Beginning
The Mini Trail evolved from the Honda Z100, which first appeared at the Tama Tech Park in Japan, in 1961. This early version had a red frame and a white gas tank. It was powered by a 50-cubic-centimeter engine and had five-inch wheels. This vehicle became known as the Honda Monkey, because riders appeared monkey-like while riding it.
U.S. Mini Trails
Honda began exporting a limited number of the Monkeys in 1963. The Honda Monkeys exported to the United States were renamed the Honda Mini Trail. The first Mini Trails arrived in the U.S. in 1969, and they were designed for off-road use.
Models
Honda continued to upgrade the features of the Mini Trails, adding headlights, taillights and turn signals on street-legal models of the Mini Trail.