The Best Bike in the World - If You Understand What it is For! (Honda CG125)

Member Name: pie_master

Product:	Honda CG125
Date:	17/06/09 (381 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, Rugged, Very Easy to Ride.

Disadvantages: Basic with Outdated Design

The History:
The Honda CG 125 has been around since the mid 1970's and has been manufactured in both Japan and Brazil. It is a well known tool for learners and those looking for cheap two-wheeled transportation all over the world.

One of the main reasons for it's original design (and ongoing success) is that it was conceived as a simple and rugged bike for developing countries. This, however, has benefits for those in developed countries, as the bike remains a steadfast, basic and rugged bit of kit. It met it's end in Europe in 2008/2009 thanks to ever-tightening emission laws although there are still many used examples around for the prudent buyer on a budget! Of course, in the UK's consumer-driven culture it appears outdated and a little agricultural, but as long as you understand what you are getting then you should be perfectly happy!

To put it bluntly, if this was food it would be a pot noodle - it is relatively bland and uninspiring but as a basic tummy-filler you can't really fault it!

The Facts:
The basic specification will vary according to which model you buy / ride but in general the CG 125 will be as follows:

> Power - around 10 bhp
> Engine - single cylinder 4 stroke
> Weight - around 110kg
> Seat Height - around 780mm

The Ride:
Don't expect this to set your world alight if you have just hopped off a FireBlade! It is a basic bit of kit but, in my opinion, it is also quite popular for three reasons:

> It is easy to ride, even for wobbly novices. The handling is straight-forward and the controls are intuitive;
> It is simple to maintain. This makes it easy and cheap for schools and owners to repair (depending on your level of skill, of course) and parts are also cheap;
> It is rugged and will cope with ham-fisted hill-starts and regular drops.

I learnt to ride on a CG 125 and a Yamaha SR125 and must say that the CG 125 was confidence-inspiring and helpful where the SR 125 felt tricky and challenging.

Overall it is a simple bike for riders with simple tastes and moderate expectations. Bit if this is what you need and/or expect then you will be hard-pushed to find anything better! If I was in the market for a low-capacity bike and money was tight I'd probably go for one of these over a new chinese bike...

Summary: Will you like it? It depends on what you want, what you need and what you expect from your bike!

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