by Iggy Grainger
In some ways riding a motorbike isn’t like real life at all. Everything is enhanced, exaggerated and made to be more vivid. And the amazing thing is that it’s available to each and every one of us. Motorcycling might seem intimidating at first but the reality is very different. It’s simple, incredibly accessible, exhilarating and affordable, too. The new Honda CB125F is designed to help people experience this for the first time.
The CB125F is an all-new bike but it reinvents a concept that’s proven incredibly popular in its predecessor, the best-selling CBF125. It’s light, agile, highly efficient but most importantly incredibly easy to master.
The Honda CB125F is for town and country, beginners and experienced motorcycle fans
A versatile motorcycle
For learners, it’s ideal. The engine is smooth and powerful enough to handle any road conditions, the 18-inch wheels ensure stability and superb feedback so the CB125F is completely intuitive to ride, and with plenty of steering lock it’s also fantastic at negotiating even the tightest spots.
I took the Honda CB125F for a 120-mile ride from Windsor to Goodwood and back to check out how it would perform for beginners. The bike itself is comfortable and easy to manage, as you’d expect from a machine aimed towards learners and training schools. It’s a fairly simple motorcycle with an air-cooled four stroke engine, five speed gearbox and nothing extra thrown in to over-complicate things.
The Honda CB125F comes in four colours
Put to the test
The engine is lively enough so there are no worries about keeping up with the flow of traffic on faster roads, in fact I spent a few miles on the busy A3 where the bike sat comfortably at just below 70mph.
It’s more than capable on dual carriageways then, but a bike like this is at its best on twisty country roads, or for nipping around town where it’ll cover a few miles quite comfortably whilst sipping fuel at up to 145mpg – making it a great choice for commuting.
The fuel gauge has barely moved by the time I stop for lunch at in Sussex. Just how much fun the CB125F can be I’m about to find out, as I put it through its paces on the iconic Goodwood Hillclimb that plays host to the Festival of Speed every summer. It’s been the stage for top level MotoGP motorcycles, Le Mans machines and F1 cars, but today it’s the turn of the CB125F.
The Honda CB125F is cost effective and a pleasure to ride all the way home
To the finish line and beyond
The imposing façade of Goodwood House is just yards away as I head up the hill and through a couple of fast kinks and past the very solid looking wall, the pale flintstone close enough as I pass to graze a shoulder if I try. Another corner and then its on to the finish line in the woods.
It’s an exhilarating run even at these speeds, even better going down it on the CB125F, head down, tucked in, corners taken at full chat whilst golfers look on in wonder. Forget any preconceptions you may have about small capacity motorcycles because you can have just as much fun as you can on larger capacity machinery, give one a try.
New Rider Event
Thinking of taking to two wheels? Or love riding already and planning an upgrade? Then don’t miss our New Rider Event – we’ll give you £150 towards your CBT course, or £150 worth of riding gear when you purchase any new 125cc bike or under between May 22-25. Simply register now and we’ll give you a unique code – bring this along to your nearest dealer during May 22-25 to redeem the offer.
