HONDA CG125 (1975 - 2008) Review

Year: 2007

What a laugh 😂 got my 2007 cg125 recently to mess about on over winter around the my local lanes in the Peak District normally ride a street triple r done all the fluids and chucked a clutch in and put some 99 in the tank and she fly's !! Such good fun

Buying experience: Bought private for 900 quid later found out it was a salvage write off 😂 but not worried she purrs along

Version: Electric start

Year: 2006

The CG is exactly what you want from a commuter- reliable, economical, easy to use and hassle-free to own The main feature I like is it’s easy to service yourself with the oil plug, spark plug and air filter all accessible. Any DIY mechanic with a decent tool kit can perform maintenance on it which keeps the running costs down. The only negative is the location of the choke which is underneath the seat. I’ve changed the pilot jet for easier cold starting in the mornings as these 06 models run lean to get past the emissions and I’ve lowered the overall gearing. Overall you can’t go wrong with a CG

Buying experience: Bought from a dealer

Year: 2004

Annual servicing cost: £100

Best CBT bike ever! I've taught hundreds of learner riders to ride on these and they are unbreakable! Round the world trip? Use the CG and any 'mechanic' can fix it at the side of the road.

Year: 2006

Never has let me down starts (electric start ) with the turn of the key with hardly any choke needed

Buying experience: Private sale

Year: 2001

Tanker

Version: M1

Year: 2002

Annual servicing cost: £20

I have owned this bike for a Decade, I have taken it over mountains and toured over 5000 miles of Scotland and Wales. It has never let me down. I have recorded over 100 Mpg and with a slight upgrade it sits at 65-70 Mph. I like items I understand and can fix myself, and the CG is this bike. Honestly not sure if I will ever sell it.

Buying experience: The bike cost £350 in a poor condition from a private listing in London, Has cost me £350 to fix up to a pretty decent condition over a few years (whist using). To keep this on-road for 10 years has most likely cost £1000 inc cost of MOT and tax. So £1700 for a decade of CG problem free riding. I cannot sell this bike.

Version: M1

Year: 2002

Annual servicing cost: £55

I chose this bike purely for its simplicity, fun and charm-factor. It is affordable and simple to maintain and service at home. Used primarily for social riding from SOT to Wales.

Buying experience: Bought 6 years ago for £700. No issues.

Year: 2001

Annual servicing cost: £50

Great bike, for a 125. Perfect as something to commute on or just cruise along leisurely. Great fuel economy, simple to work on, comfortable enough, just don't expect high performance.

Version: ES7

Year: 2007

If fuel economy, reliability and simplicity are the name of the game then quite simply this is the bike to have.

Buying experience: Bought it privately with 13k on the clock for £1200. It was a bit more than market price but it was in very good condition. It's got 33k now and still going strong.

Version: ESD

Year: 2008

Annual servicing cost: £1,000

I think it is the best motorcycle in terms of cost-benefit

Buying experience: It's a very noble and durable motorcycle. It is very popular in Argentina.

Version: CG125-ES4

Year: 2006

I have been riding a CG125-ES4 version since July 2014. Before that I was riding bigger BMWs (F650CS, R1150GS) and being a cheapskate and someone who doesn't like to go to the dealer or anything as well as transient in life, I found the CG fitted my needs and lifestyle the best. I had been previously riding a 52-plate CG125M1 version which I put aside when I moved onto the BMWs and it had a few MOT failures... but that still lives in my garage and I hope to bring it back to working order one day. I did almost all my own maintenance with my first CG so going back to a CG was a great for me as I knew how to do everything and I've done a few more of the advanced service items since (valve clearances, centrifugal oil filter). It's never going to be the best bike in the world for everyone, but to me that is EXACTLY what it is. Sometimes I wish I had a bigger engine or higher top speed so I could go further but then I remind myself how awesome this little bike is. It's very reliable, second hand parts always come up on eBay if you're looking to save even more money (I had to sort out a few things as I bought mine after it had aftermarket stuff installed due to being stolen previously) and it is very economical on the wallet. I can do London to Swansea and further still on 1 tank of petrol - and one tank of petrol costs about £12-14. I took it to the south of France when I went there for work and it was great for the local hills. It was a lot of fun. After my work finished I went up to Andorra down to Barcelona then followed the coast east to Italy, went up to Milan, Switzerland and back through France and it didn't skip a beat. It's such a nice little bike that locals are very interested in where you have been and I'm certain I wouldn't get that if I were on my GS - those are plentiful. I will always have my CG125. Love it to bits!!!

Buying experience: I paid £650 for a 52-plate CG125M1 in 2008 and I paid £600 for a 06-plate CG125-ES4 in 2010 - these prices are on the cheaper end of the scale. Tips for buyers - you'll find a cheaper price out in the country - the kind of bikes you want to buy ideally are looked after ones by careful owners that aren't heavily modified and ridden by an older/elderly rider who looked after the bike. We found both of ours this way. There are a lot out there with rusty rims, aftermarket bits and bobs fixed on and whilst they work, try and get one with original stuff on it because long term it doesn't last!! Generally speaking, if you are looking in/around London, you'll pay a little more and possibly get a rustier model that may have had a harder life. If you have the transport (like a friend with a car or dad?) then it is worth going further to find a good one if you don't have any near you.

Year: 1998

Annual servicing cost: £100

It goes and goes until you forget to fill it back up, getting it to stop as well as it goes is another matter, Starts with the first kick even for a 20 year old bike thats had a hard paper round from previous owners, The brakes are it's worst feature needing a fair bit of foresight to get it to stop where you want it when travelling anything over 20mph

Buying experience: Bought from a young lad who threw in a jacket, decent chain and some engine oil, bargain for 300 quid

Version: CG125 ES-4

Year: 2006

I thoroughly enjoyed riding this bike. Used as a daily commuter for nearly 12 months, did a 400-mile round trip to Bristol on it, managed to get 73mph on the clock a few times (downhill and fully loaded for extra momentum)! Good riding position for a 6 foot overweight male with a dodgy back and knees at 20 years old! Probably would have been happier if I was 5 stone lighter though!

Buying experience: Bought private for £1050 - £150 less than he asked for seeing as he was a friend of my uncle!

I bought an 1988 CG125 for £150 "on a whim" about 4 or 5 years ago. I thought perhaps it would encourage my partmer to get back on 2 wheels, but she wasn't having it, so 2 years ago I started using it myself as a run around so I wouldn't have to get my nice bike (Harley)out of the garage for short errands, especially in bad weather. I ride it everywhere. Before I was familiar with it, I took it up to London on the A3 and it all but ran out of oil and broke down. I refilled it with a litre of oil from Screwfix, and it started running again, but smoked like crazy. I stripped the top end and discovered the piston rings had gummed into their grooves, so I installed a new piston and ring set and gaskets - £5.84 and £2 respectively from ebay - total repair cost £5.84. Next day I rode 265 miles to The Dragon Rally in North Wales, and 255 miles home the day after (in the severe weather, rain and gales of the february 8th-9th 2014 weekend)- the tiny Honda never skipped a beat! The following weekend I rode it to the London Motorcycle Show at the Excel Centre in the east end. I filled it to the brim before and after the 69.6 mile return journey and it used 2.9 litres of fuel (£4) which equates to 108.5 MPG - I couldn't believe it! Wow!! I have fitted a wind screen, carrier, top box, panniers and handle bar muffs. I use the bike all the time. As long as you don't expect it to do much over 50 mph, or 45 mph in foul windy weather, it will take you anywhere, but I would caution against motorway use and riding at night because of the poor lights. I have many bikes, but I can see myself hanging onto this one forever. It costs £17 to tax and pocket money to insure...

I bought my cg from a salvage yard for 60 quid in 2007. it had 10k on it. All I've needed to do to its engine since is change oil,clean filters, new plug every once in a while although not mandatory. love it to bits. will never get another bike like it. it has never let me down always got me home even when i was so skint i accepted a tank of 50/50 petrol and diesel stuck it in and off she went. shell bumble away at 60 easy and i have had 75 out of it in the right conditions and that was when i was 16 stone! she is approaching 50,000 miles now and piston rings are worn now but she still starts and takes me where i need to go. If i was given £2000 to get another bike with i would rebuild the engine on this one and go again. I recommend this bike to anyone who is new to bikes. it is more forgiving than any scooter even though mines got 2 buckled wheels it still handles well. well done honda great bike. shame they replaced it with the crf :(

I bought my R-reg model in January 2011 and wow what a first bike! It was kick start too...the way bikes SHOULD be started ;) It did 120mpg around town(200 miles to £10!) and it was only £164 to insure TPO and I got 73mph (on the clocks haha). I would recommend one to anyone and the only thing that went wrong with it was a puncture! They may not be the prettiest or the best handling (although I could outhandle my mates when they were on their posh 125s hehe).Built to last, parts are plentiful AND very cheap! £35 for a chain and sprockets and £40 for a pair of rear shocks! Can't grumble at that! I did 3500miles on mine in just 4 months before I passed my bike test and bought a GPZ500. My trusty little CG was fantastic on the Mod.1 test and for the Mod.2, it was re-assuring to have a bike so easy to ride that you could just concentrate on the test in hand! I paid £580 for my CG and 4 months later I sold it for £600. --Mikey B--

Been riding since 1966,last bike was NTV650.Time to retire,duff knee from kicking too many brit singles into life, need a bike to keep me sane,chose the Cg 125, no regrets. Managed to find one of the last carb versions,3 years old with 157miles only,as new. First ride i couldn't stop laughing it was so much fun!Miserly on fuel,bit bouncey but good handling, just nail it through bends to keep your speed up and just smile.Mods; large wind deflector over headlight to improve drag and 1 tooth bigger front sprocket to raise the gearing just enough, to do that you doo have to file out the clearance on the sprocket guide plate, there is just enough slack on the chain! next mod is to put a remote choke cable on as the lever is buried deep under the tank,hard to find even when you know where it is,impossible to reach when youre moving.First service took 30 mins, drain oil clean filter, check tappets ok, the airvalve on the cover doesnt help one bit!Carb I can work on, pushrod engine tubed tyres,cable analogue clocks etc etc, it will never need to see a dealer! last NTV service cost£200plus,this one cost £5, i'm happy.

I bought my 57 plate cg125es with only 65 miles on the clock 3 years of age with its first MOT,I have always promised myself one ever since I was given a ride on my foreman's back in 1979, sounds funny but I was gobsmacked by the power it had, but then again I owned a moped, anyway jump foreward to November 2010 and I am now riding one to work and back, the tank was full when I picked it up from the shop and the fuel guage just did not move after 70 or so miles I covered in the first week, and I still did not need to put petrol in after three weeks but I filled it up anyway.This surely has to be the future of commuting.As for the bike itself, well it is a beautifully built little bike fully modernised with its styling and new clocks which include the fuel guage as mentioned before.The front brake was poor when I first got the bike but I have noticed it getting better due to use/bedding in, EBC pads apparently improve the brake even more so I might try a set soon. I love my zzr1200, and my gpz900, but I now also love the honda and I am going to be using my cg125 as much as possible saving money on fuel and still biking at the same time. All in all a very impressed experienced motorcyclist.

but I did my test on a 55 plate bike: its cheap to buy, cheap to run, and a doddle to insure, loads of spares available, won't kill you, filtering is dead easy, nothing to worry about if you drop it - what more can you ask for from a beginner bike? As a cheap and easy runabout, its perfect.

My CG is a 1985 model and is so reliable! When I first bought the bike, it had been stood on someone's farm for the last 5 years and was looking pretty bad. I rebuilt the whole thing, including the engine, and repainted the frame. Now it's as good as new! When I took it out for the first run, I was wondering why it was only doing 37mph, but when looked into it, I found it had been under jetted since it came out the factory. Fitted a slightly bigger jet in it, and now it goes up to 60mph for the first time in it's life! Such a lovely bike to learn on though

My CG125 was a 1982 model which I had in my early days, had it for years and when I had finished with it my brother took it on for a time until he bought a CBR250RR. We both took our tests on it, in those days you could take your test on a 125 and then ride anything. It had done nearly 50000 miles when I sold it, I changed the oil and cleaned the filter every 1000 miles, only replaced the chain & sprockets once (enclosed chain gaurd did not look cool) but I kept the chain soaked in oil all the time and it never seamed ware. They did need replacing when I sold it though. It was riden all year round rain,snow,floods and it really was a faithful friend. It did however occasionaly wet the plug which was the only fault the CG had, so I always carried a spare dry plug and when it happened quickly changed the plug and off again. It is proof that basic is best for ease of maintainence and reliability, I still like air cooled singles although with more CCs. I did have a 50cc moped at 16 but it was the CG that started it all for me all those years ago, still motorcycling and enjoying it. If you fancy a trip to France but are unsure or a bit aprehensive have a look at www.longwayroundbrittany.co.uk

Like a lot of people, this is the bike that I did my CBT and tests on. The bike was perfect. Very light clutch and completely undaunting. The gearbox was fine and the brakes weren't too sharp which is good for novices. The handling was good, but you wouldn't want to bank the bike right over. I geuss it was due to the skinny tyres. The bike was great in the city, but on dual carriageways or the A/B roads from the school to the test centre, it seemed very underpowered. I geuss it is the same with most 125s but I could only get 45mph going into a headwind. Also, you dont choose where to go on a windy day, the wind tells you. Overall, the bike is a perfect novice or commuter bike.

I've both versions of the Turkey produced cg125,kickstart and the electric/kickstart, wouldnt part with either of them, simple, easy to home maintain, the cdi version a vast improvement over the points ignition. If you are starting out riding and first started years ago on old brit bikes then this is the starter bike for you. the drum brakes are progressive making you think about braking rather than just grabbing a handfull of disc brake at the last minute. The gearing can be changed simply by changing the back sprocket, early turkey models had a 36 tooth, M1-4 a 43 tooth both are interchangeable (with chain)depending on what gearing you are looking for. Parts, insurance, fuel economy make running and maintainance very cheap. Only improvement i would suggest is a bulb upgrade to the halogen bayonet type, the original std bulb is very poor. For commuting around town or pottering around country lanes with time to enjoy the view it cant be faulted.

Fantastic learner/starter bike, and great around the city. My 07 bike has got me to work and back reliably for the last few months in wind and rain. Speed wise i have had just over 60mph however, it was reving highly to do it and didnt feel comfortable to maintain for long. Accelerates ok up to about 50mph but hills can be a bugger. I do wish it had a choke lever on the handle bar but i have managed ok.Allways starts fine even in sub 0 temps. Brakes are good and fuel comsumption is a dream. Mine is showing signs of rust however, i do leave it outside. I have been very pleased with the bike in general and they hold there resale value well too. People say there slow but mine does fine around the city, but its hard going on main roads. Recommended for learners like me or commuters who dont need to do high speeds.

So cheap and easy I can't even be bothered to find a new bike for the two year restriction. Would recommend to anyone but you'll have to find you own cos I'm never selling mine! It will be my apocalypse bike! Seriously light traffic attacker, this bike has forgiven me transgressions that should have put me in hospital. Never has failed me in 9000 miles of loyal service. Easy to home maintain so no need for expensive longhead mechanics. Even the Haynes manual is cheaper than the other ones! Superb.

my '97 cg has not let me down once in the 10 months that i have owned it. very good on fuel (60 mpg while ragging it). parts are so easy to find. would recommend it to anyone.

I bought my CG a few months ago in November '08 and have ridden it in nearly all weather, sun, rain and snow, and i've only been let down by it's reluctance to start when cold. One major niggle i have though, is that fact that to see how much fuel you have, you need to look in the tank. While this does give you the most accurate picture, the view is greatly limited by a steel bar jutting through the tank, and has once caused me to run out of fuel on a long ride. Putting this niggle aside however, it is an absolutely faultless bike, a back to basics bomb proof little machine.

I bought my 1983 CG125 for two hundred pounds. It had been in storage for 7 years. Didn't run when I got it, but within a week I had it up running. It runs perfectly. What more could you ask for from a beginner bike. I've come off this bike on a wet road, bent the foot pegs and twisted the forks. I still managed to ride it home and simply bent it all back to shape. It just keeps going and going. I would recommend it to anyone.

bought it used for £900 at 5100 miles, learned to ride on it, bought the rack and then a top box, would help really if the rack was included as standard. has not given me any big problems since buying, goes brilliant and costs bugger all to run, about £12 to fill up and it lasts at least a week. fastest ive ever had out of it on flat was 75mph, im gonna take my test on this bike and keep it until there is a need for something bigger, would recommend to anyone remotely interested in motorbiking :)

I bought this bike 5 months ago from a main dealer for £1,700 brand new - Bargain. I work in town and I decided to shirk pricey tube fares and put myself on two wheels. Having done my CBT on a CG125 I knew roughly what I was getting. The newer models have the massive advantage of a disc brake on the front, which stops you surprisingly quickly, very useful in London. Being new to bikes I was astounded with how easy it is to maintain, a useful owners manual and hidden toolkit are a couple of unexpected pieces of kit which make things like stiffening the (initially very bouncy) suspension to firm in a matter of 30 seconds. As soon as you get the bike, do this by the way!! For what it is (A 125cc commuter) I have been so pleasantly surprised with everything. Being a 15st lump I am still surprised that this little 125cc engine shifts me away quicker at the lights than most other things on the road. The Economy is great, I'm getting my 40 mile round trip a day at 95mpg. It costs me about £9 a week to do over 200miles! Thats about £37 a week cheaper than the train. Over the course of the year thats over £1,700 saved, thus the bike pays for itself! All in all I love this bike, I know it lacks power and I know I wont keep it forever, but it does everything asked of it and more. I have recommended it to anyone looking to start out.

I have a Honda CG125, 2005 year, owned from new I could tell you how good the bike is, like nearly every review of the bike. But I do not wish to bore you with another identical review saying exactly the same. I was amazed to find no websites that support the Honda CG125, so I have created one. http://hondacg125.awardspace.com/ I could write a very large review of the bike, since I am an experienced rider, I past my test over 10 years ago and have had several bikes, I have also done over 10,000 miles on the bike, including many trips between 150 and 250 miles in a day. I have also been reading everything I can about the Honda CG125 and other makes and models of 125cc bikes, including magazine and owners reviews and reports. I can honestly say, I would not buy any other make or model of 125cc bike. If my Honda CG125 was stolen tomorrow and I won the lottery, I would buy another Honda CG125 for the town/city and winter work, and a 500cc or larger bike for everything else. The Honda CG125 is far from perfect, but all the other makes and models of 125cc have far greater faults, unless you are on a race track or off road. The Honda CG125 is so good, nearly every manufacturer has tried to copy it and failed. The worst are the Chinese clones of the Honda CG125, brand new some are so cheap you could buy 3 to 4 of them for one new Honda CG125. But nearly all owners reports are so shocking, they tell you whatever you do, never buy one, they advise you to buy a 2nd hand Honda CG125 instead, even a 15 year old Honda CG125 will be far better than a new Chinese clone.

Having rode a CG in the past (about 10 years ago) when it was time to get back on two wheels i knew what i was looking for, a bike that was not going to let me down no matter what i, anyone else or the weather was going to through at it. It might not be sexy or fast but it does what it says on the tin again & again with the minimum of maintenance. reliably lugging my lardy 15st ass were ever & when ever i want to go. Being in production since 1976 means any drops, bumps, scraps etc that do happen then there is no probs in getting that spare part. In short a great bike to do your cbt on & keep after for a handy little run around. Smiles per mile.... I still have a stupid grin stuck on my face anytime i take it out for a blast.

I used one of these to past my bike test on,way back in the day when a 125 was a learner bike and a 500 would've been a second bike, not as you see today the gs500's being used as learners,?I find it weird! N E way... This is a bike you can jump on and ride with ease (as I past my test first time never havin' ridden one!) usable and pretty bullet proof, as it was used by every Tom Dick n Harry at the test centre. My learner bike on the road was an rxs100 yammy,2 stroke,nippy and wheelied easily...teehee!Very easy to maintain too. I'd recomend the CG though as the rxs is just too easy to be naughty on!!!