1982 Honda MotraIt's also the apparent answer to the question, "what if your Motocompo could haul all your stuff off road?"1982 was an interesting time for Honda, truly. For one thing, it's a year that sits right in the middle of the run of the Honda City and Motocompo pairing in Japan, vehicles which remain enthusiast icons even today, over 40 years later. For another, it's the year that Honda's first-ever Accord four-door sedan rolled off the production line at its US factory. As I write this in 2026, Honda still makes the Accord, though of course it's undergone various changes over the years. 1982 is also the year that Honda Racing Corporation was first established, if you're a motorsports nerd like me, and also have various bits of ephemera lying around with that iconic Honda tricolor racing wings logo sitting around. But as I'm sure you're aware by now, while Honda is most definitely an international company, that doesn't mean that it sells all of its vehicles in every market. Most OEMs that sell their products worldwide don't do that, so Honda doesn't particularly stand out here. That is, unless you consider the fondness with which JDM automotive and motorbike nerds frequently regard their favorite Japan-only machines, such as the aforementioned Motocompo.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Motocompo was intended to be a simple, folding, trunk-stowable, last-mile city bike. One quick walkaround of a Motocompo, whether it's in person or in your mind's eye, will instantly tell you that this thing isn't really made to go off-road at all. And that's okay; plenty of bikes aren't. That's part of its particular set of charms.But if you're familiar with Honda's reasoning by now, then you probably already know that it wasn't a simple case of Honda not thinking about agricultural, camping, or other outdoor recreational users. Rather, it was more a case of Honda wanting to craft a completely different model to serve that segment of customers. This, friends, is the very unique Honda Motra, only made and released in the Japanese market in a single year: 1982.1982 Honda Motra1982 Honda Motra1982 Honda MotraPhotos by: Bring A TrailerYes, the name is only one letter off from "Mothra." But despite that fact, this was not Honda crafting a fantastic mecha motorbike monstrosity to square off against Godzilla in the next Studio Toho epic. A fact that I'm honestly kind of sorry about, because now that I've taken this joke so far, I kind of wish I could see that in real life. Oh well.AdvertisementAdvertisementNo, instead, "Motra" is a great example of a common Japanese borrowed-word portmanteau. Just like a lot of Americans like to sprinkle in a soupçon of random borrowed French words into our everyday language, modern Japanese also makes use of borrowed English words. (Did I think this is how I'd be using my Japanese studies major in college? No, but I'll take it.)For every English speaker's choice to talk about a rendezvous, or indulging ourselves in a parfait, or perhaps a filet mignon if we're feeling more savory than sweet, Japanese speakers also have a ton of borrowed English words that pop up in everyday conversation, or are just a choice that speakers might make if they want to sound cool.If you want to veer way off into the weeds, and if you can read written Japanese, you'll instantly be able to pick written borrowed words out, because they'll be spelled out in katakana. Interestingly, that's a phonetic system that is ONLY used for borrowed words. Written Japanese language makes use of three separate writing systems: hiragana, katakana, and kanji, the latter of which share complicated roots with Chinese characters, a fact that confuses a lot of people who seek to oversimplify an extremely layered and nuanced history between the two nations that I won't be going into here.All About Team RedHonda's Tiny Motorcycles Are Doing Billion-Dollar Damage ControlHonda Filmed This Fantastic Documentary Back In 1962 And You Need To See ItAdvertisementAdvertisementAnyway, back to the Honda Motra, and its clever English borrowed-word portmanteau! If you're someone who's too clever by half, and you also love economical use of language, you might also decide to mash the words "motorcycle" and "truck" together if you created this bike. Why? Because it shares elements of both those things. It's very much a little motorbike, but it's also made to be sturdy and packhorse-like, complete with forward and rear cargo racks and a distinctly utilitarian styling ethos. The Motra even does something else super strange for a motorbike: It has both Low and High gears, just like many of your favorite off-road-capable vehicles. While it sadly isn't 2WD (you're thinking of the Rokon Trailbreaker), it's perhaps even more interesting because Honda vehicles reached so many more people and markets. Case in point, even though the Honda Motra was only ever officially sold from new in Japan, because the US has the 25-year rule, and because enthusiasts over here constantly want things that weren't released in our domestic market, this pretty sweet example of a running 1982 Honda Motra that's now for sale in New York.At the time of writing, this auction ends on Friday, August 28, 2026 over on Bring a Trailer, and it's being offered with no reserve. The bid is up to US $1,200 right now, and the seller even went so far as to not just provide a cold start video; it's an INFRARED cold start video. Seriously, this should be the new standard for any vehicle that someone is serious about selling, because it's excellent.It's a bitty 49cc little sub-5-horsepower-having guy, but then again, so is the Motocompo, and that certainly isn't hampering its popularity one bit. The gauges and indeed everything else are pretty sweet if you love this time period's machines. It even has a helmet lock, despite not really being meant as your average everyday commuter; honestly, that's something I wish we didn't get away from on modern motorcycles (and if I had one complaint about the long-term Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 I've been riding, it's that it doesn't have a helmet lock). AdvertisementAdvertisementSee for yourself; simple, but effective!1982 Honda MotraThe Honda Motra came with drum brakes all around, and according to the seller, it's worth noting that the rear shocks are not currently functional on this example. As you might expect with something of this age and rarity, even though it's a Honda, some parts may be difficult to find over 40 years after the fact. Still, it seems to run nicely if the videos included in this listing are any indication, and you're far more likely to see a Motocompo show up at your next meet than you are a Motra. Don't you want to be that particular kind of weirdo? If you do, check out the auction before it ends.