The wait is almost over. Honda’s confirmed it will be entering the CT125 into production, and it will be officially unveiled this weekend.
In some markets, Honda says the machine will be officially known as the Hunter Cub; in others, it’ll be called the Trail Cub. That’s good to know, as it means that despite the initial roll-out being Japan-only, Honda does seem to want to export it to other markets.
This weekend’s introduction comes as the bike was supposed to be introduced at the Tokyo Motorcycle Show, but sadly, that event was a victim of the COVID-19 lockdown … so the bike will be revealed to the public over the Internet. This is becoming “a thing,” as Kawasaki recently had an online-only press launch, and Ducati’s expecting to do the same thing with the new Streetfighter V4 soon.
We’ve seen enough of the new CT125 to know what to expect, anyway. While we may not have exact specs, it’s got the air-cooled engine (four-speed gearbox, approx. 9 hp, EFI) from the Honda Grom in a rugged chassis that’s styled after the CT line that Honda’s sold all over the world. It’s a modern-day postie bike!
Pricing for the machine looks promising. It’s expected to cost around 440,000 yen, which works out to be around $5,750 CAD. That price might be just a tad high in the Canadian market, but frankly speaking, don’t expect it here anytime soon anyway. The current social distancing lifestyle has not been good for the moto-industry, and the OEMs are not going to be falling over themselves to introduce new bikes to North American anytime soon.
So it’s now near the end of Feb 2022 and still not a peep out of Honda Motorcycle Canada re the CT125. What gives? Are these folks NOT in the business of giving Moto loving Canucks what they truly need in order to live a rich fulfilling life?
I’ll have one with the 300cc single please and thanks.
I was in Thailand on one of the smaller islands near phuket. I missed the boat going back to the mainland and had to spend the night. I was sitting on the beach watching the sunset. There was a boulder half buries in the sand. Two kids came flying along on a clapped out 90, no headlight. They slammed into the boulder and flew about 30 feet. Stopped briefly and then rode off.
Meh…it’s like what Yogi Berra so eloquently stated, ” It’s like deja vu all over again.”
Why? In my experience, I’d just as soon forget that this particular bike even existed.
To each their own regarding ‘nostalgia’.
Small motorcycles are perfect for the plague! You’re far enough away from other people, you’re wearing a helmet and face-shield, and most m/c gear is like wearing a haz-mat suit.. Better than taking transit! I only wish we could buy Russian studded tires so I could ride my bike in ice and snow, too.