Honda's humble little Super Cub maintains its position as the most prolific motorcycle in the world with yet another generation for MY2022. Reduced overall heft makes the new engine even more efficient than before for a net improvement in performance. Classic bodywork keeps it all under wraps while paying the appropriate amount of homage to the original design.

2022 Honda Super Cub C125 ABS

Specifications
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  • Model: 2022 Honda Super Cub C125 ABS
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2022 Honda Super Cub C125 Design

- Iconic design - Full LED lighting - Smart Key feature - LCD display

The Super Cub C125 still rocks a moped-like mien with its step-through that is quite deep indeed for a proper motorcycle and makes for easy mounting and dismounting, even if a dress is part of your riding attire. I've been told you can also share the fun with a friend right off the showroom floor as this year's model comes stock with a pillion pad and fold-up footpegs but I haven't seen those features as of yet.

All-around LED lighting remains the same, as does the Smart Key feature that works with the immobilizer as an anti-theft measure, and delivers keyless operation. The key fob in your pocket electronically unlocks the bike and comes with a bike-finder “Answer Back” feature that blinks the turn signals on command to help you remember where you parked. Too bad it doesn't honk the horn as well, wink-nudge Honda, wink-nudge.

Part of the overall look comes from the molded-in legguards that protect your stems from wind and spray, and the “unit” steering feature that can can trace its lineage all the way back to the original 1958 model. The fenders also toe the family line with shapes very similar to that of its predecessors to complete the historical S-shaped silhouette.

As for instrumentation, there are two concentric circles that handle everything with an analog outer gauge for the tachometer and a central LCD screen that joins with a handful of idiot lights to complete the package.

2022 Honda Super Cub C125 Chassis

- Lane-splitting agility - “Backbone-style” underframe - Front disc brake w/ ABS - Mechanical rear drum brake

Tubular steel was the material of choice for the “backbone-style” underframe on the Super Cub C125 ABS, and it comes with a specifically tuned steering stem set up to deliver the right balance of rigidity and flexion. Telescopic forks float the front end with hydraulic damping and new springs that are meant to improve control. The forks turn in 3.9 inches of travel at the front axle while the dual rear shocks have a 3.3-inch range of motion and a sleek cover that conceals the spring to dress up the rear end to match the front.

Rubber isolation comes stock at all three of the pilot's contact points for comfort, especially over longer rides. Rake and trail measure in with 26.5 degrees and 2.8 inches, respectively, over a 49-inch wheelbase for lane-splitting agility, though tracking may feel a bit loose in windy conditions, especially in a crosswind. Nothin' for it, it's just the usual trade-off.

Aluminum wheels, die-cast and machined, round out the rolling chassis in a symmetrical 17-inch diameter with a 70/90 ahead of an 80/90 to make the crucial connections to terra firma. A single-pot anchor bites the 220 mm front brake disc with ABS as a stock feature, but out back, a mechanical drum brake takes care of business sans ABS protection.

Front Suspension/ Travel:

26 mm telescopic inverted fork/ 3.9 in.

Rear Suspension/ Travel:

Twin shocks/ 3.3 in.

Rake (Caster Angle):

26º

Trail:

71 mm (2.8 in.)

Front Brakes:

Single two-piston hydraulic caliper w/ 220 mm disc; ABS

Rear Brakes:

Mechanical leading trailing; single 110 mm drum

Front Tire:

70/90-17

Rear Tire:

80/90-17


2022 Honda Super Cub C125 Drivetrain

- New 124 cc air-cooled four-stroke engine - 9.7 ponies & 7.7 pounds of torque - Twist-and-go operation

The brand-new, air-cooled plant comes Euro-5 compliant to be legal pretty much everywhere. Power output was boosted up 0.2 horsepower for a total of 9.7 ponies at 7.500 rpm with 7.7 pounds o' grunt that top out at 6,250 rpm. In spite of that power bump, the engine maintains excellent mileage with approximately 150 miles or so on its one-gallon fuel tank. Even the alternator puts out more juice on this mill.

A centrifugal clutch delivers twist-and-go operation along with a semi-automatic four-speed gearbox that, while claimed at 65 mph, may dip down into the 50s for especially heavy loads.

As for the lack of hand clutch, Honda says the bike was designed to be operated by noodle delivery services who needed their left hand free to keep the boxes of soba under control under way under control under way}}. There's a fun little bit of trivia for ya'. A 50 mm bore and 63.1 mm stroke gives it a 124 cc displacement with a 10-to-1 compression ratio that should tolerate mid-grade fuel just fine.

Engine:

124 cc air-cooled 80º single-cylinder four-stroke, SOHC, two-valve

Bore x Stroke:

50.0 mm x 63.1 mm

Compression Ratio:

10.0:1

Induction:

PGM-FI w/ 24 mm bore, automatic enrichment

Ignition:

Full transistorized

Starter:

Electric

Transmission:

Semiautomatic; four speeds

Clutch:

Automatic centrifugal

Final Drive:

Chain; 14T/35T


2022 Honda Super Cub C125 Price

The new-for-2022 Super Cub C125 ABS rolls for $3,799 MSRP in the U.S. market. You'd better not want that famous Honda Red. This model comes shot in a silky Matte Axis Grey Metallic finish as the only choice on the palette.

Color:

Matte Gray Metallic

Price:

$3,799


2022 Honda Super Cub C125 Competitors

The Super Cub finds itself in rare company. It's a proper motorcycle, but with a scooter-like step-through for easy mounting and dismounting. It has a more-or-less motorcycle-style powerplant, but again, with scooter-like operation due to its twist-and-go drivetrain.

The lowish top speed will restrict the C125 somewhat within the U.S. infrastructure, but for putt-putting around town or running errands, it performs admirably, though I don't recommend riding around with a box of yakisoba balanced on your left shoulder, let's leave that to the pros.

Further setting the C125 apart is the fact that it is, by far, the most prolific motorcycle design in the world with well over 100 million units sold, and counting.

He Said

“It's hard to argue with success, and with this track record, the C125 has it in spades. This is a rolling showcase in motorcycle design that has stood the test of time, and while it's a tad slow to us, there are no shortage of fans in some of the larger Asian nations that enjoy a robust small-displacement motorcycle culture.”

She Said

My wife and fellow motorcycle writer, Allyn Hinton, says, “So Honda took the bottom end out of its current Japanese-market C110 and smooshed it together with the two-valve top end of out the new Grom to make this new engine for the Super Cub. No, it isn't a pretty bike, but you won't find a more utilitarian design anywhere else. In fact, added to the list of Super-Cub firsts, in 2014, the Japanese Patent Office awarded the Super Cub a 3D trademark registration. This award recognizes its shape and design as an iconic Honda product. The Super Cub was the first vehicle to achieve this status.”

2022 Honda Super Cub C125 Specifications

Engine & Drivetrain:

Engine:

124 cc air-cooled 80º single-cylinder four-stroke, SOHC, two-valve

Bore x Stroke:

50.0 mm x 63.1 mm

Compression Ratio:

10.0:1

Induction:

PGM-FI w/ 24 mm bore, automatic enrichment

Ignition:

Full transistorized

Starter:

Electric

Transmission:

Semiautomatic; four speeds

Clutch:

Automatic centrifugal

Final Drive:

Chain; 14T/35T

Chassis:

Front Suspension/ Travel:

26 mm telescopic inverted fork/ 3.9 in.

Rear Suspension/ Travel:

Twin shocks/ 3.3 in.

Rake (Caster Angle):

26º

Trail:

71 mm (2.8 in.)

Front Brakes:

Single two-piston hydraulic caliper w/ 220 mm disc; ABS

Rear Brakes:

Mechanical leading trailing; single 110 mm drum

Front Tire:

70/90-17

Rear Tire:

80/90-17

Dimension & Capacities:

Length:

75.2 in.

Width:

28.9 in.

Height:

39.4 in.

Ground Clearance:

5.4 in.

Seat Height:

30.7 in.

Wheelbase:

48.9 in.

Fuel Capacity:

1 gal.

Curb Weight:

238 lbs.

Details:

Color:

Matte Gray Metallic

Price:

$3,799


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