iMotorbike’s weekly iM Cubaholic series covers everything about the iconic Honda Cubs. The Cub is one of the most important bikes in both the motorcycle and Honda’s history. Honda changed the way people look at riding motorcycles with the introduction of the Super cub and the ad campaign “You meet the nicest people on a Honda” back in the 1950s. Since then Honda has sold over 100 million Cubs and the Cub lineup has numerous models where some are barely known. In this series, we cover everything from both known and unknown Cub models to their history, specs, features and many more. Are you a Cub addict? well, this is something you wouldn’t want to miss! We are kickstarting iM Cubaholic’s 1st episode this week with a coverage on the Honda EZ-9/ EZ90 Cub!
Honda EZ-9, also known as Honda EZ90 Cub in some market was a motocross scooter produced by Honda from 1991-1996. Apart from looking futuristic and funky, the EZ90 was simply a cross between a motocross bike and a scooter. However, the EZ90 Cub was not a road-going bike, it was developed to use as a trail or pit bike. Meaning, the bike was limited to off-road and internal auxiliary use only.
The EZ-9, acronym for Easy-nine “easy-nine” was first presented during the 1990 Tokyo Motor Show in Honda’s tri-co (White, blue and red). The purpose of Honda developing this bike was to get everyone into riding motorcycles just like the first Cub. To make two-wheel riding exciting for everyone, during the development phase, Honda focused on making the EZ-9 look friendly, easy and fun to ride. Honda thought the EZ would be a good addition to vacation homes and motorhomes. The EZ-9 was basically something that you could use to stroll and have fun around your courtyard, farmhouse or motorhome!
If you are a reader from the US, you might have seen these in the paddocks during Indycar races back in the days. According to sources Honda was a lone engine supplier for the races (2006-2011), so they also provided the teams with reliable small bikes to go around the paddocks.
Did you know, Honda even made a snow-bike version of this Cub? They unveiled the snow-bike version, the “Ez-snow” at the 1991 Tokyo Salon. Honda simply replaced the front wheel with a steerable ski and fitted a rubber caterpillar track at the rear. Pretty smart, eh? According to sources, only 250-300 units of the EZ-Snow were ever produced for the Japanese domestic market. However, with time people started coming out with custom snow kit for the EZ-9.
Although there have been numerous models from 90-96, all the EZ-90 Cubs featured a 2-stroke 90cc engine which made the bike torquey and snappy, making it fun to ride on dirt and sand. Since Honda wanted to make a “family bike”, they added an automatic transmission to the EZ, as a result, the bike had no age restrictions (Only height). In countries such as Italy, the 90cc engine was replaced by a 49cc 2-stroke engine to pass regulations, these bikes were badged as the EZ-5!
The “futuristic” plastic bodywork made the EZ light and look like a machine from the future. Thanks to the funky design, even after 30 years the EZ has a cult following until today. Aside from just the looks, the EZ’s bodywork is functional too! The tiny bike had compartments in the front to store soft drinks and snacks.
As the EZ was an underbone bike, it had simple structural tube framing underneath those “futuristic” plastic bodywork. As for the suspension, the EZ rolled in with traditional fork suspension at the front and mono-shock at the back (directly linked to the swingarm). In the case of brakes, for the sake of simplicity, the EZ came out with drum brakes at the front and back. Overall these made the EZ an agile offroader!
Have a look at the specifications of the Honda EZ90 Cub models from 1991-1996. If you are a collector this information might be very useful to you. Also, feel free to update us if you have any additional information!
For 1991, the EZ90 came in three colour options: Shasta White, Pure Flandre Blue, and Fighting Red. On this model, the fork boots, front mudguards, saddle, and handle grips were blue. Aside from this, the 91 models featured a “Cub” logo, red stripes and metallic silver skid plates. As mentioned earlier, the engine was a 2-stroke 90cc single-cylinder ( with a reed valve) and an automatic transmission.
The serial number for this model starts from JH2HE060*MK100001.
The 1992 model followed the same “futuristic” look, colour options and paint scheme as the 1991 model. On top of the engine and transmission were same as 1991 model too. Overall, the 1992 model had no visible changes from the 91 model.
The serial number for this model starts from JH2HE060*NK300001.
93 model followed the same overall “futuristic” look. However, there were only two colour available: Shasta White and Fighting Red.
For the 93 models, the saddle was now red along with the front mudguards and handle covers. As for the bodywork, it was red and white with red “Cub” logo and red stripes. Furthermore, the rear fender colour switched from white to red. The metallic silver skid plate, engine and transmission remained the same.
The serial number for this model starts from JH2HE060*PK400001.
The 94,95 and 95 models had no changes from the 1993 model in terms of design, colour options and specifications.
The serial number for these models start from:
1994 – JH2HE060*RK500001
1995- JH2HE060*SK600504
1996 – JH2HE060*TK700001
The EZ90 Cub is a cult classic among fans and collectors, making it extremely hard to find. Even if you come across one, a decent example would be priced around USD 2,500++. Well, although the EZ is no longer in production, cubaholics somehow find a way to bring it back to life, like these folks in Italy.
A few years back Italy’s custom bike builder, Deus Milano and Kaos Design built a modern version of the Honda EZ90. The modern custom version was built based on the current Honda X-ADV. The bigger EZ custom bike has a 745cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin engine which pushes around 54 horses and 68 Nm (50 lb-ft) of torque paired with a DCT six-speed transmission.
Photo Credit: Deus Ex Machina
Also read:
How Did the Honda Super Cub Ad Campaign Change Public Perception of Motorcycling?
2020 Honda CT125 Hunter Cub Official Launch Date, Specs and Price