1990 Honda CG125BR from United Kingdom

Summary:

It is your neck

General Comments:

Horrible little bike, now made in Brazil.

Performance is very poor from a single cylinder 124cc 4 stroke, with 2 valves per cylinder, claimed at 11 bhp, but they must be very small horses.

The seat is tiny, so if you are over 12 stone, it will be a problem.

For town use only. Pull onto the motorway slip road and it will slow down. It is very dangerous at 50mph and that is about it as far as performance goes.

Drum brakes are adequate. It has a speedo, but no rev counter. OK for someone doing The Knowledge, or driving to work at a factory a few miles from home, otherwise it is a mad way to blow money. A cheap car or better motor cycle is prefered.

A small petrol tank and small bills, but do not buy one. You only live once and you will be treated with contempt by other road users, and yes, they do own the road as far as they are concerned. The NS125 is far superior and will do the same mpg.

Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th July, 2006

29th Jul 2006, 15:52

Tell you what mate, although I own a CG125, I agree with you.

The CG125 is not brilliant, and the fact it is made in Brazil, adds insult to injury. The build quality, in certain areas is appalling, with evidence of short cuts every where. The plastics are nasty, especially the rear fender that is so brittle. The rocker cover leaks oil due to poor casting. The paint work is cheap, especially in red.

Reliability can be a pain due to the points ignition system, although the engine is solid.

I am a dedicated follower of Honda and have been for years. However, this CG125 almost terminated that, but I thought, well, it is made in Brazil after all and not Japan, where the real quality lies.

I have to admit, this CG125 is the worst bike I have ever owned, but I have had it for more than two years and it cost me only two hundred quid. The CG125 complies with my needs. I only use it for hopping around town and light shopping. I will not buy another Brazilian bike due to shoddy manufacture.

30th Jul 2008, 13:51

I own a CG125, and I don't understand what happened 15 years ago, but I have an imported 2001 model, and I got 75mph out of it so far, and I have not gone full whack yet.

1995 Honda CG125BR from United Kingdom

Summary:

A good reliable commuter bike

Faults:

Nothing at all went wrong.

General Comments:

Bought the bike new to pass my test and learn about motorcycling before moving onto a bigger machine (Yamaha XJ600 Diversion).

This version was the BR-K model made in Brazil and the build quality was not as great as you might think, being a Honda, but totally reliable.

The kickstart could be annoying at times, but otherwise absolutely no problems while I owned it.

Have heard of crankshaft failures at around 30,000 miles.

Very good fuel economy and the comfort is OK for commuting a few miles, but it feels out of its depth on fast A roads.

Mechanically very simple, and easy to service and maintain.

Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 6th March, 2006

6th Sep 2006, 12:16

I have owned a CG125BR from May 2004 and you are right, the build quality is not as good as one would expect for a Honda. I can see where short cuts have been made. For example, the side panels and rear fender are a bit flimsy. The paint and the chrome is a bit thin. But apart from that, the CG125BR is a very reliable and robust machine.

Mechanically I have had no problems. My one has done over 50000 miles and still starts first time every time. The bottom end is original and when I stripped the engine at 45000 miles, this part of the motor was like new (no worn main bearings or big end).

As for motorway use, forget it, the engine just is not powerful enough to cope with these conditions. Get a 500.

I have heared many people tell me they have managed 80 mph plus out of a CG125BR after a simple modification. Rubbish, a CG125 with 11 horses is only good for about 55 mph.

11th Sep 2006, 13:37

On the contrary, It is possible to go over 55MPH on a small engined bike. I have had my C90 clocked at 93MPH.

28th Jun 2007, 19:45

Few people tell me of unimaginable speeds from small bikes. I wonder if they get mixed up with mph and kph. I have studied Physics, and understand about various mathematical and physical explanations. This is probably why when people come up with strange figures, I just laugh. At high speed, wind resistance is a huge problem. A C90 doing 93mph is not going to happen, 93kph a possibility, maybe. Think about it!

23rd Dec 2009, 16:59

93mph out of a C90, er, please do enlighten me how this could be achieved, if at all possible.

17th Nov 2010, 18:28

After owning my 1990 CG125BR-J for nearly seven years, I have decided to replace it with a more usable Suzuki GS500. I have noticed how bad the build quality is on the CG125. I don't think I'll buy another Brazilian pile of crap. Sorry Honda, but if you cut corners, people do tend to notice. The CG125 is great for around town, but if one wishes to venture further afield, then the CG125 is hopeless.

In reply to 23rd Dec 2009, 16:59

14th Jan 2014, 06:30

The C90 will do 120MPH, if ridden off a cliff high enough for an object to reach 'terminal velocity'... Attaching military standard booster rockets may achieve similar results. Neither option is advised.

In reply to 23rd Dec 2009, 16:59

30th Jun 2024, 00:08

I would suggest he achieved 93mph by riding it off the side of a cliff.

In reply to 23rd Dec 2009, 16:59

27th Aug 2024, 21:53

Weirdly enough, I was behind a Honda C90 on a long (slight downhill) road in Scotland in 1994. I don't know what they'd done to it, but the tachograph on my 2-litre Transit was reading 72mph and the thing was slowly pulling away from me!

Nowhere close to 93mph, though. But anything's possible :-)