From minibike to superbike, Honda had the motorcycle market blanketed in 1969. The Honda Z50 MiniTrail, introduced early in 1968, further distinguished the company for offering such a well-refined product at this low end of the market and opened a gigantic new segment. Variants stayed in production for 31 years, and more than a half-million were sold. Fun and innovation were its hallmarks.

The 1969 Honda Z50A MiniTrail had folding handlebars, allowing the bike to fit inside a car’s trunk and practically anywhere else. A simple backbone of tube steel supported the tank—which had the same Honda emblem as the new CB750—as well as the thick seat, and a couple of tubular hoops located the rear wheel. Front suspension was by a telescoping fork, but the rear wheel was fixed until 1972, when suspension was added to relieve stress on the frame.

The MiniTrail’s air-cooled SOHC 49cc single-cylinder engine ran smoothly and, because it was a four-stroke, smoke-free. Meanwhile, the semiautomatic three-speed transmission offered a degree of sophistication that had been missing from the minibike category. Balloon tires with semi-knobby treads fitted on 8-inch solid-disc wheels, and there were drum brakes front and rear. Neatly upswept inside the frame, the exhaust pipe issued a chortling note.

In 1969, the Honda Z50A MiniTrail adopted street-legal lighting for those who dared mix it up on the road. A large Z50 scene persists today, with some bikes selling for thousands of dollars and an aftermarket parts industry enabling modifications that create myriad custom looks.