2023 Honda Trail 125 - Installing the OEM Side Box on our 2023 Honda Trail 125

[@RonniesRambles]

Thanks again. Interesting park, the US has so many 'monument' parks. I always enjoy the ride to finish with.

[@gustwowheeling7337]

Excellent install video of the side box and ride to Yulee. Stay cool and ride safe.

[@Vintage_Garage]

Gus, Thanks. After installing the side box on this Trail, I removed it and replaced it with the Saddlebag. I put the Side Box on this one just for completeness to show all the OEM accessories on one Trail. I plan to use the Side Box on the Country Trekking, since the Side Box can co-exist with the Endurance Side Case, while the Saddlebag cannot. That means I have to change the One-Key lock in the Side Box to match the key for the Country Trekking. I thought that would be simple, but I am having trouble figuring out how to get to the back of the lock cylinder to remove the cylinder and re-code it. I may have to get a locksmith show me how to get to the back of the lock. That has tomorrow written all over it. Once the side box is on the Country Trekking, then the next thing is to turn the 55L StreamTrail soft bag into a top case. I had it stuffed with pillows for the videos, and when you take the pillows out, it collapses to flat, I'll build some sort of stiffener for the the inside of it, so it can hold its shape when empty.

[@Jayson1940D14]

Thanks for these videos! Very helpful to see whats available for these bikes and you have a good eye for quality buys.

[@Vintage_Garage]

@Jayson1940D14, Thanks for watching and your kind words. much appreciated.

[@bangkao8073]

I love this bike so much I’m getting one in a couple of months, Green color looks awesome.

[@Vintage_Garage]

Thanks for watching and your comment, much appreciated. I agree. Green color looks awesome. We never got the brown color in the USA, and so far, we haven't received the new silver color either. I enjoyed my trip to Bangkok last winter. I think you will enjoy your new CT125 once it arrives. ขอบคุณสำหรับการรับชมและความคิดเห็นของคุณ ชื่นชมมาก ฉันเห็นด้วย. สีเขียวดูยอดเยี่ยม เราไม่เคยได้รับสีน้ำตาลในอเมริกา และจนถึงตอนนี้ เราก็ยังไม่ได้สีเงินใหม่เช่นกัน ฉันมีความสุขกับการเดินทางมากรุงเทพเมื่อหน้าหนาวที่แล้ว ฉันคิดว่าคุณจะเพลิดเพลินไปกับ CT125 ใหม่ของคุณเมื่อมา

[@MancingTanago]

Videos that are worked out carefully and professionally. Good video quality, educational for motorcycle hobbyists. You also always include a complete description. Extraordinary!! I pray that you, my best friend, will always be healthy, successful and stay enthusiastic and consistent in creating content in the future. In conclusion.... Your content is really high quality both the video and the content😄👍👍👍

[@matthubbard8541]

Another very good instructional well put together and sequenced, ride safe.

[@Vintage_Garage]

Matt, Thanks. I am still deciding whether the plastic Side Box, or the Saddle Bag will be the one that I use the most. I did buy a second lock cylinder set from Love Motorsports and a second green rear rack from Japan in case I decide to put the box on the other 2023. I originally planned to put it on the other one, but I am still not sure what I will do. I'll try the Side Box where it is for a month or so and see how it goes.

[@loganholmberg2295]

damn that bike lo0oks fun.

[@Vintage_Garage]

Logan, Thanks for watching, and your comment, much appreciated. I hear you and agree.. it is very fun to ride and easy to work on.

[@misternewt]

Hello. I really enjoy your videos. Thank you. I am having trouble finding the OEM Honda passenger seat. I saw you installed it in a previous video and was wondering if you had a part number or a source for it. Thank you

[@Vintage_Garage]

misternewt, Thanks for watching and your kind words. As far as I know, Honda never made a rear seat for the CT125. As you know, rear foot pegs were standard on the CT125's sold in Australia, and I think were optional in Japan. Most of the CT125s I have seen in Japan come with the rear pegs standard, but I have seedn a few without them. That is why I guess they were optional. However, I have never seen a CT125 anywhere in the world that came with a rear seat from the factory. I think all of the seats that people use, are aftermarket seats. I have several and bought them all from Beezdeals. I don't think that the Medium seat sold by Beezdeals today is the same one I bought from them two years ago. : In this video, I installed what was called the "Medium" seat from beezdeals.com. I like it because of the lip it has on the front of the underside, says "Honda" on the back and is a reasonably good size: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iX2bgXegpp6gebM The "Medium" seat sold now by Beezdeals is different: beezdeals.com/product/medium-passenger-seat-pad-honda-ct125-trail-125/ It doesn't say Honda on the back, and also has a grip strap on it. It does appear to be the same size and appears to have the lip on the front underside that I like. The Model 2 in this next link does have Honda on the back, but I am concerned that the mounting system appears to be different and it may not have the front lip. beezdeals.com/product/passenger-seat-pad-honda-ct125-trail-125-2/ In this next video, I remount the medium seat, and also the smaller seat: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iqjOm6ygpNFposk The smaller seat is this one: beezdeals.com/product/small-passenger-seat-pad-honda-ct125-trail-125/ It has the front lip I like, but no Honda on the back After much experimentation, I ended up using the Medium seat that appears in both videos, but I mounted the aluminum top case about an inch further back than it is at the end of the second video so I could use the Medium seat. with that same top case. The seat is held in place by the front lip, and no bolts are required as the slant on the front of top case is tight on the back of the seat, so the seat can't move. That is the ideal setup for me.

[@WilliamFostersVideos]

Thanks for putting your video's together, they are great. I was just wondering, do you think the OEM Side Box fit on the 2021 model? (I wasn't sure if you still had your original model). It looks like the original tool box mount is the same on both bikes so I assume it would fit? Thanks in advance.

[@WilliamFostersVideos]

I should have also asked, do you think it would fit with the Endurance Rod Holder attached also?

[@Vintage_Garage]

​@@WilliamFostersVideos, First, thanks for watching and your questions much appreciated. I will do my best to answer your questions. First, I still have both of my 2021 Trail 125s, and both of my 2023 Trail 125s. Secondly, what you see in this video we are commenting on is the follow up video to a number of videos I made about the OEM accessories. Originally, I was going to install them all on a 2021 or 2021 Trail, as I didn't know what we would get in the USA for a 2023 Trail. For simplicity, let's refer to the 2021-22 Trail as a JA55 and the 2023 Trail as a JA65. The JA65 has the new crossbar in the engine guard tubes and the removable oil filter cover on the right side of the engine. When all the EOM accessories became available, I bought them all from Webike. I made a few unboxing videos, but the culmination was this video, called "Change of Plans": kzbin.info/www/bejne/pHSyq4Fpd8uKp68 In that video, I decided that I didn't want to change the Top Bridge and Meter Stay to install the front bracket and windshield on my Ja55, but also realized that the rear rack of the JA55 didn't' have the mounting points needed to mount all of the rear accessories on the rear rack, so I decided to wait until I could get a JA65. Unfortunately, when I got my first USA model JA65, I found that while it was green instead of red, it came with a JA55 rear rack, without all the mounting points for the rear OEM accessories. The Japanese and Canadian, and maybe the New Zealand JA65s came with the new rear rack, but the Thailand and USA models did not. So in order to install the rear accessories, I had to buy a pair of green JA65 rear racks. The JA65 rear racks with the required new mounting points come in black, green and silver. The Canadians got red JA65s with a black rear JA65 rear rack. The USA got got green JA65s, with JA55 rear racks. The next video in the series was this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gamwlZd8iqeAqc0 It is a long video, but if you skip to 46:09, you will see the installation of the Japanese JA65 rear rack. I won't reference all the previous videos, because you won't have time to watch them, but in the unboxing videos, I showed that the OEM rear side box would fit with the Endurance side rack, but the OEM Rear Saddle Bag would not fit with the Endurance side rack. Since I didn't have the Rear Side Box yet, as it was on backorder at Webike, I installed the saddlebag instead in that video. The rear side box arrived from Webike a week or two later, and in the video you watched and we are commenting on, I removed the Saddlebag and installed the rear side box. Later, in a couple of weeks, my second JA65 Trail 125 arrived and I made this video, where I install the Rear Side Box on it as well as the Endurance side case showing they both fit. I also went back and put the Saddlebag back on the first JA65. Those videos are here, the second one is the one you want to watch.: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fYKUgIV-qqd4q6c kzbin.info/www/bejne/rGiuaqyDZq95bck So here is the bottom line. I don't think that Honda made a red JA65 rear rack, so if you want to install the OEM rear side box on a JA55, you will need to order the black JA65 rear rack from either Japan or Canada. before mounting the OEM Rear Side Box. The Box will fit with the Endurance Side Case, with no modifications to either box or mounting brackets. The Key blank for the JA55 and JA65 are the same so you will be able to build the "One Key" lock using your JA55 key. You also get a helmet lock as part of the design. It is also nice that you can choose to lock the case or latch it without locking it. The last upside is that the Rear Side Box is very attractive. Here are the downsides to the Rear Side Box. The bracket is extremely heavy and extremely expensive. The JA65 rear rack you will need is also very expensive. You will also have to eliminate the OEM tool box, which I hated to do. The Side Box mount uses on of the two tool box mounting points. The Side Box itself has almost no storage room inside. All there is room for inside is the original tool box, a one liter fuel bottle, a rain suit, and the owners manual, nothing else. The locking latch is clumsy and difficult to use. If you open the Rear Side Box while the motorcycle is on the side stand, everything will fall out of the box. Please let me know what you decide to do, much appreciated.

[@WilliamFostersVideos]

@@Vintage_Garage Thank you so much for your feedback it is greatly appreciated! The OEM Rear Side Box was going to cost me over a AU$1,000; so I am very appreciative of the information you've provided. We have watched quite a few of your videos, my child likes the music and lake (especially the one video that had the alligator in it). Thanks for the effort you have put in to your videos and providing this feedback.

[@Vintage_Garage]

@@WilliamFostersVideos Thanks... much appreciated. I wrestle with whether or not to add music to my rides. Some like it, and some don't, so I decided to use it sparingly. I play music if the ride segment is long, but also try to include a riding segment with no music.

[@jeffcooley7577]

Howdy, I am unable to locate the handlebar brace or Molle bag? Do you recall where you purchased them?

[@Vintage_Garage]

Jeff, Thanks for watching and your comment, much appreciated. I have seven of those Motowolf crossbars, and I really like them. I discovered Motowolf because they make the H2C mobile phone holders. I like the crossbars with the compass in the middle, but Motowolf seems to be sold out of those, so now I just buy the plain ones at: www.motowolfstore.com/ They ship straight from China and the shipping times are a bit unpredictable but shipping has usually been about $10. The link to the crossbars is here: www.motowolfstore.com/collections/accessories/products/motowolf-universal-expansion-crossbar-for-motorcycle I buy the MOLLE bags for the Trail 125s here: www.ebay.com/itm/293173267302 I use a smaller one on the Monkeys, but the same crossbar. Both Motowolf and that eBay seller are reliable, and the eBay one has free shipping on the MOLLE bag.

[@barrydennis106]

If you could just have one of the mini motos which one would you chose?

[@Vintage_Garage]

Barry, Thanks for watching and your comment, much appreciated. I really haven't thought about it. What I think about more is that my next move will be to a nursing home and I will have to get rid of them all. Right now, if I just want to run a quick errand to pick up a small item at a store, I would most likely ride the Navi. If I was going to make a trip on the highway, I would ride the red Super Cub. If I was going to make a ride on the highway, two up, I would ride the blue Super Cub. If I was going to ride a trail with deep water, I would ride the Farm Campster. If I was going to ride a trail two-up, with deep water, I would ride the City Trail. If I was going fishing, I would ride the Country Trekking. The two Monkeys are about the same, so I just bomb around equally between the two and make sure I ride each one once a week. I also like trail riding with them if there is no deep water. I am still trying to find a use for the Trail 125 in this video. It is pretty refined and may be the one that "Lightfoot" rides on easy trails when we go out trail riding together. I am also trying to decide if I should keep the plastic side box on it, or go back to the saddle bag. Right now, it is too hot to trail ride except in the early mornings. But in September and October, I think I will be trail riding at least once a week.

[@Retro_Iron]

Another example of a quality product although, as I consider myself to be a fairly competent shade-tree mechanic, it seems to me that Honda’s latch/locking mechanisms are overly intricate for their intended purpose. JMHO as a life long Honda fan!😎

[@Vintage_Garage]

Tim, I hear you and agree. The detail of the lock isn't completely clear in the video, and if I could speak Thai and Japanese even a bit, it would have been a good video to try speaking those languages to describe the lock. The only guy I know who could explain it in three languages is Samurai Rider. In essence, what is nice about the locks in both the top case and the side case, is that you can choose to use them or not. That is an important feature for me. I hate the top cases where you have to use the key to open and close them. The latch on the top case holds it firmly closed, and you can open and close it without the key. Alternatively, you can close it and lock it with the key and you'll need the key to open it. The same is true for the side case. You can latch it firmly and unlatch it without the key. That is the way I use it, and I only lock it if I have valuables in there while I was shopping and plan to leave it unguarded for 10 minutes or so. The lock on the side box is also a helmet lock, but when you use the helmet lock, you also lock the side case. So when you use the key to unlock the helmet, you also unlock the case. The real problem is the limited internal size of the side case. It is perhaps good for carrying bank notes, but not much else. LOL. I need to experiment and see what useful objects will fit in there. It is very likely that I will go back to using the Saddle Bag instead of the Side Case.

[@baldrider]

I think I'm jealous of the boxes but I don't want to pay for them and I don't want to add any more weight to Booger unless I can lose equal weight on my body.

[@Vintage_Garage]

@baldrider, No need to be jealous of the plastic side box. Here are some downsides: 1. While the box is light, the mounting bracket is extremely heavy. 2. The box bracket eliminates the stock toolbox. I think the stock toolbox is cool and handy. 3. The box holds very little. In the end, I put a one liter fuel container, the original toolbox with the tools inside of it, and my rain suit in the box. That was all that would fit in there. 4. Everything falls out of the box when it is open and the motorcycle is on the side stand. 5. The instructions say the box is not waterproof. At the very least, that means your registration and owners manual should be in a waterproof baggie before putting them on the lower shelf on the box. The best location for that paperwork is under the seat, where it stays dry. 6. While the box isn't waterproof, it is sealed enough that I worry about it causing floatation problems while making deep water crossings. I haven't tested it yet, but I worry that it might lift the rear wheel off the bottom of the stream when the water level is above the box, but below the top of the snorkel. 7. I think the Saddlebag is the better option. It retains the original toolbox and is top loading, so nothing falls out of it. It may also be more waterproof. It is certainly rain proof.

[@loganholmberg2295]

roughly how much does it cost to kit that bike out like that?

[@Vintage_Garage]

Logan, Thanks for watching and your comment, much appreciated. It's hard to say exactly, as shipping from Japan is expensive, and some of the parts in this video shipped with other parts not in the video, but I'd say a pretty close guess is about $1,500 for the parts including shipping. The One-Key top case I bought from my local Honda dealer so the shipping was free. If I knew I was going to get all the parts, then I'd have shipped them all in order instead of several. The easiest way for you to get an exact price is go to Webike, and build a shopping car with all the parts, then you will get a more accurate number. You don't need to actually order the items, just put them in your shopping cart and see the total and the shipping amount. It took so long between when I ordered the parts and when I got my first 2023 Trail, that I should have used sea freight instead of DHL Express. That would have saved me about $200. You can also now get the front and center racks from your Honda dealer with free shipping. That would have saved another $100 You couldn't do that when I bought the parts 4 months ago. You might be able to get all the parts now, some from Japan, some from your local Honda dealer, and use sea freight and get the cost a bit under $1,200, maybe as low as $1,000. I would think that would be about as good as you can do. japan.webike.net/ps/m/14328/ja65/#!search&p.k=ja65&p.m=14328