I bought one of theses few weeks ago and I couldn’t be happier. I’m currently working my way to a full license - I was going to upgrade to a 650-750cc bike ASAP but I’ve totally fallen in love with the little thing and want to ride it for a bit longer now. I only have two criticisms - it’s frustrating to get it to go much faster than 65mph, and because it’s so light and user friendly, it can take a bit of adjustment getting used to a 200kg bike with a lot more power - you can get away with a lot on this bike that a bigger bike wouldn’t forgive you for, which is both good and bad for newbies. After spending a morning riding a 650cc Kawasaki, the little 125 felt a bit like a toy. However, I can’t recommend it enough for new riders, or if you want a commuter/city bike that’s more fun and interesting than a scooter.
She is just beautiful standing out machine. after I saw it first time I fall in love with it straight away. Picking up mine next week:) nice vid my friends
these lads are fukin hilarious, first bike review ive watched till the end! im in love with this bike, im gotta get one as soon as i get my license... great video!
I had an old CG125 in the 90's & it was absolutely solid. I can only imagine how far these Honda 125's have come in 20+ years. Thanks again for the real world review (& hilarious banter)
Nice review guys. Just got my CBT (at 64yrs old) and looking at this and the little Duke (couldn't do a review/comparison with that one could you?). Colourful plastic bits are a good thing! But I do have to ask.... you say you weigh how many kg's? Really? Got hollow legs then?? ;o)
Thanks for the kind words Richard. Glad you enjoyed the review. Any age is great to be a biker. Welcome to the family of bikers :) We will see what we can do for a comparison :) I may have exaggerated a bit. Hehhehe. Yep hollow legs. Ride safe and enjoy :)
I have mine for a week now and i really like it. My previous bike was a honda MSX and the ride comfort of the CB 125R is really much better. Thank you for your great and funny review guys.
just bought my son one, and had my first ride out on it.. as you say not the most powerful , but its all about " road awareness" and the width of front and back tyres are such a good improvement on his previous cbf125 2012 model, which had bicycle wheel type tyres.. good handling around corners .ABS .. Mirrors are not great as my arms were in way also.. almost " not fit for purpose" , which if your a young driver needs to be sorted for safety reasons .. will discuss with Honda dealer.. thanks for review
Video title CBR, bike tested CB! Great review, realistic and informative. Better review than the CB650f which seemed unfair on test, ie new machine, expecting to pull from low revs in 6th!
She is a lovely looking bike. I wouldn't have guessed it was a 125. As you say, meaty and nice looking. I like the idea of being able to ride it to fullest potential, rather than pussyfooting around on a larger bike. Thanks for the review.
Just bought one today i am 59 failed my mod 1 had bikes when younger need to get my brain back into bike mode hope this will help looked at a few 125s but this looked the most street cred 125 on the market.
Iv had my cb125r 12 months now, it's the 1st bike iv had and it's a great little bike, just done a 200 mile day trip with 4 mates who were all on big buggers, mine was just as happy on the twisties obv not quite as quick but there was no rush and it returned 134.7 mpg!! My cuppa was more expensive than the petrol!!
I am 24 now, and I never made an A license. Maybe you don't know this, but in Europe it is possible now to make an extra license, called "code 111", which allows me to drive a 125 bike. I made it a few days ago, and am now so hyped for this bike! I think this bike is made for people that are older than 17, like me. Because we can spend more money and are not as likely to upgrade. It's a great choice for me and I think many other code 111 people!
Hey buddy, thanks for the information about the code 111 licence. congrats on getting it and this bike is awesome and so much fun! you will love it :) Ride Safe
RiderCamTV thanks :) Yeah I thought this information could be helpful to you, maybe you can keep this in mind when you're reviewing 125s, I think many Europeans would be happy.
@@a1x48 Guess it depends on the country... In Portugal you can ride 125's with 11kw max (same as a1 I believe) with a B license (car license) as long as your 25 or older. That makes 125's very popular for this demographic for commuting and some weekend riding. I'll be getting one myself next year when I turn 25, to get into biking and maybe get a full license later down the road if I'm able to get a new bigger bike that I like.
Glad to see someone ride a same bike with me ,even the color! And you're tall, I admire it very much. Im only 161cm so it's a little bit difficult for me when I stop.
I do a 290 mile round trip on a cbr 125 every weekend, yeah it lacks in power a bit and takes longer as I can’t use the motorway, but there’s no reason you can’t use a 125 for long distance riding.... ..hopefully 😂
this why I'm getting one can't afford a car and these bikes are so cheap to run compared to a car, can't wait until i have enough to get one well it's either this bike the grom 125 or the yamaha mt-125
There are loads of 125cc touring videos on RU-vid, esp French. The French aren't hung up on engine size like Brits. I bought a Honda Shadow 125cc 16 years ago when I moved to France and its perfect for French country roads. Other English friends end up frustrated with their big bikes because they are such a handful.
Late to the party, but would it be crazy to consider this for a 30 km mixed commute of Swiss town roads, country lanes (80 kph) and about 10 minutes of dual-carriageway (traffic flowing at 90 - 100 kph)? Sort of a toss-up between this and the CB300R as a first bike (at 50 years old), specifically only for the commute and short round-town trips. I don't have any concern with taking the full license, but sort of like the minimalist appeal of a flickable 125 (I'm a cyclist/MTBer).
Nice review. 13hp is much better than the 10hp the older CB125 carb motor did. Good looking better brakes, because the old CB125 had a 10hp motor with 5hp brakes. Mirrors are ridiculous. Best to buy really tall mirrors that see over your shoulder. Seat is pretty low. I have an old CB250 (239cc) and she gets 120mpg (imperial) or 95mpg US. So those specs are believable.
Just got one. Don't no about doing 160 miles to. The 10.1 litre tank Also gear changes sometimes have issues, but apart from that love it.... Defo want to do advanced course and trade in for bigger bike
It’s not going to set the world alight, but if you’d ridden some of the cheap Chinese 125cc machines, then you’d really appreciate Honda build quality! Plus some of the Chinese kit, they’re only 10/11bhp 😳
What would be interesting guys is a bit more about your backgrounds. I mean I think you'd both profession , but as you know in the word of bikes everyone's a pro and everyone' could of made it at the TT 😀 what experience to you guys have.? I bought my bike on a trusted review by you. You had a few minor points ( dealership) wrong but overall bang on . 😀 👍✌
Hey Julian, thanks for the kind words. We might go into our backgrounds a little in a future vid but essentially we are 2 guys that met on a bike safe, did blood biking together and became really good friends. Both share a passion for motorbiking and both ended up working for the same tour company which we love and started the channel. We try to give an honest opinion about the bikes from a real world perspective rather than thrashing the bikes and providing so much tech data that it gets lost in translation. We found there weren’t many channels that just said how the bikes were and how they performed on a day to day kinda basis, so hopefully that’s what we are achieving. Just honest reviews of different bikes, tech and anything bike :) I couldn’t have made the TT and wouldn’t say I’m an expert. Always something to learn. And it’s gotta be fun too. glad you enjoyed the vids. Ride safe buddy :)
Did my CBT at Damerells last year on a honda vision, which was fun. I wish they had one of those instead. They'd still have given me the vision though. I've since learn't all the gears and that but how does it get on with hills and headwinds, we get lots of those in Cornwall, and mud, is it easy to clean? Looks nice though. Might pop in and have a look.
Cool. Fab people at Damerell’s. It will cope well with the hills and winds. I know what you mean in Cornwall . We have lots. Lol Looks as though it’ll be easy to clean as loads of open parts in the frame to get in to get the dirt off
You say the bike is under powered. But all 125s are under powered if you compare it to any big bike. You have to remember that the target market for these bikes are usually people that have never ridden a bike before. If you’re one of those folks, 13hp will seem like a rip snorting beast. The lack of power isn’t going to be an issue in its natural environment, the big city or town.. Don’t keep knocking it’s lack of power. I ride a bike half the size and power of yours, do I have any less fun because of that? No I don’t. Power isn’t everything. My Versys 650 is more than capable of doing everything that your BMWs will do. The bonus is I didn’t spend £18,000 . This wasn’t your best review of a bike, too many comments about lack of power. The fork dive is normal for most bikes, compared to BMWs front suspension that doesn’t dive.
Hey mate, thanks for the comments although on the review it was said that it was wrong to compare it to the higher powered bikes although there was a lot of emphasis on the fun this bike gives too :) Ride safe buddy
not exactly sure, but usually they are overflow pipes to allow for expansion etc etc, so I wouldn't worry too much but if in doubt go to your local dealer and they can take a look for you.
They can beef up the bhp on these fancy 125s but they can't improve on the 7-8 foot pounds of 125s from forty years ago when they weighed a lot less. If you go touring and need to adjust the chain in the middle of nowhere? No mainstand so good luck with that. Anyway, A1 licence holders aren't learners. They've passed a test to prove their ability to ride a motorbike.
Raj Nijjer. So do you fit or are you cramped with an excessive squat with your boots on the pegs. Standing flat foot straddled, how much space under your bum to the seat?
S Tho I'm sitting perfect no problem. I can stand flat footed. I haven't check how much space between my bum but I don't think there's any. It is a very tall bike. My dad 5,10 and he said it's too high.
They don't make a CB650R,they make a CB650F! In these variants they make a CB125R,CB300R,CB1000R,the 125 and 300 are single cylinder where the 1000 is a reworked 2006 Blade engine. And what is this about under powered 125 bikes of the past,old sporty 125 two strokes would put out easily 20HP with little work. Manufacturers are limited to 15HP on all 125 bikes by law. Think your missing the mark by miles with this review, forget your GS and don't even mention the thing in the same sentence as this bike,the only thing it has in common is that it has two wheels! I would be happy with any of the current 125s from the main bike manufacturers,none of them make a bad bike,yes some are cheaper and aimed for people who just want a cheap bike to learn on or commute on and then there is the premium 125's like this or the MT-125,Duke 125 ect which have much more attention to detail and make owning a 125 fun and interesting to those who have no option but to ride a 125 or just want a bike that looks the part and doesn't cost the earth to buy. Not sure the charging system would enjoy heated grips on the bike,but I have little experience with bike electrics so I can really comments on why 125's don't get given an option of this.
Thanks for the comments matey, I did mention that it was wrong to put the gsa and this bike in a comparison and that I actually really liked it as it was a fun and flickable bike and that if I was in a position to have a 125 it would be great. A fun bike indeed. I do think however that all bikes should have heated grips and a decent horn, after all it’s not a lot to ask for nor much to ask for better safety devices to alert other road users of your presence. I liked it.
Enea Ballarini k or m? 100kph probably a decade of seconds. A ton, 100mph, well I hope you are going down a dry ski slope and have airbags to catch you, cause otherwise NEVER.
A motorcycle is a motorcycle and the Suzuki bam bam fits the. Bill also monkey bikes ,mopeds. 50cc ,are all motorcycles that have 2 wheels . So if I was to give a opinion on that bike I would not liken it to others or even say bigger bikes
Wilshaus France. Agree. Hondas should be $2000 USD to $12,000 £1500 UK and up. Not double that range. They have good quality, but are simple and older builds than expensive lines. They should be for the frugal rider looking for quality, as they once were.
@@STho205 There is the honda CB125F for that, their cheapest 125cc, simple "no non-sense" fuel efficient "cheap bike" its just about 10-15% more expensive than the chinese counterparts in my country (SWEDEN)