Small size, maneuverability, và economic operation made the Super Cub the most popular motorcycle in the world
by TJ Hinton, onFebruary 21, 2020, 08:30LISTEN09:47After much speculation and anticipation, Honda finally released the all-new Super Cub C125 ABS to U.S. Dealerships in January 2019, and will carry over into 2021. This iconic ride brings the same 124.9 cc powerplant that drives the popular Grom coupled with a semi-automatic, clutchless shifter, and four-speed gearbox delivering the same ease of operation that helped lớn make the original such a hit.A disc front brake and ABS bring the classic design closer to modern standards, but the looks are straight outta’ the ’50s for a genuinely dated vibe that is impossible lớn imitate. Entry-level pricing provides the icing for this charming little cake in order lớn endear itself lớn that critical market segment, but I’d argue that this ride is good for more than just as a trainer.
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First off, I feel it’s important to establish a pedigree of sorts here. The original Super Cub rolled in 1958, and although Honda quit shipping them lớn the U.S. Back in 1974, the factory kept cranking ’em out for the rest of the world, to the tune of over 100 million units built as of 2017. That makes the Super Cub the single most popular motorcycle in the world by a significant margin. Now that you’re suitably impressed, let’s evaluate this newest version from the appropriate perspective.
Right off the bat you’ll notice that it seems to share much in common with classic scooters due to the legguards that khung a nice protective pocket for your stems và the step-through area that follows close behind. It isn’t quite a full step-through, not even close in fact, but it does allow for easier mounting & provides a reservoir for riders who dare khổng lồ wear a dress or skirt on their two-wheeled commute.
Viewed in profile, the overall design forms an “S” as the lines flow down the fairing/steering column, back up under the seat to lớn then drop off at the rear fender. At the front end, sheet-metal shrouds engulf the forks and continue up into a scooter-style handlebar fairing that carries a cyclops LED headlight with a chrome mã sản phẩm badge to dress it all up. But where’s the tank, you ask? It’s tucked away under the seat — all one gallon of it — & it’s kept secure by a lock that releases electronically for push-button access.
Behind the 30.7-inch tall solo seat, a small luggage rack makes up for a lack of the scooter-like storage compartment, but I can’t help but wonder if the lack of passenger amenities may be a sticking point for some. Oh well, aftermarket seat-maker’s kids need to eat too. ’Course, it does have a pair of passenger footpegs mounted on the swingarm, so I guess you could bungee a wadded-up jacket khổng lồ the luggage rack in times of dire need.
The rearward lighting is kept compact by LED technology so everything remains proportional to lớn the rather narrow rear fender, và as simple as it seems, the painted shock uppers just seem khổng lồ tie everything in the rear together quite nicely. Symmetrical, 17-inch wheels vị their bit lớn both help the Super Cub handle like a proper motorcycle, và help it look like one too, in spite of all the scooter-tastic design characteristics.To improve its utility as a commuter, the factory threw on a small storage compartment under the right sidecover so you can store your possibles out of the weather.
Honda C125 Super Cub Chassis
The Super Cub seems a bit shy as the steel standing structure is all but completely hidden by the sheet metal with only the swingarm và bits of suspension visible. Under the front-fork shrouds, a phối of 26 mm forks bởi their bit with 3.9 inches of travel, an increase over the previous generation, but nothing in the way of adjustments. Out back, a pair of dressy shocks tư vấn the rear kết thúc with 3.3 inches of travel và the same tweaks as the front end: none.
It would be an exercise in understatement lớn say that the Super Cub doesn’t need any help in cultivating that wonderful classic panache, but still the factory felt compelled to lớn put a 110 milimet drum brake on the rear end. Oh well, khổng lồ be fair, the whole thing weighs in at only 240 pounds, so there’s only so much energy to lớn manage in the first place. A 220 milimet disc & twin-pot hydraulic caliper slows the front with ABS protection on board and the safety it provides, something the entry-level riders should certainly appreciate.
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The steering head comes phối at 26.5-degrees with 2.8 inches of trail on a short, 48.9-inch wheelbase with a 70/90 & 80/90 hoop on the front and rear, respectively. Cast wheels kind of ruin the classic look a little bit for me, ’cause of course this ride would look even cooler with wire wheels.
Honda powers the Super Cub with a 124.9 cc, air-cooled thumper, the same one used in the Grom. While the factory is typically tight-lipped about performance, we know that the Grom had a new engine in 2019 and that the ’18 version produced 9.7 horsepower và 8.04 pound-feet of torque, so I expect the new mill will fall out somewhere in that neighborhood. Probably even a skosh higher.Honda says đứng top speed is 60 mph, but unless you are very petite and not carrying any gear, you will likely see closer khổng lồ 50 mph.
The long-stroke plant runs a 52.4 milimet bore with a 57.9 mm stroke and a compression ratio of 9.3-to-1 with Honda’s PGM-FI khổng lồ meter the fuel & a SOHC lớn time the two-valve head. While the engine is rather typical for its displacement bracket, the drive system is anything but. A centrifugal clutch couple engine power to the four-speed transmission, so there’s no need for a clutch lever, just roll off the throttle & change gears with the heel-toe lever. This semi-automatic operation is easy, intuitive, và delivers a more engaging ride than the CVT you find on proper scooters.
| 124.9 cc air-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke |
| SOHC, Two-valve |
| 52.4 milimet x 57.9 mm |
| 9.3:1 |
| PGM-FI w/ 24 mm bore, automatic enrichment |
| Electric |
| Manual; four speeds |
| Semi-automatic centrifugal |
| Chain final drive; 14T/36T |
The 2021 SC125A Super Cub rolls directly over into MY2022 with a change in color and price. Matte Gray Metallic replaces the red sheet metal from the last two years, and price went up $50 to make the 2022 MSRP $3,799.
| └ 2019: | Pearl Niltava Blue |
| └ 2020, 2021: | Pearl Nebula Red |
| Price: | |
| └ 2019: | $3,599 |
| └ 2020: | $3,649 |
| └ 2021: | $3,749 |
What does one pick to lớn compare to such a chất lượng little ride as the Super Cob C125? Sure, there are a handful of popular 125s on the market right now lượt thích the very Grom-like Z125 Pro from Kawasaki, & of course the Grom itself, but they’re much different machines. Honda also builds other motorcycles with strong scooter influence such as the Integra & X-ADV, but these are packing far too many cubes lớn be a proper competitor. Oh, there’s the Monkey, but it’s another Honda product, as well, although its dated design puts it into the same kind of retro-class as the Super Cub even if the kiến thiết is more akin to lớn the aforementioned pit bikes.
At the over of the day, the C125 is such a neat & unique little ride, I expect it will steal some buyers from the alternative choices while carving out a buyer base all its own. I just hope Honda’s plan for a limited U.S. Release isn’t too narrow in scope; it’d be a shame if they shot themselves in the foot on this.
He Said
“Love it! What a xinh tươi little ride. You can just imagine a million of them packed into và round urban traffic in some Asian city, and with good reason, the small size, maneuverability, and economic operation are all solid attributes. Is it too small for many American cities? Probably, but there are plenty of places where you could get away with riding one, no problem.”
She Said
My wife and fellow motorcycle writer, Allyn Hinton, says, “I can see where this appeals to the new generation of motorcycle riders, which is likely why Honda is bringing it back khổng lồ our market after 40-some years. Timing is everything, yes? and really, it doesn’t get more classic than this. As a competitor, I might have gone with the KYMCO K-Pipe, though I can’t say exactly why that springs to lớn mind.”
”The 2020 Super Cub looks amazingly like a meticulously restored original including the original Honda logo, until you look closer khổng lồ find modern touches lượt thích the LED lighting và a front disc brake.”
