1978 Black CT70 5.5L Tribute — Built for the Great American Monkey 1000

September 5, 2025

1978 Black CT70 5.5L Tribute — Built for the Great American Monkey 1000

A modern off-road machine built entirely from aftermarket parts, styled as a tribute to the rare 1978 one-year-only black CT70

Aaron Green’s blackout CT70 build featuring a 5.5L frame kit — Photos by **Darren Benz** · Instagram: @darrenbenzphotography

For a lot of us, the ’78 CT70 is core-memory material—the only year Honda sent these out in factory black, with bold tri-color striping and proud Mini Trail 70 decals. Aaron kept that silhouette and blackout mood, then re-imagined it with a 5.5L frame kit and trail-ready controls, brakes, and suspension so it can handle real single-track.

“I have a bunch of CT70s (over 15). I like the frame kits because of the larger fuel tank. I saw the Great American Monkey 1000 video a few years ago and was like hell yeah 🤘 this bike was purposely built for that. Most everything on the bike is from Bart Moto Co.”

Built for the Great American Monkey 1000

This bike wasn’t just built to look mean—it was built to go the distance. The Great American Monkey 1000 is a multi-day mini-bike adventure around Moab, Utah, a ~1000 km test across mixed terrain that’s as much about grit and creativity as it is about speed. Aaron has already logged 30 miles of single-track shakedown to prep for the event.

“I need to hack the bike up to fit the racks so it will never be clean like this again”

Why the 5.5L Frame?

The 5.5L fuel tank keeps the blackout look and adds range—fewer fuel stops, more time on route. Pair that with modern controls, suspension, and braking, and you’ve got a nostalgic CT70 that rides like it belongs on today’s routes.