The Honda CBR125 range of motorbikes were first released back in 2004. Minor changes have occured over the few years with the most significant being the addition of fuel injection in the 2007 models.
I first bought one of these from a local garage just before I passed my CBT (Compulsary ... Read review
Advantages: Reliable and cheap to run. Looks good. Disadvantages: Top speed only 70mph. Bike is thin and people dont always see you.
The Honda CBR125 range of motorbikes were first released back in 2004. Minor changes have occured over the few years with the most significant being the addition of fuel injection in the 2007 models.
I first bought one of these from a local garage just before I passed my CBT (Compulsary Basic Training). You only need the CBT (if you have a car license) do drive one of these on the road. The CBT lasts for 2 years and you must have L-Plates ... ...small Kawasaki and a few Honda CG125's. I never liked any of these. They felt heavy, difficult and the brakes were none-existant.
So what a shock when I picked up my CBR125R (2004 model)! This is much, much better!
Firstly, you may have noticed that this bike is small. Very small. I fit on in perfect, but many people would not. It is also very thin which is great for nipping through traffic jams and getting out of peoples ... more
The Honda CBR125 range of motorbikes were first released back in 2004. Minor changes have occured over the few years with the most significant being the addition of fuel injection in the 2007 models.
I first bought one of these from a local garage just before I passed my CBT (Compulsary Basic Training). You only need the CBT (if you have a car license) do drive one of these on the road. The CBT lasts for 2 years and you must have L-Plates on display.
I had driven a few bikes on my CBT including a small Kawasaki and a few Honda CG125's. I never liked any of these. They felt heavy, difficult and the brakes were none-existant.
So what a shock when I picked up my CBR125R (2004 model)! This is much, much better!
Firstly, you may have noticed that this bike is small. Very small. I fit on in perfect, but many people would not. It is also very thin which is great for nipping through traffic jams and getting out of peoples way, but not so good for being visible on the road.
Starting the bike requires that you use the choke. Yes, this bike has an automatic choke (you need to put it on, but the bike will slowly pull it off as it gets warm). Even though the choke is supposed to pull itself off, I found it never quite got there, so you need to remember to push it right in when the bike gets warm. Otherwise you are needlessly burning a little too much petrol. The newer fuel injection models shouldn't have a choke.
Then you start the bike with the electric starter. Now, Honda have realised that this is a beginners bike and have tried to make it foolproof. If you try to start the bike with the kickstand down and in gear, nothing happens. Put it in neutral or pull the kickstand up and it will start. A nice simple touch. The headlight and tail-light come on automatically - there is no switch, so you never forget to ride with the lights on.
The gearbox is generally very accurate, though on the odd occasion, I did find it jumped out of gear. I quickly learned that you need to move the gear lever to the full extent to get a 'solid lock' on the gear. The clutch is a breeze and makes the bikes I used on the CBT feel like ancient history. The six gears are quite well set out and you will find that the top speed can be found in 5th gear and not 6th. Top gear can be used for economy driving.
Speaking of economy, it is easy to get 70 to 100 miles per gallon on this bike, depending on how you drive it, though you will tend to get closer to the 70mpg since this does need a bit of throttle to really keep up with traffic. The top speed is reported to be 70mph, some claim otherwise but speedometers are never accurate. My speedo would read around 75mph in normal conditions.
The bike revs nicely around to about 11,000 revs per minute and still feels fairly smooth when doing so.
Brakes are really good. They are disc brakes front and rear and after being on those CG125's, these are lovely to use and don't take much effort on the pedal and lever to come to a sharp stop.
Tyre grip is actuall quite good, even though you do wonder when you look at the small width of the tyres.
Parts are also quite cheap. Servicing is straightforward (though the fuel injection models may not be). This is a four stroke bike and little maintenance is required, unlike the two stroke competition from Aprilia. Their bikes are faster and more sporty, but the Honda is more economical and a little easier to live with day to day.
The bike is very reliable. It didn't start everytime, first time. But I always had the bike running within the first minute. Every time. Once the engine is warm, restarts are very quick (erm, for when you stall. But I never did that much. Not that I am admitting!)
The instruments are clearly and nicely laid out. The standard rev counter and speedo are included but there are also small dials for engine temperature and more usefully and unusually for a small bike, a petrol guage. This doesn't have any lights on it but is very helpful especially to new riders. There is also the indicator lights, high beam light and a light to indicate that you are in neutral gear.
The mirrors are a little odd, being attached to the handlebars they do move around slightly if you are taking a corner. But you quickly get used to them.
Currently the bike is just £15 a year to tax, my insurance was £110 for third party, fire and theft. But then I am on the other side of 25! Petrol is cheap since the MPG is so high. The bike requires very little maintenance and I barely spent anything on it in the last two years.
There is a nice big boot. Well, it's bigger than it looks and you could carry a few tools around in there.
Would I recommend this bike? You bet I would. If you are average or short and light this would be great. It particularly would appeal to a female rider. As a commuter, it is reliable, efficient, cheap, fits through the tiniest of gaps in the traffic and is also good to look at. It isn't a sports bike. But it just over £2500 - a steal.
I read in one sports bike magazine that this little bike actually won a category. It wasn't the fastest or the sexiest, but the best value for money. And it won it by a mile!
- Also on Dooyoo under my other username DarkestGrey
Advantages: Nimble, light, ideal for short riders, reliable, excellent miles per gallon Disadvantages: Tall riders look ridiculous and find the riding positions uncomfortable.
...but guess what? This works!!! Honda aren't stupid, and they know that if they put bigger wheels on the CBR125R it would have terrible grip, especially in the wet (in rain, wet weather, etc). The stock tyres that come with the bike aren't the best out there, but they will grip, and yes you can get your knee down (again if you're a suitable rider for the bike) if need be. These tyres will grip as well as any other. Let's take the Aprilia RS125 for ... ...have the reliable 4 stroke honda engine in there, which as said, is practically bulletproof.
To end this, I am going to go into detail quickl about fairings. We all know on our expensive bikes that it is very expensive to replace fairings that have been ripped off, broken in half, and you name it.
Well guess what? If you drop the bike or have a spill, and break the side fairings, you're looking at £20 replacement. I bought brand new official Honda ...
maddycatty2k 16.04.2007 (19.04.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Honda CBR125R
Advantages: Fun, reliable, very cheap to run Disadvantages: Some cheap cosmetics, small bike for the taller rider
I have been riding my CBR 125R for over a year now and its been excellent. I wanted a learner legal bike that was reliable, economical and fun and this bike ticks them all. The bike looks excellent for a 125, real sports bike look with the fairing. For a 125 it’s nippy so its performance backs up the looks! The engine has been fantastic, no problems even with starting and running in winter it has been flawless. Mine is a 2005 model, so had its first ... ...The handling is excellent, with the right tyres it will cope with any cornering you throw at it. Its not the fastest bike on the road obviously, but it will keep pace or beat the average car all the way up to 60 whilst still easily doing more than 50mpg even when thrashing it! Tank can hold about 5 litres of petrol and with some frugal riding you can get more than 200 miles out of it, which is amazing. Downsides that keep it from getting 5 stars ...
ZisforZombie 18.08.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Honda CBR125R
Advantages: reliable, good for new riders, comfortable Disadvantages: small and thin
if you want a long lasting bike that will never let you down and you olny own a provisional license then this is most probaly the best bike availalbe to you.
The bike is good for short or long distance rides, it handles well in all weather conditions, it has a 4-stroke engine and is capale of reaching speeds of 100 mph, the braking system is very good and their work well and these bikes can take a hell of a lot of damage as i found out after one ...
magpienath 18.06.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Honda CBR125R
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Quick review of Honda CBR125R
This motorcycle is great! It is lightweight, fast, and very quickly reaches the V-max! I have it from 2 years and not to go to another! His appearance is as good as its performance. ...
armagedonbux 09.05.2009
Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Honda CBR125R
Advantages: Great learner bike cheap to run and maintain. Disadvantages: Rear tyre could be a bit bigger.
I brought this bike recently after reading all good reviews about it, i like this bike because i am only 5ft 6 and both my feet can touch the ground easily.
This is my first geared bike which i have been able to learn very quickly on. It is fairly quick for a 125 4 stroke a friend of mine who owns a faster old 125 two stroke bike was quite impressed after riding one because he was expecting it to be very slow. So far i have had no reliability issues.
... ...Maneuver when filtering. The bike is quite strong because recently i fell off it and the only damage was to the mirror and the brake lever. Fuel economy is brilliant on this bike it has a 10L tank and does 70-80mpg.
I will enjoy riding this bike for another two years and then think about taking my test. ...
toker1000 16.11.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Honda CBR125R
Comfort
Handling
Looks
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Advantages: Price, low running costs, reliability and cheap insurance Disadvantages: Lack of top end speed
Great bike, little money and a whole lot of fun!
Thats the XR125L summed up in a few words, but let me go a little bit more indepth!
When I first bought mine, I went into a honda show room looking for a CBR125R but when I seen this beside it, I literally laughed at how small the CBR is in comparison to this bike - I read review sites for the CBR and no one listed the height of it, or maybe I ignored it because it looked okay in the pictures!
This little package of joy is a mean looking learner legal machine, guys on big bikes won't believe it's a 125 due to the height and road presence that comes with it.
I've had mine for almost 2 years and have not had a spot of bother even though I've put 10,000 miles on it from new, just a new set of tires and a bulb replacement, which is of minimal cost.
The tires on these machines ...
marcciao 13.08.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Honda XR125L
Advantages: style=never say good bye! Disadvantages: please,,discount price for me,,hehehe
Powerful motor for the men to men. With a futuristic design, elegant, strong. Vivid colors. after the soul men. Unfortunately, not to indonesia, if only I could have it, I will take to turn this city.As the engine ceeetttooo (jelaaz red.) Banget .. !
HondaCBR125R, the engine 124.7cc, 4-stroke, 2 valves, SOHC single cylinder, liquid cooled. Ngerti Khan .. Valves with 2 .. Since opening the valve 1 ... 1 ... As the exhaust valves! 11:1 compression ratio is unacceptable. Electricity 13HP only 10000RPM and torsos to 8000RPM for 10.1Nm ...! : D
Yamaha YZF-R125, with the engine 124.6cc, 4-stroke, short stroke, 4 valves, SOHC single cylinder, liquid cooled. From 4 valves .. in their juuooozz ... rationya also increased compression 11.2:1. Electricity for 15HP at 9000RPM ... or 12% more than the CBR125R .. ! Electricity is very low, the 1000 ...
