Who's going to do it? Honda CT125
 

Now that here in the US Honda is selling (if you can get one) the Honda Trail 125 is anyone considering one for overlanding or back/dirt road shenanigans?

There are a few small and amateurish but excellent channels on Youtube with early owners upgrading and showing the rest of us what they can do and I do personally love the looks of them - sadly left the UK about 8 years too early before Nathan Millward started his Postie Bike tours!

This bike has the strong appeal of being a wholly inappropriate machine for round the world ADV touring which is exactly why someone is going to do it. Does anybody know who would be contemplating this on a Trail 125 or has everyone calmed down on the nostalgia wave and are looking at the new raft of KLX/CRF300's?

I am very tempted.

Done pretty much all I'm likely to get chance to do, so doing it again with 40 HP less looks like something to try.

Andy

I love the bike. I considered it.

But it's still a pass for me. Too slow for when you have to ride in a long straight line...

I am very intrigued with the CT125. Lightweight, supereconomical (60-65 kms to the liter) and bulletproof engine. For south and central America, for most of Asia and maybe for Africa?(dont really know as I havent been there) it would make a lot of sense. For Europe and north America maybe not, but its all in the mindset of people. It seems to cruise ok up to 75-80 km/h which for most of the world would be enough to keep the average traffic speed just ok.

The negatives are that is seems to be quite expensive for what it is. And the exhaust looks very awkwardly designed...

And its so liberating not to have a 300 kilo/25 k € advbike to be accountable for all the time. Just look at Ed March and his C90 adventures. He travels absolutely everywhere with his C90 (the precursor of the CT125) many places a huge advbike never would be able to go.

I briefly owned a CT110 and had planned to keep either that one or my XR125 but in the end decided to keep the 125, if I did not still own that bike which I have had from new I would seriously consider the CT125 and would regard it as a travel bike.

I love the idea of it.

But - I have a Honda CB125 in the shed for our kids to learn to ride on the road which has the same or similar motor.

It is seriously tiresome on anything other than around town. Not sure how these people do RTW on them. Kudos to them, but not for me.

Regrettably it seems Honda UK are not only not bringing in the CT125 but have stopped imports of the C125 :thumbdown:

This will not result in me buying an Africa Twin or Fireblade as they seem to think it will.

Options for low weight seem to be grey imports with associated hassles, Chinese or Royal Enfield.

Andy

With Kawasaki's new lineup revealed today, including a FI KLR with bold new face with 200+ kg - seems like the only light road bike options that could do trail well would be what? Versys 300, BMW 310 GS, RE Himalayan?

The CT has been an oddly popular post on my website since I previewed it last year, so riders are thinking about it.

https://adventuremotorcyclinghandboo...t125-goodd.jpg
https://adventuremotorcyclinghandboo...ct125lesss.jpg

I certainly agree with the point about speed, one of the reasons I will not be selling my XR125L to buy one but I am not so sure about the forks/swinging arm and footrests simply because my experience of riding off road on my CT110 was that you rarely needed to stand up, stay sat down and plod along through just about anything, it is not a rally raid or enduro bike.

OK so I have been totally taken in with what people have been doing with these in the US to prepare them for long trips, even though I suspect many will not stray too far from their RVs in the campsite and am thinking of trying to get one to the UK where I hope it would go through single vehicle approval, I believe others have already done this.
Ideally I would have a trip to Thailand where I could buy one, ride it around and ship it home at the end which is still a possibility but are there any members out there who could give me an idea of availability at the moment, are they lined up outside of dealers waiting for customers or is there a waiting list?
A few years ago I bought my XR125 new from a dealer in Cape Town still in the crate and had it shipped over which worked well, something like that is a possibility with a reliable contact to see it went well at the other end, does anyone know of someone suitable?

Looks a fab option but
 

It was something I had considered until I got various insurance quotes for it...
More than insuring a T700:eek3:
Brokers excuse? well sir, they get stolen so often that there is a premium doh I'm out!

I am curious as to how a bike not even sold in the UK gets stolen so often but then yes insurance brokers, incidently I added my CT110 to my BMW's classic policy and was as cheap as you would expect to insure, I think an additional £25 admin fee.

If you do bring one in, a quick call to ooracing

https://www.ooracing.com/engines-ooracing.html

will sort out the 'only 8bhp' problem :rofl:



No, I'm not serious ...

Up to 190cc now, I knew there were 140cc but had not heard of larger.

I asked them to quote me on the Honda Super Cub 125

I personally don't get the obsession with slow and gutless small capacity bikes.

Unless it's all you can ride due to licence, age or legal restriction; why would you ride something so dull, slow and tedious.

Lightweight, yes !! I get that. But they don't weigh significantly less than a 250cc or 300cc

Enlighten me.

After touring on a bicycle small motorcycle travel seems very attractive, it is a half way house of having to take the same small roads as a bicycle but moving slightly faster and without the effort, it also depends on where you are as well, my last motorcycle tour was Pakistan, India and Nepal on 150cc bikes mostly with a passenger and they were totally up to the task.

Up to the task, sure. But optimal for the task ?

It still doesn't make sense why you'd go for a 125/150 when you could have a 250. They pretty much weigh the same but the 250 would be far less tiresome.

1. A 125 cc bike can cruise at a speed of 70-75, maybe 80 km/h. In very big parts of the world except Europe, north America, Australia and a few other road stretches the cruising speed of a 125 cc bike would be more than enough to ride the local speed limits and follow the local traffic. In for example Indonesia where I spent 3,5 months I estimate the average speed was 40 km/h. I cant emphasise enough how lost a + 1000 cc bike would be there. The 125 on the other hand would be fantastic there!

2. Fuel economy - the biggest expense I had when riding around the world was fuel costs. My 650 cc bike would get 20-25 kms to the liter, a 250 cc would get 30-35 kms to the liter, the CT125 seems to get 60-65 kms out of one liter fuel. And that would be a very important aspect of a small bike for me.

3. My penis has a adequate size, thus I dont need any penis enhancement to ride on. I have noticed many other do....

Where can I buy a 250 in Europe that isn't either Chinese dross, ancient or race spec? I suspect we are talking 20HP vs 7 HP, but still they don't import the 300's in any sort of choice either.

Having to think about the journey adds something. The train is an adequate tool and one that I can drink beer on and read a book at that but I keep that for other trips.

I am hearing scary estimates of CT125 insurance costs though and there is a limit to cost over interest for me.

Andy

A CRF300L (closest road-legal one) is almost twice the price of a Super Cub 125. Much taller, no storage/rack, way more intimidating for a new rider.

I keep thinking of renting bikes in Vietnam. Everyone there rides scooters - on bad rural roads - and my XR150 was a Big Bike. A CRF250 would be unnecessarily big by any local standards.

So there is definitely a place for a trail-focused 125 scooter.

That reminds me of an interesting observation... In many places around Asia, you will find that scooter rentals by the hour/day are ridiculously cheap. The list price, however, is supplemented by the fact that they are issued with about a liter of fuel in the tank... You fill up at some point in your day, and of course you're just going to fill it up - why not, it's only five liters at the absolute maximum - and you will return it with a nearly-full tank. A nice little side income that I don't even begrudge them. :)

Rumours about a CT150 Hunter Cub in this japanese magasine...
https://young-machine.com/2021/04/22...QFoKoU0Tcj5SxU

But I must admit my japanese skills are non existent so I dont know what the article says....

Another point about small bikes, particularly for Brits and this one does not tick that box is the price and availability of travel insurance, there is a fair choice of policies that cover up to 125cc but not too many that cover for larger and that do are somewhat more expensive.

250 in Europe
 

Up in the land of The Vikings.
We have some that are almost new. But very few.
But the UK (Europe but not EU) imported Yamaha XT 225/250

Suzuki DL 250. 2017-2020 (2019 !)
https://www.blocket.se/annons/skane/...0_abs/82419222

Honda CRF 250 L (race spec ?)
https://www.blocket.se/annons/gotebo...rally/94890252


Kawasaki KLX 230/250 (rare)
https://www.blocket.se/annons/dalarn...x_230/86555305

Very different from SE Asia and South America. (Honda has a factory in Brazil that produces a lot of nice and small models. But those, we don't see in Europe. With few exceptions in Portugal. But those are ancient ones. Before Euro x)

https://www.honda.com.br/motos/xre-190

Thats a valid point. And I guess most of Europe/EU have a 125 cc rule/limit for driving licenses, insurances etc etc. So a 150 cc bike will be just over the 125 cc limit and thus most probably not a bike many would have bought in Europe.

On the other hand I personally wouldnt have used a 125/150 cc bike for travelling in Europe. For south-east Asia and south and central America (and possibly for most of Africa although I have never been there and thus dont know the road standards there but I imagine a 125/150 would be useful for most of that continent) I do think a 125/150 cc bike would be a good choice for those of us who doesnt need to ride +100 km/h most of the time in these above mentioned places....

WANTED: Honda Trail CT125 for the TATrail...
 

I live in Northern-Northern California and, am
Willing to purchase anywhere West of
The Continental Divide, with
Bus or Train service...

A long time ago, before the testosterone fulled, 'adventure' , motorcyclists breed was ever conceived:rolleyes:, a wonderful little lady did it on a Yahama 125.
Here she is (on the right) with Lois on the left.
Forgot to say that her name is Catherine - last heard of living la dolce vita in Brittany, Froggo land

While undoubtedly bad form to quote one's self, but given the gap I thought forgivable, but I've put my money where my mouth is.

Not a CT though, the import stuff and other paperwork didn't seem worth it, a standard C125.

I want something I can ride all year and maybe do a few winter trips on, so the added protection of leg shields is a bonus.

I'll report back occasionally on how the whole light weight low speed low cost stuff goes.

Currently at the stage of trying not to double it's weight by adding stuff that might be useful.

Andy

Congrats and welcome to the world of micro biking. :rofl: There is, as someone once said, 'plenty of room at the bottom' :thumbup1: Have you got any trips planned yet, or even ideas for some floating around in your head? Pity there isn't a UK HUBB meet this year as all the 125 riders could have met up in the corner of a field, circled the wagons to keep the GS's out and given a joint talk about the delights of 40mph. The leg shields btw will be worth their weight in gold on a long winter trip. I tried to make some for my Suzuki out of small snow shovels a few years back but without much success.

Good choice of bike btw. You'll soon be experiencing the joys of being invisible on the road (cops hardly ever pull you over :rofl: and other rider on 'real' bikes completely ignore you). Being new tech as well you'll be riding happily on your way while I'm being taken away in handcuffs for killing the planet with a two stroke. Sound like a win - win to me. After all 100 million chicken farmers can't be wrong :thumbup1: :rofl:

As I still have to work trips are going to be limited to a few days here or there. I'm actually tempted to give the Altes Elefant Treffen at Nurburg ring a go. A couple of 200 mile days, a winter crossing of the Ardennes, huge sleeping bag strapped to the poor little 125. What could possibly go wrong :rofl:

Andy

I’m seriously considering this year’s Altes Elefantreffen as well. I’d be going on my 125 Suzuki and tbh I can’t think of a better package for that trip - other than the same bike with another 5bhp.

This year would be the 50th anniversary of my first Elephant - back in ‘73 when there was only one rally and it was at the Nurburgring - so it seems worth putting the effort in. We ran out of fuel in the middle of the Ardenne section and had to sleep rough in the snow, but that wasn’t as bad as two blokes on a Velocette we met on the ferry. They mixed up the Nurburgring and Nuremberg and went off down towards Munich. :rofl:

It’s 250 miles each way from Calais so not too bad but logistics from the port are tricky if you don’t want to arrive when it’s pitch black. I’m still working on that one.

Crikey, talk about great minds thinking alike :rofl:

Next year I will be 50. This birthday is the excuse for a decent midlife crisis and as I didn't fancy the MG and driving gloves and getting a 22 year old girlfriend just strikes me as more hassle than it's worth (is this a sign of old age in itself?) I'm setting up to do a few old rallies and trips. I'm going to need the year to get my stuff sorted for the really cold one.

My first Elefant (The Bavarian one ) was in 2004 and the third/last in 2010. I'd love to do that, but these days wouldn't find it fun unless I had a week there and a week back. Maybe I'll get that in 2054 :rofl:

Andy

So here it is

https://i.postimg.cc/wBSNHx0N/P1040454-01.jpg

114 miles yesterday to buy a sausage sandwich :rofl:

So far I see no reason you can't ride one anywhere you like. The amount of cack the leg shields keep off is amazing. The Jerry can is probably a must, range is barely over 100 miles.

Andy

The memorial behind is something I have passed hundreds of time but never had cause to see.

It's a little sad. The Halifax bomber flew into the hill on a training flight in bad weather. All seven on board and a man on the ground died. The memorial was put up by the bomb aimer. It reads like he had to give up his place on that flight to make room for the instructor :(

Andy

One of the many reasons I love the Rieju Tango is that fully fuelled it has a range of 350km and weighs less than an empty CT125 ... I think a range of less than half that would drive me barmy!

What does the fuel consumption work out at?

Both my small bikes have a 100 mile max range. With the B120 I'm looking for my next 'fill fix' after about 75 miles. It'll do more than that but who knows where the next fuel station is. In winter spec, when it's loaded up with junk and riding into a headwind, I've run it dry in under 120 miles. Having to stop and pour fuel in from a can at the side of the road is a messy annoyance (especially in the dark when you can't see what you're doing) but it's better than pushing. We depended on Google maps to tell us where the nearest garages were when we were in France / Spain / Morocco back in the summer.

Impressive looking gloves (in front of the seat) btw. Are they skiing gloves? They don't look like traditional bike gloves.

Fuel use on the single test ride to date gave 130 mpg (Imperial, apologies for those who use metric, I have no feel for decilitres per megameter so would only get it wrong).

The gloves are a motorcycle glove, but old. Before heated gloves we used to wear:

https://i.postimg.cc/1tQh2hkk/20230205-133459-2.jpg

Ladies silk opera gloves (which come past the elbow), plus

https://i.postimg.cc/rFbH72Wf/20230205-133526-2.jpg

Two finger and thumb gloves. You wouldn't ride moto GP wearing them, but given the 125 won't support heated kit and I'm using my battery weight allowance for a heated shirt I think are worth a go.

Andy

That's 2.2L/100KM in metric, lol

I have motorbike gloves in the same format, they're about 5 years old now, made by RST.

Proof of concept ride today

https://i.postimg.cc/gkqGZhX5/20230310-111128-01.jpg

The light weight, narrow tyres etc. work well. There is a certain subtlety to down changes required, just ease the gear lever up so drive doesn't lock the back wheel, nothing any driver of a manual car can't learn.

My search for better tyres however is proving difficult. No one seems to have current production of a tubeless M&S. I'll wait until autumn and decide between what's available then and the tube option.

Andy

whats that saying .............. you can ride a big bike slow ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, but you carnt ride a small bike fast !

I think you need minimum 250 cc , ideal 400 cc

Eh? Small bike fast is the best kind of riding - if you've never dragged knee on a 125 at full throttle trying to squeeze every bit of momentum from a corner, are you really living?

As someone who has just cycled across India a 125cc motorcycle sounds like a bloody good idea at the moment.

All those poor walkers, bicyclists, electric bike people must just be stood there wondering when the next 250cc bike will be along to give them a lift :rofl:

It's all in the head. Pack lighter, improve navigation skills to avoid motorways, see a different bit of the world.

It's amazing who talks to you BTW. Horse people and walkers are far friendlier than if I bring the Guzzi along. The Village People and Cruiser Appreciation clubs less so when worried their mates might see them. Now who would I rather talk to, the ex-model lady on a very smart grey or a bloke called Knuckles who needs to show his tatooists spell check? :rofl:

Andy

dosnt sound much like an adventure ride to me !!:scooter::scooter:( 350 cc scooter )

Well, at the moment my adventuring is done on a 9hp 125 with 50/50 tyres, and it works very well for me, but sometimes it's fun to lean it hard on the road when I'm going to work too ... certainly more fun than the "big" bikes we've got

Honda CG Cargo
 

Since 1975, Honda produced the CG 125 for decades.
Currently it is produced as 150/160 cc.
There is a version called "Cargo".
That comes ready with a rack over the pillion seat.

As far as know the GG is produced in Brasil and Mexico.
I have never seen one in Europe.
it it was availible, I would buy a CG 160.

Simon used this CG 125 pizza delivery bike to ride from Mexico to Ushuaia and than up to New York.

His trip seams much more an adventure and interesting than riding Interstates and Pan American Highway from Alaska to Ushuaia on a huge touring bike.

Someone already mentioned Nathan. Who used a CT 110 from Sydney to London. He is very open to all kinds of bikes. For this trip at that time it he consider this as the perfect bike.
Reliable and easy to maintain. Kind of important in Mongolia that it starts every morning.

And more....

So it has been done... With fantastic results
All respect for these guys. (And Ed, Godspeed, ++++)

https://adventurebikerider.com/forum...t=1400#p690977

I want to sleep in tent when travelling. I have not seen any luggage racks for 125 c bikes. So you have to create and build your own solution
==
I am not at 125 cc yet. But at 400 cc.
Next step will probably be a 250 cc.
(Benelli TRK 251)

The cargo 160 is an almost ready made solution. Pretty much change the tyres, load up and ride away. The hassle is getting one outside South America then doing the registration paperwork.

Next level is the Hunter Cub. The rack is huge, plenty of luggage options available. Seven Seas will import you one to the UK and your only hassle with paperwork is maybe insurance for a grey import. Plenty have done it.

The Supercub luggage options are many. Start here https://beezdeals.com . The Supercub's minor challenge is tyres unless you want to revert to tubes. That said, I've ridden mud and snow on the OE tyres and it was actually fun. I'll take the Cub in commuter trim over a GS behemoth just for the lack of weight. MX machines they are not though.

A CG125 probably is indeed going to need more fabrication, but given you need to travel light anyway I'd start with what commuters might use and strengthen.

Andy

The Honda CT 125 Hunter Cub comes with some improvements:

https://www.advpulse.com/adv-bikes/h...d-a-new-color/

The Hunter Cub update is my doing.

I bought a Supercub because having an oil filter was important to me.

Honda of course reacted by fitting the same engine in the CT and making the petrol tank bigger, thus leaving me with only my tubeless tyres and simpler insurance as consolation.

:rofl:

Andy

A couple of months and a few little outings in

https://i.postimg.cc/yx90Y0cJ/P1010482-02.jpg

It's honestly great, a real variation on the whole thing, a sort of halfway between big motorcycles and joining the lycra.

Practically, loads are no problem, the limit is volume and trying to avoid too much that will catch the wind.

Speed over the ground is mid-30's mph, 200-250 per day is a breeze. It'll do motorways and you get no hassle so long as there are trucks also doing 53-56 mph. On steep gradients you can be down in second at 25 mph, but so are the campervans and the cyclists are even slower.

Handling is actually great fun, you can ground the stand on corners :innocent:

Off road it does what a road bike does but is so very very light. You can pivot it round on the stand, lift it up by a wheel etc.

Running costs are a pittance. Fuel use is 130's to mid 150's mpg giving a tank range of 100-120 miles, hence the little can. I got an oil filter for £3.84. The chain enclosure works.

:thumbup1:

The wireless key thing though is @#$%&y stupid. :thumbdown:

Andy

Love reading these CT posts.
I have a 1970 CT110 dual range for the farm.
That thing can sit for six months and still starts first kick lol


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Honda CT125 for adventure touring
 

Is anyone out there doing longer "adventure rides" on the Honda CT125?

Over the past 3 years I have been riding, and camping, in western North America on a Honda Grom 125. (20,000 miles) I plan to replace my bike with either a new GROM or CT125.

I like dirt and the fall trip will be the Contiental Divide Route.

Suggestions. Ideas. Thoughts?
Much appreciated.

This guy rode TAT on a CT125 and documented it well too.

Here is a link to his first TAT episode:

https://youtu.be/gUxFPwDWWVA?si=IzS1g-SFlOoQt5v6

Ct125
 

Here a couple did RTW trip on passport/wave type bikes.
https://advrider.com/f/threads/under...-sense.716979/
I used to have a yamaha crypton 110 (similar to the CT125) and loved the simplicity of it.