Honda CB125E
85 reviews
Reviews
Don't believe the knockers
The 125e without a doubt is cheap reliable and fun to ride.At age 64 and living on 20 acres I needed something other than an ag bike which are over rated and over priced in my opinion to move sheep around from paddock to paddock.The bike is also ridden to my nearest regional town 300km round trip on a semi regular basis half of that trip is on dirt and goat tracks.The only mods I have done to the bike are change front sprocket from 15 to 16 tooth,this allows the bike to sit on 90ks with top speed 100ks and allows the engine to enjoy being revv... Read moreed out through the gears rather than peaking way to early with the standard front sprocket.I also put on a hybrid set of knobbie tyres as I go through a bit of sandy country at times,and also fitted a loobmans chain oiler as well as running the hotter spark plug recommended by Honda for prolonged high speed riding.Last but not least I fitted a Fumoto quick release oil valve which replaces the sump plug making oil changes a 5 minute job,money well spent,given that I change the oil every 1,000 kilometres. The bike has behaved flawlessly, runs on the smell of an oily rag,and has a good sized tank that gives up to 450ks of riding depending on conditions.Whether you want a cheap commuter or just a bike to have a bit of fun on without breaking the bank the 125e won't disappoint.At the end of the day,you get what you pay for....if your after speed and adrenalin rush...stay away from this bike. Cheers and safe riding to you all.
A simple and forgiving beginner bike for all ages
Pros- Extremely fuel efficient and cheap on fuel.
- Very cheap on rego.
- Simple and easy to maintain.
- Very light and easy to handle. Very easy to move or pickup if dropped.
- Great as a delivery bike.
- Fairly torquy at the lower end and during take-off.
Cons
- Engine will start to have a serious workout above 60kms.
- Not suitable on the highway. Takes a long time to built up speed past 80kms. Max speed about 90-100kms on flat road.
-Seat becomes very uncomfortable on long rides. Show details
Cb125e - basic but best
I’ve only been into motorbikes for the past year and I’ve owned a few different styles, cruiser, Honda Spada… I found myself wanting this bike and now own one. Light and learner friendly, I do recommend CB125e. I am not a freeway rider so it is perfect. Show detailsRusting
Have had the 125 for 18 months and pleased with it accept I'm a bit concerned about the rust appearing on and around the handle bars and forks. Parked under cover and well ventilated and can't seem to find if or where premature rusting is mentioned i any warranty. Show detailsSorry But
The motorcycle that should never have been marketed. With the CT110 and ''Postie 125' that followed this bike filled a void no one even noticed. I'm a Honda kind but this is plain fuglyme. Looks like a scrapped Taiwanese after market jigsaw puzzle that doesn't quite come together. OK their 125 was Pulitzer for its time 70's wise, butt back then Honda attracted people who didn't ride bikes. Another example of ''you get what you pay for'' - a cheap, ugly, underpowered, generator with wheels. poor aftermarket value is obvious.Brand new rode it home and to work and back once and sprayed oil all over
I bought this new 2 Saturdays ago. I rode it home and had a lot of fun on this little bike. I then rode it to work and back one day and found my left boot and pants had been sprayed with oil. I looked at the bike and found oil all over the gearbox and along the side total 118ks of running. I called the dealer and was told it was my responsibility to get it back to them. I get their sister dealership much closer to truck the bike back to my dealership 60ks and wait 6 days to get told that it is a gasket and grommet leaking and that there are no parts in Australia. The dealership has ordered the parts but Honda is saying (2 weeks)6th of June at best.I know some of you love your 125's but at the moment I'd rather get a refund. Show details
Review from someone that knows everything about this bike
I had this bike for 5 years after I got my license and know it like a son. Did all my own maintenance, just use the manual. Valve clearance is easy by the second time, change oil about 1500km or so , cheap Kmart oil 15 -40 is fine, no filter. Spray the chain every couple of times. Get a sheep skin cover for 90 dollars online for naked bikes was the best solution, put a cheat water proof cover over that so your butt don't get wet when it rains. Michelin pilot sporty 90/90 18 tyres front and back , tubeless work perfect on this bike, about 90 eac... Read moreh from Queensland online Tyre shop. I could take large corners at 50km on green light like Bell and high St Preston and touch knee to ground, power out in 3rd girl. 50 is the max i tried 55 once and rear suspension was bucking side to side, it's too much stress on the frame. Bike does 40km to litre city driving at 50km/h but 28km when cruising at 82 on the highway all day. Get a bigger front sprocket one tooth more and a front wind shield online. It will cruise all day then at 90km with the same revs you had at 82 before. 101km/h is still the same top speed, learning forward on tank with no wind. Bike was $1995 retail price when came out in 2013 they increased price since then. Make sure dealer not being greedy and adding extra to today's rrp check bike point, best to buy demo models online on Gumtree for 1500. Never had a problem with reliability, quality is amazing for the Chinese price but it's Honda. Few of the plastics wear out eventually a little, the paint quality is About a 7/10. I could change gears without using the clutch after the first year , learn how to rev match , watch utube videos, transmission was super smooth. Brakes are great , if you pump them hard at 80 you will stop in a few seconds and almost go over the handlebars. I tested one time but it puts huge stress on the frame the shocks Creek and push forward a lot. Put washes and thicker oil in forks it drives better there too spongy from factory , set up for light girl riders that ride it like a bycicle. Buy a tank pad , protect the tank, don't waste time changing headlights or mods what it's got is perfect for 80 to 90km. Can replace chain with a extra heavy duty one , will probably last forever, 50,000 since 11nm torque can't wear it out. Standard one I got 18,000km with bike. Put cheap bar ends on to protect it on falls and use the centre stand in long term parking. I drove from Bendigo to Melbourne and all over Vic with this bike on 90km hour most times, no problem at all. Be careful when draining oil, the drain bolt can strip easy , aluminum , don't overnighted. Speedo is accurate I tested it with a car , this bike has no weakness it was perfect , easy to drive, comfortable, fun and cheap. Driving 300km just wears you out after a while and I started using public transport. I never had to spend money fixing this bike just replace tires, batteries, oil , do value check, adjust chain and that's it . Air filter a few times and make sure to greece all moving parts ohh and put fork gaitors on buy online fork protection I never had any fork seal leak after I did that, looks good to. If you don't like this bike then just buy a car , the next size up like a cbr250 or vtr 250 will cost 4000 second hand and only give you an extra 10kmh on a main Rd , I never thought it was worth it. Cruising around Melbourne on a cb125e and parking anywhere doing 550km on a tank of fuel 14 litres was amazing on this bike. I crashed 2 times total and only had 100 dollars each time, cracked headlight mostly. It really does not cost anything to have this bike unlike my Hyundai lantra I was spending 1500 a year on maintenance to keep it roadworthy all the time. If your a learner , need cheap transport, have a hobbie farm or just want the best value motorcycle in Australia buy this bike. If your a bike gang member or a guy that spends 1500+ to motorcycle clothing go and buy a 700c instead, this bike is for fun , economic transport not ego.Meet its design brief perfectly
I bought it 2nd hand for $1800. The first owner only had it for a couple of months and only done 385 kms!!!So it came with full set of keys, an original dealer receipt and contract, a manual book, a service book, tools etc.
Now it has travelled over 8000kms, The bike is so easy to ride and maintain. Any mechanically minded person should be able to perform its scheduled service easily. It is so easy and cheap to service, I actually over service the bike, ie oil change (800ml) every 2000kms, spark plug every 4000kms, chain adjust, clean and l... Read more
ubed every 1000km, air filter clean and valve clearance check every 4000kms. Constantly I get 2.4lt/100km, commuting around inner west. This bike is so popular in food delivery business/courier but No.... I do not use it for such...only for from and to work. I have 2 other bigger bikes but this CB125e gets the most use in the family. It never misses a beat in rain, hail or shine. It ain't fast, it ain't powerful but then, it is not pretending to be. It meets its intending design with flying colour. Highly recommended.Perfect for learners
This bike is perfect for learners. I purchased this for $2700 brand new.Pros
Cost Effective - As mentioned I purchased this for $2700. Running costs are trivial. Annual costs are about $260 per year including comprehensive insurance. It normally costs less than $10 to fill the 12 litre tank which lasts about 400km.
Manoeuvrability - In terms of handling this bike is superb. You can really throw this thing around in parking lots. Great for instilling confidence for road riding. It feels like riding an overpowered electric bike or moped.
Com... Read more
muter - perfect for my commute on the north shore (not city). Never have to worry about parking. Cons Slow - It takes a long time for this bike to reach it's 80km/h top speed. Do not take this thing on freeways. Instrumentation - there is only a speedometer and fuel gauge. No tachometer, after owning this bike for about four months I have no idea what the redline rpm of this bike is. The speedo actually has shift point suggestions.Really enjoy this bike - great for learners!
I'm just a Learner so I wanted a bike rather small, light and easy to ride and it has been perfect so far. Very easy to ride. Of course, it doesn't have a lot of power and you can mainly go up to 80km/h but it's perfect for the city. And regarding fuel consumption you can get any better than that! I will probably upgrade to something a bit more powerful in a couple of years but for the moment, it's what I need to learn, safely. Show detailsPerfect
It is so easy to ride and it is very easy to control also its one of my favourite motor bikes. I highly suggest you try it. Very strong condition too Show detailsGreat little bike and cheap to maintain
I like small bikes and many of my motorcycling years were done on bikes ranging from 90cc to 125cc, Not covering so many kilometers these days, I wanted a reliable little motorbike that is cheap to run and register. I cannot lie, I wouldn't mind a few more horsepower than the CB125E can provide, but I am very happy with this little bike and plan to keep it for many years.My home is in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, so the 125 has to cope with a 80km/hr roads, uphill on part of each trip. More power would be useful uphill, but the little... Read more
bike cruises at 80km/hr most of the time, dropping down to 70km/hr or less up hills. I treat her gently, never having ridden it over 80km/hr, but a more aggressive rider could get some more out her. I have ridden little bikes on the 110km/hr M4, but the little CB125E is not really suited to this type of road. Roads up to 80km/hr are great on this little bike. It is a very sweet bike; starting easily, running smoothly and with beautiful neutral handling. The exhaust note and mechanical noise are whisper quiet. It does everything right, with my only gripe being the time it takes to warm up on the first start of the morning. Most of my rides are less than 100km, but the low saddle and higher bars than I'm used to, make me think that a day's touring might give my backside a little grief. A great delight of this bike is the petrol economy which, combined with a moderate sized tank, gives a range of 400km plus. All running costs are very low and with simple mechanicals I have no trouble maintaining it myself - saving lots of money. Even valve adjustments are easy. Would I recommend it to others? If you aren't a powerhead, or have long runs on motorways, then I can't think of better value than this bike, with cheap running costs as well as initial purchase. I have owned it for a year and it has given no trouble and has the reassuring Honda quality. Its own reputation is building up as the model continues its run. The only modification to date is that about 600km the 15 teeth sprocket was replaced with a 16 teeth sprocket. This raised gearing 6.67%, not so that I could ride the bike any faster but so that on downhills and flat roads the motor was a little more relaxed. I would have to change down gears a little earlier on hills, but so what. First gear doesn't run out so quickly - another thing I like. Because it is only one tooth bigger there are no modifications necessary, and the chain did not need to be altered at all (except its adjustment at the back wheel).Great little bike!
Totally what I would expect of Honda. "Does what it says on the tin". Have come 'down' from a Fireblade to this after 12 years without a bike. Didn't know whether my ego could handle it, but at this price can't really go wrong. All you need for quick trips around town, when a scooter doesn't really appeal. I am 6ft 3" and 100kg, seat feels a bit low, but fine. Bike feels solid on the road. Nimble and keeps up with city traffic. Love the almost agricultural build simplicity, practicality and frugality. Nothing superfluous. Generally hig... Read moreh quality build and components, except super thin vinyl on saddle which creases and I expect a tear in the future. I will use it for shopping for my next 'blade or even 600RR! Even then I think I'll keep her for the odd quick commute, when its going to be left on a carpark and to keep the miles off the RR. Loving my new little Honda - it's great to be back in the saddle again!rock solid bike
I use mine for around town and a few trips out of town, if your a learner or on p plates it goes as fast as u can legally go.it starts first time every time and you get a brand new reliable little bike for a low cost.
Honda wont make anything bad, its great, i love the look and the handling and the fact that i got a new machine with 0km for the cost of a second hand with 30,000 -40,000 km on the clock.
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Cheap transport - you get what you pay for
This is about as small as you can go, engine wise, and still be able to get around urban roads safely. This is competing with postie bikes, chinese bikes, and scooters. They all cost around the same price so do your research and pick what attributes you want carefully. This bike is NOT recommended if you have to travel outside an urban area. You can only assume that this bike will top out at 80 km/h. Depending on wind, load, your size, and gradient, sometimes you will see higher on the speedo, up to 105 km/h on the flat. So it's perfectly able… Read more · 1 to keep up with traffic in 80-100 zones. But forget being overtaken in 110 km/h zones if you are doing 80 into a headwind. No thanks. Onto the review anyway: Pros: -Extremely easy for anyone to ride -Tight turning circle -Low seat height -Low weight -Forgiving controls -Fuel economy ranges around 2.7-3.0 l/100km in real world use -Extremely simple design makes it easy to work on -Handy practical features like a comfy seat, centerstand, luggage rack, gear position indicator etc Cons: -Stock tyres are dangerously bad and difficult/expensive to replace (they run a weird size) -Stock chain is rubbish and needs constant lube/adjustment -A postie bike is even simpler and easier to work on -Made in china, nuff said -1000km oil change intervals -4000 km general service intervals Overall they're decent bikes, great price, you won't be dissatisfied with it if you purchase one. But unless you need the manual endorsement on your licence, does it really make a case for itself over say a 125 scooter? If I was buying again, I would be looking at the honda cbf250. Basically the same design philosophy but you can comfortably cruise over 100 km/h. Due to the way rego is calculated in WA, and tyres being more readily available for the 250, and the engine isn't working as hard all the time, the running costs for the 250 are almost unnoticeably higher than the 125.Questions & Answers
Hi got a new honda cb125e and the headlight seems to be aimed straight in front of Tyre making it hard to ride at night like the headlight is upside-down. Do I just have to change the angle of the headlight or is it something else?
My Honda cb125e.. the left side indicator works but the right side is not working. When I turn it on it gives a wired noise.. Any solution to that…
How much is the registration in SA for this bike
Details
Points of praise for the Honda CB125E
- Reviewers often reported that this Honda motorbike is especially easy to clean and maintain. Many also appreciated that they were able to service and maintain their Honda CB125E themselves, saving them the money and time of having to go visit a mechanic.
- A lightweight build makes this motorcycle easy to manoeuvre. This helped to build up learner bikers’ confidence, even though this bike is not necessarily designed for speed or power, or superior acceleration, with its 124cc engine capacity.
- Fuel efficiency as well as other running costs are reported to be low, with the petrol tank also being generously sized, at 14L. If you’re not doing too many long-distance rides, you won’t have to refill too frequently if you opt for a full tank each time.
- A quiet riding experience was enjoyed by many reviewers, with any exhaust and mechanical noise being soft.
Category | Naked Bikes and Learner Approved Bikes |
---|---|
Engine Displacement | 124 cc |
Cooling System | Air-Cooled |
Engine Type | Air-cooled 4-stroke |
Fuel Tank Capacity | 14 L |
Ground Clearance | 145 mm |
Dimensions | 1094 x 765 x 2026 mm |
Learner Approved | Yes |
Manufacturer Warranty | 12 year(s) |
Release date | |
Manual | Download manual |
Extra Information
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