c1970 Honda ST70 Dax Project Motorcycle

Description

Soichiro Honda’s eponymous company was founded in 1948 and gradually established itself as one of the first and certainly one of the finest exponents of motorcycle manufacturing in Japan over the next decade.  It wasn’t until 1959 that Honda began exporting bikes to the rest of world, with America naturally a key market, and two new models - the Benly and the Dream – were launched that year.  Honda expanded rapidly, becoming the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles by 1964, with a range to suit just about every purpose and budget.  In 1968 Honda also started to work on a prototype of a bigger version of the Monkey minibike so it could transport two people.  The engine changed into a 70cc version to meet consumer demand for more power in rough terrains and speed for longer distances.  Called the 'Dax' because its long round fuel tank resembled a Dachshund 'sausage dog', the original ST70 featured a pressed T-shaped steel frame and framed and was equipped with a 70cc engine and three-speed semi-automatic gearbox.  It came in two versions, the standard Type One and more sporting Type Two – the former featured a downswept muffler and large 'ducktail' mudguards painted silver, while Type Two Dax models had smaller chrome mudguards and an upswept muffler.  The ST70 came in four colours: Candy Ruby Red, Candy Sapphire Blue and Candy Special Yellow.