Long before adventure motorcycles became cool, Honda was producing a “heavy duty” minibike that was designed to be loaded up with gear and ridden almost anywhere you could imagine. It was called the Motra, which is commonly believed to be a combination of motorcycle-truck in Japanese.
Now, Mecum Auctions has put one pristine yellow Motra up for auction. So if all you've ever wanted was to have the perfect post-apocalyptic minibike to go scooting while hauling your gear around, this could be it.
The 1982 Honda Motra is a rugged boxy machine, with an angular steel tube frame. The minibike was only in production for one year between 1982-83 and was only ever produced for the Japanese market. So you’d be getting your hands on something relatively exclusive.
It matched the 49cc engine of the Z50 or original Monkey – which produced 4.5 horsepower – but it's quite a different animal. The 4-stroke single-cylinder engine in the Motra is mated to a 3-speed manual transmission with a low stage for off-road travel.
Motras came with high/low stages for the 3-speed gearbox (which had an automated clutch) depending on whether you were on the road or in rough terrain. Think of it like a high-low gear transfer case you’d typically find in 4x4 trucks, except it’s for a 50cc minibike. Honda claimed that the Motra could climb a 23-degree gradient in top gear with the low stage engaged.
The "truck" part of the motorcycle refers to the fact that this Honda was essentially designed for relatively demanding transportation tasks. Of course, 4.5 horsepower isn't much grunt but it could very well tow something like a 2018 Honda Accord thanks to its low gearing. But it won't be fast or pretty while doing so.
It isn’t exactly a lightweight – tipping the scales at 170 lb (77 kg) without gas – but it is a strong little son of a gun. It only ever came in two colors , the hazard yellow color you see here or green. But you’ve got to admit this thing looks cool. I mean look at it!
The odometer on this example reads 25,034 km (15,555 miles) and Mecum states that the engine was last started in September 2024. The minibike has been in storage since then.
Classic.com reports that a couple of 1982 Motras were sold for between the $4,000-$4,500 price mark at previous Mecum auctions, which should give you a ball-park idea when preparing your funds for this auction.
Speaking of which, it's scheduled to go live at Mecum’s Las Vegas auction on 29 January 2025, so you've still got a few days to get yourself all ready and prepared in case it tickles your fancy.
Source: Mecum Auctions