Honda CT70: DAX Honda

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Bike Reviews

By JeffWare - 23 May 2022

Words: Mick Withers, Jeff Ware Photography: Owen Stuart

In March we featured the late Mark Rees’s Turbo GPz750 resto. We promised more of Mark’s magic, so here is something a little more fun!

Club rego and a whole lot of retro fun. Looks great with the rack.

Mark’s motivation for this project was the desire for a complianced mini bike that was old enough to put on club rego and could be modified easily without spending a fortune.

After searching far and wide for six months, Mark scored this bucket of crap for $395 off eBay in January 2012. Before a single rusted nut was busted, Mark had been busy on his beloved online auction site. One of his major purchases was a 2006 Lifan YX 140cc pit bike for $200. The engine, carby, coil and CDI were removed before the rest went in the bin. A $15 piston kit and a $12 gasket set duly arrived. No need to mention where they were found. Mark stripped the engine to make sure everything internally was right before adding polish, paint and the new piston before it was all stitched back together. Engine mods were restricted to the intake port that was match-ported to suit the intake manifold and 26mm Mikuni carb.

The little Lifan engine was an absolute bargain and great idea.

26mm Mikuni carb with pod filter.

Completing the huge list of engine mods is the one-into-two exhaust finished with a pair of mufflers that cost just $40 delivered (yes, also from that website). In typical fashion, Mark took the mufflers apart and shortened them before he was happy enough to fit them to his Honda.

Shortened carbon-fibre muffler looks the part.

Made of pressed steel, the monocoque assembly was stripped, dipped, primed and painted in candy paint to match the anodising on the forks. Originally the fork and shock shrouds would have been colour matched to the frame so Mark kept with tradition. A set of repro decals finish off the frame nicely.

The front-end began life on a Chinese pit bike but Mark reckoned the upside-down legs suited his CT70 better.

The upside-down forks and billet triple-clamp look mad!

Pitbike adjustable shocks.

According to that fussy bloke, experimentation with spring preload and fork oil volume and weight was well worth it. A Honda CRF250R was relieved of its steering damper to control unwanted oscillations at race pace. Do I really need to tell you where the front hub and brake kit was sourced? When that particular package arrived from China, it contained the front hub, 220mm brake rotor, single-piston caliper, speedo drive and axle. Combined with a new Skyteam rim and Pirelli S26 tyre. To operate the front caliper, a master-cylinder from a Honda CBR125R was fitted with CNC cap, clamp and one half of the pair of Chinese levers that this bike now wears.

Pitbike forks and a disc front brake.

The back wheel started with a block of aluminium that was machined until it became a hub. To that basis was bolted a 190mm brake rotor and a sprocket along with another Skyteam and Pirelli tyre and rim combo. The rear caliper bracket also started as a chunk of aluminium before undergoing the CNC transformation. Applying the pressure is a master-cylinder from a pit bike that worked fine as soon as the pivot points and brackets were massaged.

Mini ape hangars and full running lights for rego.

A pair of reproduction guards was found on that auction site. Since the expiry of the legal hold on manufacture of Honda CT70 replica parts, the market has been inundated with products from all over China. According to Mark, the quality is generally good to very good. As well as the parts already mentioned, Mark has also fitted a reproduction seat, headlight, handlebars, footpegs and a speedo that reads 120km/h but is otherwise stock to look at.

The handlebar bend is so 1970s.

The second of the levers is mounted to a CBR125R clutch perch, secured by a matching CNC clamp. The complete headlight is a repro, as is the taillight. A package of four blinkers cost just $20 from you-know-where.

Billet levers and knurled bar ends.

Chinese eBay special master-cylinder

Being a clever spanner-artisan, Mark kept track of hours spent on this project and is almost embarrassed to admit that he got it knocked over in about 70 hours. Total investment of cash struggles to reach $2500, that’s the sort of result that comes from knowing where to search. I reckon if he looked hard enough, Mark could even find a complete bike for $3.80!

So much more style than a modern Honda Grom

Looking ahead, Mark mentioned that he is now considering wider rims and tyres after his trip to Broadford for the Bike Bonanza at Easter. Seems that after jumping through a couple of hoops, Mark and his CT70 were welcomed on-track for a session amongst their larger capacity peers. Mark soon realised that the lurid slides on most corners were being caused by the fact that he was riding off the edge of the tread!

Polished swingarm and check the original nameplate

A leg-out, Motard-like riding style worked for Mark and in an eight-lap session, he was only lapped by a couple of riders but he also passed three other riders. The speedo was off the clock but he managed a glance at his GPS and it said that he was travelling at 124km/h; that’s gotta be a world record for a CT70.

Mark Rees was an amazing talent that is for sure. He passed away in 2012 aged just 40, from a heart attack

The name Mark Rees has appeared online and in print many times. The popular Victorian bike restorer, mechanic and founding member of the Classic and Custom Japanese Motorcycle Club built some stunning feature bikes. Mark sadly passed away in 2013 aged just 40…