Want a cafe racer, but you don’t want to spend a lot of money on a pricey retro with a European name on the tank? Honda’s got your back, with the new CGX150.
Or rather—they’d have your back if you lived in Asia. The new CGX150 is reportedly going to be built by Wuyang Honda, which is Big Red’s Chinese-based subsidiary. In case you forgot, Honda’s ties to the Chinese motorcycle market go back decades, with the XR150L (introduced to Canada in 2023) originally developed for Chinese riders.
Which brings us to the suggestion that this is probably basically the same air-cooled four-stroke single-cylinder engine as we see in the XR150L. It looks very similar, but with a blacked-out paint job instead of the silver paint on the little dual sport. Reports from Asia say the CGX150 will make 12 hp, and hit a top speed just under 100 km/h. Chances are that those top speed estimates would be greatly reduced if a large rider was aboard, or if they faced a long uphill, or a brisk wind…
However, it’s still a light little bike (128 kilo curb weight, reportedly) with 17-inch wheels and surprisingly attractive aesthetics. If you don’t ever leave city limits, and you’re small enough that you don’t look goofy aboard this bike, it could be a lot of fun if it came in at a price tag similar to the XR150L’s $4,800ish MSRP. And if it really does have the same engine, then it’s not hard to imagine Honda actually bringing the CGX150 to markets outside Asia… just don’t expect to see it here in Canada anytime soon. Honda does not seem particularly interested in thinking outside the box here.
Micro Thruxton is micro.