowed from its Grom and MSX cousins. Two valves, a single overhead cam, a 10:1 compression ratio, and a bore/stroke of 50 x 63.1 mm. The whole lot puts out 9.4 horsepower at 7,000 rpm for 12.7 Nm of torque at 5,000 rpm. Let's not kid ourselves: this is no powerhouse. But this little engine wasn't designed to devour the motorway. It was built for riding with a grin on your face along back roads, through town, or by the seaside — where speed matters less than enjoyment.

The real stroke of genius remains that T-shaped frame, cut from stamped steel panels. That profile is the Dax's DNA. Impossible to mistake it for anything else, even after four decades. It houses a tank of just 3.8 litres, which limits range on paper. In practice, the single-cylinder proves so frugal that the fuel gauge drops with reassuring slowness. The 4-speed gearbox operates without a manual clutch thanks to an automatic centrifugal system: the left lever disappears, you select gears with your foot, neutral at the bottom of the pattern. A detail that catches you off guard for the first few miles, but one that fits perfectly with the machine's carefree philosophy. Up against a Kawasaki Z125 or a Yamaha XSR125, the Dax is clearly playing on a different field. You don't buy this mini-bike for performance — you buy it for the style and the good vibes it radiates.

On the chassis side, the 107 kg wet weight is staggeringly easy to handle. The 31 mm inverted fork and twin rear shocks offer decent travel — 100 and 120 mm respectively — tuned soft to soak up urban imperfections. The 12-inch tyres, surprisingly wide for the size (120/70 front, 130/70 rear), reinforce that oversized-toy look. Braking relies on a 220 mm front disc with a two-piston calliper and a 190 mm rear disc, all overseen by ABS. More than enough to haul this featherweight to a stop. The seat, set at 775 mm, makes the machine accessible to riders of all sizes, beginners included. And that's exactly where the Dax finds its audience: A1 licence holders, young riders, seasoned bikers looking for a weekend toy, or a clever urban second vehicle.

Beneath its retro looks, the ST hides thoroughly modern equipment. Full LED lighting with a daytime running signature in the round headlight, a compact digital instrument cluster, and a high-mounted side exhaust in scrambler style that echoes previous generations. Honda also nailed the nostalgic details: vintage logos on the side panels, a chromed passenger grab bar, and a generously sized air filter cover that adds visual bulk. The whole package creates a silhouette you can spot from a hundred metres away. What does a Honda Dax 125 ST cost in 2024 or 2025? It hovers around €4,400 depending on the model year — a price tag that may seem steep against the direct competition. But Honda is selling far more than a 125 here: it's selling a freshly updated icon, an object of mechanical desire that turns every ride into a joyride. And that's hard to put a price on in any order form.