Learners and returners will love the CBF 125
IT’S 1983. Now That's What I Call Music Volume 1 has just been released, New Order top the charts with Blue Monday, Manchester United win the FC Cup after beating Brighton 4-0 in a replay, and Margaret Thatcher wins a second General Election. Meanwhile, in Cheltenham Spa, 17-year R Maynard of the Upper Sixth fails his A-Levels completely but passes the motorcycle test on a smoky two-stroke Kawasaki KH125. Never an attractive bike, it misfires during the entire four-month period of my ownership, and eventually I flog it for a few hundred quid to a schoolmate who writes it off shortly afterwards.
Fast-forward 26 years and I’m at Silverstone, sampling the latest offering from a motorcycle industry desperate to lure learner riders into the fold. Indeed, so new is the Honda CBF 125 that it isn’t even in the showrooms yet, and the few available for journalists to ride have speedometers calibrated in kilometres, with MPH figures plastered over the top.
It is actually the ideal bike for me to be riding. After my accident in February, when I dropped a Yamaha 900 Diversion on my ankle, it is my first time back in the saddle, so I am actually feeling like a bit of a novice as I climb onboard, during Honda’s media day at the home of British motor racing.
It is true what they say about riding a bike, though, and within minutes I am blatting down the country lanes to Buckingham on the kind of bike I would have sold my granny for when I was 17.
At the heart of the new CBF is a five-speed air-cooled fuel injected four-stroke engine with a buzzy engine note reminiscent of my old SS50. The engine chucks out 8.3KW, which is just under 12 horsepower, so that’s plenty of power for a novice rider without feeling threatening.
The look is very sporty, with a trendy nose fairing, a little flyscreen and a go-faster grabrail should you find yourself taking a passenger. Natty alloy wheels complete the ensemble.
There is an electric starter and what Honda describes as an “easy operation” gearshift, although I actually found it quite awkward in motorcycle boots, even though I only have size-7 feet.
Riding the CBF 125 is an absolute hoot. To get the most out of it, you have to ride it flat out, working the gearbox to get the maximum power out of that little engine, which is the ideal way for any young rider to learn about engine characteristics - you’ll learn nothing on a twist-and-go. The handling is much more assured than the little bikes I learned on all those years ago, and the CBF 125 is nippy enough to hold its own in traffic. Within minutes of setting off I am suddenly 17 again and living out my Steve McQueen fantasy.
It’s not just for learners, either. If you are looking for a cheaper way of getting to work in these desperate credit-crunched times, the CBF 125 will do 370 miles on one tank of fuel – 13 litres – which works out at 134mpg. Or put it another way, 300 miles for less than £10.
The Honda CBF 125 goes onsale next month, and while the price has yet to be confirmed, Honda says that it will be less than £2,000. Now That's What I Call A Bargain.
26/11/2008 16:42:00
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