Review Honda CB125F – Motorcycle Test

Review Honda CB125F

Wayne Vickers Motorcycle Test – RbMotoLens . Image

Cheap. EQUAL. French fries. That’s the first thing that comes to mind. It’s hard to ignore.

So I started researching the important stuff. Large French fries cost $4.10 and have an average of 100 chips per serving. Some quick math and more told me you’d get about 25 large servings of chips into a stacked regular bin. And obviously you’ll fit 5 crates into a standard wheelbarrow. So, with the asking price of CB125F, you can buy 7 wheelbarrows* of Maccas large fries… or you can own your own CB125F.

It happened to go away for $3,800. Crazy. That’s over 1,200 boxes of 10 nuggets if you’re interested. Even so, cheap as nugs really don’t have the same effect.

After you take care of that price, you need to evaluate the bike accordingly. Honestly, it’s not the most stylish, fastest or most powerful thing on the market. It won’t rip off the slide or pull 4th gear. That’s not the summary here. Cheap to buy and operate and easy to get around town – that’s the summary. And objectively there is no denying that it responds to succinctness.

Now that I’ve seen 2 to 3 liters per hundred kilometers at full throttle everywhere, I can confidently say that a 12 liter tank will get you over 400 kay before it needs to be refilled. And that is to leave a little in the tank to reserve. It doesn’t just run on the smell of gasoline. It will probably run if you keep repeating the word gasoline.

It’s small, light (at 115 kg it’s really, very light), it has a super low saddle height so it would be a great entry bike for smaller/lighter riders looking to learn about something cheap around town. Maybe go to university or go to work – something like that.

It will reach 100 km/h.. eventually. I managed to see 110 on the speedo. On a small slope. With a tail wind. But it’s really best to treat it like a suburban trip. It is suitable for any area with speeds up to 80 km/h and will keep up with traffic when it leaves the lights.

That tiny 124 cc single injector certainly won’t upset the neighbors. Super quiet. It’s a pretty flat power delivery, with no noticeable peaks or dips. It will accelerate (and should be if you’re on the highway!), but you’ll need to crank the throttle moderately as it’s a rather slow throttle – meaning it’s very user-friendly for racers little experience.

The brakes aren’t particularly great but they work. The feel is fine but they are not the strongest stoppers ever. They are a linked system that will use some of the front (disc) brakes when you press on the rear (drum) brake, but under 250cc they don’t need to come with ABS. So they don’t.

The suspension is also super light, yet fully functional. The small forks and small shock absorbers do the job, just don’t expect to be surprised at the feel or response at either end. It doesn’t seem to have bottomed out, though – and it’s not exactly a bike you’re going to get through.. so.. admittedly the suspension requirements are pretty low.

The clutch is also really light. Combined with the super-low first gear, even the most voracious racers from Hamville will struggle to hold off the diminutive CBF. Even so, it’s unlikely you’d want to smash it in a constant rush at a Grand Prix traffic light. I have a feeling it’s not abuse. Just say.

It’s the device. I really wanted to throw a bigger front sprocket in there, I found the first to be unnecessarily low and the second a gear too high to start with. Not sure what effect that would have on fuel usage. Maybe even make it use less!

The dash is nice, clear and simple, in fact it follows the rest of the car in that nothing on it exceeds the bare minimum. And that’s ok. That’s how you manage to build a bike for that price.

It must be reliable. It’s a Honda after all. And while it may not represent what many people first think of when we think of Honda (the engineering leader), when you think of the best-selling bikes of all time.. little Hondas are leading. Over 100 million Honda Cubs have been sold since 1958. 100 million!!! And while it may have been a different model, they also sold a truckload of these CB125s.

I assume they know something about mass production of cheap treadmills. The bikes will happily take you to your local Maccas and back for less than the price of a soft serve cone. God, I could smash an apple pie and caramel custard right now…

I like CB125F because…

• It’s cheap. Damn cheap
• And it uses almost no fuel
• Super light and easy to ride

I would rather CB125F if…

You know, I could suggest all sorts of improvements to this bike. But then it won’t be cheap anymore. So, about the little tweaks I want to make?

• I wish the brakes were a bit stronger, maybe more powerful pads
• And I’ll raise the front gear one cog for a slightly higher first gear
• That’s it. I think if you want ‘more’, then you probably won’t look at 125

* $3,600 / $4.10 = 878 large servings of french fries = 878,000 individual fries. 878/25 is nearly 35 boxes of chips = 7 wheelbarrows. Or a CB125F. Great.