This new Honda Super Cub is like a time machine, turn the keyless ignition and it instantly transported me back to my youth. It made me visit places I’d long since forgotten about and reminisce about times and people that are also long gone.
I’m 12 years old again, blasting around a local farm on a mate’s dad’s ‘Chicken Chaser’, or Honda C90 to be precise. With an ill-fitting piss pot helmet perched on my head. I was young, fearless and loved anything on two wheels (even now not much has changed other than my age and my helmet choice).
The Great Escape
That off-road fun might ‘only’ have been on a C90, a workhorse of a machine rather than some classic scooter, or smoking Yamaha RD. But being able to get a sneaky taste of the freedom two wheels can give meant it didn’t really matter what it was as long as it had an engine. Riding around that field made me feel alive, I was Steve McQueen in The Great Escape. I already knew my future would involve two wheels, the C90 confirmed it. Getting back on my BMX for the next four years just wasn’t the same. That was the last time I rode a Cub until this one turned up.
Let’s take a look at the new Cub
Have I gone stark raving bonkers or does this look cool? You can let us know in the comments section below but I think it looks ace.
It’s like the old ones but so much better in terms of styling, finish, rideability and more importantly credibility.
Modern touches
Look around it and the Super Cub is a well-crafted machine. The fit and finish is typically Honda, very well executed with a few modern touches like the digital instruments, LED lighting, keyless ignition, ABS brakes and fuel-injected 125cc engine. The two-tone paintwork is deep and shiny, yet still looks very much like my dad’s old C90. Honda have even gone for a retro badge as a nod towards the past. The chrome accentuates the details and reflects the paintwork. Even the rear shock cover is colour-coded. The legshields are a characteristic of the design, as is the step-thru (or to be more precise, step-over) central tunnel.
Semi-automatic
Honda could have used a simple modern twist-and-go transmission to modernise the Cub but hey, who are we to argue when they’ve sold over 100 million of these things? Instead, they opted to keep to the time-served traditional Cub semi-automatic four-speed box. If you’ve never used one it’s straightforward enough, firstly there’s no clutch to worry about, the Cub has a gear lever on a heel-and-toe arrangement. Let the throttle off and press down with your toes to select first/second/third and fourth. To come back down the gears you can use your heel, or if you prefer, lift the lever with your toes. It’s fairly easy to get used to, although not as simple as an auto obviously.
You can also inadvertently press down with your heel and select fourth by accident as you’re trying to pull away – not that I did that of course… The heel and toe arrangement is also quite hard to get used to off-road when you’re scrambling these things. Did somebody mention scrambling?
VIDEO | SCRAMBLING ON THE SUPER CUB
Death Valley
Honda probably never envisioned their Cub going off road but over the years they’ve been used to chase chickens around fields (hence one of its nicknames), taught schoolboys (and girls) how to ride, crossed deserts, continents and been used for around the world and long-distance adventures. The Cub is a bulletproof and very versatile machine, ok it’s not really made for off-road use but it has been abused in many ways.
They’ll never know
Those thoughts of childhood scrambling must have gone to my head and rather than razzing around a field on an old neglected moped worth probably about £20 at the time I decided to take this brand new £3399 Honda to an area of woods known locally as Death Valley. With just 20 miles on the clock, plenty of slippery mud and fallen leaves we sneaked into the local woods and had a bit of fun. I cleaned it afterwards so hopefully those nice people at Honda will never know.
No Cubs have been harmed in these woods (probably)
Gone dogging
This place is often used for mountain biking and the odd bit of dogging – so I hear. Local trials bike riders love it as well, it’s not really the natural habitat of this commuter machine though, or is it? You can judge for yourself by watching the video above but to be fair, despite being on bog standard road tyres the little Honda coped better than some 125cc Chinese ‘trials’ bikes I’ve taken in the woods.
Plenty of fun
On one of the steep, slippery descents I half expected to find myself in a heap beneath the Cub but it did very well, ABS keeping the front end under control without me falling off, despite having both brakes on. It also climbed most of the muddy hills without much bother and coped with a little jump or two. Ok ground clearance is limited and you’d soon rip the sump off on a rock but this isn’t where you’re likely to be riding yours. It was good fun though and a perfect way to spend an hour working up a sweat on a cold winter’s day.
Smart key/Alarm
The Super Cub comes with an alarm (armed using the key fob), it’s a keyless scooter though so you just need it in your pocket when starting the scooter. Just press and twist the dial then prod the starter button. Easy enough (although without a manual I confused things by pressing it like a remote).
Instruments
A modern digital display gives info on fuel, time, trips, gear position and odometer, it’s flanked by an analogue speedo. A chrome button just below the instruments can be used to zero the trips. The dash is uncluttered, easy to read and looks good.
Wheels
Although the 17″ alloys are well finished and nicely detailed, with deep chamfered edges and a mixture of silver and black paint I must say they’re the only thing on the Cub I’d like to change. A set of multi-spoked wheels would finish this machine off nicely. Having said that though, the 17″ wheels do add stability and it’ll drop nicely into corners on the standard fit IRC T-Spec tyres.
Luggage capacity
Clipstone Colliery Notts, the tallest remaining headstock in the world – currently being renovated
Dependable pit pony
The mines were a place where men were men and women weren’t
I can only imagine how long the lily-livered politically correct would last down the pit these days… Anyway, enough of pandering to the easily offended.
All weather commuter
My dad, like many grafters around here, had a C90 and rode to the pit through rain, hail snow and flying pickets (no tosses were given), his NCB donkey jacket was his only protection from the elements/missiles. Times were tough in the 1980s mining communities, no matter which side of the strike you were on.
Dependable
Around the world, the Honda Cub is synonymous with being affordable, low maintenance, fuel-efficient and very dependable. It’s kept the less wealthy countries going over the years and has always sold well in the poorer regions. Unsurprisingly the Cub dropped out of favour in the Western world. Cars took over bikes as the main mode of transport for many and those who wanted to ride preferred something a little more exciting, after all the Honda has always been a little bland to look at. Especially when there are loads of exciting bikes out there, or more to the point, plenty of scooters that can offer more practicality than the Cub (we’ll talk about that later).
Bring it back
You may wonder in this day and age why the Cub has suddenly made a reappearance in Europe and America? For starters, Honda aren’t daft. They’ve seen the current trend for all things retro, they’ve also witnessed the Honda Cub custom scene which has exploded over the last few years. People have been turning their once mundane-looking older Cubs into stunning masterpieces of automotive style, and tuning them to the extreme.
Retro revival
If you’re a manufacturer with a back catalogue of classic designs in a world where ‘retro’ is big business surely you’d want to cash in on it (Vespa take note!)? So they have. After showing their ‘new’ Cub concept in 2017 and gaining overwhelming public support Honda decided to bring this classic back to the masses.
On the road
Most Super Cubs will spend the majority of their time on the road and luckily that’s where it’s best suited. Using the same engine as the popular and very nippy Honda Grom and recently reintroduced Monkey Bike, it’s no surprise that the Cub is fairly quick off the mark. The gears are well spaced and you can hit the rev limiter in each one if you like, I also found myself accidentally slipping the auto clutch at times by resting my heel on the gear pedal (I’m sure a few hooligans will enjoy both of these attributes whilst showing off).
Top speed
Although the test bike was brand new, it quickly got to 60mph and I saw 65 on the clock, which isn’t bad at all. The only time it felt a little underpowered was whilst going up the odd big hill but knock it down a cog and it’ll power through it.
Big wheels keep on turning
The 17″ wheels make life so much easier, especially around the area where I live. The lasting tribute to the many mines around here are some very uneven roads and plenty of subsidence and potholes. Larger wheels make things much easier than a conventional 10″ or 13″ scooter wheel would. Those IRC tyres are fairly good as well, with temperatures close to freezing and roads mostly damp they never had me worried and they drop into corners quickly.
Away days
I found the twin shock rear end to be nicely damped, the chrome and colour-coded red shocks look retro but work well enough. They’re not adjustable but I didn’t feel like they needed it anyway. The front end was a little harsh for my liking though, hit a smallish pothole and it felt like the conventional front forks were bottoming out. Remember though this is a £3399 commuter rather than a sports scooter. Although I’m sure that won’t stop some owners from riding these to beyond the limits of man or machine. It’s that kind of bike, you just want to have fun with it. I can imagine three or four mates blasting off to the seaside, streamlining each other, tucked in as tightly as possible to try and coax out every last bit of the 9.6bhp on tap. Any advantage you can get is important on a 125, ride in a group of 125s and winning is the only thing that matters. I’ve had many a belly laugh doing group 125 tests in the past, waiting for the rider in front to miss a gear, mess his braking up or take a wrong line into a bend. You’re sat behind willing them to make a minor mistake and allow you to take advantage.
Drum and disc
It’s worth noting that the Honda comes with a 220mm disc at the front end, keeping things retro at the rear is an old-school 130mm drum brake but to be honest I thought the brakes were just about perfect for this machine. Not too powerful but they’ll stop you under control, especially with the single-channel ABS up front. I was surprised at just how much control I had whilst off-roading with both brakes firmly on downhill.
The pit villages no longer wake up to the call of the headstocks but life still goes on
Practicality
Back in the 1970s/1980s there were hardly any twist and go scooters in existence, you either bought a ‘proper’ scooter, a motorcycle, or a Puch Maxi-style moped. That meant at the time the C90 and its C70/Cub family had quite a captive audience. If you didn’t want an Italian scooter, a Japanese motorbike or a weedy moped you’d buy a Honda Cub. Things have changed though in the last 30 years. The late 1990s scooter boom meant twist & go scooters became all the rage, suddenly there were hundreds of scooters to choose from. With auto transmissions (making them easy to ride for novices), storage space beneath their seats, room for a top box if extra space was needed and in the case of machines like the Gilera Runner and Italjet Dragsters they also had very quick and easily tunable two-stroke engines. All of a sudden youngsters and older riders were excited to ride scooters for pleasure and commuters had a good choice for the more mundane ride to work.
It’s not a fridge freezer
That leaves the Honda Super Cub out on a limb slightly. There are better-equipped, more practical modes of transport for both commuting and pleasure. The Cub only has a measly 3.7-litre tank for instance.
Why be sensible?
Luckily, the good thing about us two-wheeled nuts and petrol heads is that we don’t always opt for the sensible choice, biking isn’t like buying a new fridge. We don’t always care if the salad drawer is too small or the ice dispenser has to be plumbed in. Biking is all about the living, breathing machine. It’s about the character, the way something makes you feel. This Honda may not be the dream machine for many but for lots of others it will be just what they’ve been looking for.
Verdict
The Honda (Super) Cub is back, it’s better looking than it ever has been and it gets the latest four-stroke 125cc Honda engine so it’s more powerful than it ever was. Maybe the Super Cub has come back at just the right time. Lots of middle-aged men are looking for kicks. They grew out of superbikes, are sick of the licence-threatening power of naked bikes but still need something to have a bit of fun with. The new Honda Super Cub may well just fit that gap quite nicely. It’s by no means a cheap 125 but it is reassuringly Honda. It may not be as easy to ride or practical as an ordinary scooter but it still ticks plenty of boxes and that’s what biking is all about.
Words, photos and video: Iggy
Action shots: Linsey
Engine Type: Single cylinder, 4-stroke, air-cooled, fuel injected, 2-valve, SOHC
Displacement: 125cc
Maximum power: 9.6bhp
Torque: 10.4Nm @5,000 rpm
Front suspension: 26mm telescopic forks
Rear suspension: Twin shock absorbers
Front brake: 230mm disc (single-channel ABS)
Rear brake: 130mm drum
Front tyre: 70/90-17M/C IRC tyre
Rear tyre: 80/90-17M/C IRC tyre
Wheelbase: 1245mm
Seat height: 780mm
Fuel capacity: 3.7 litres
Weight: 109kg
Colours: Pearl Nebula Red/Pearl Nilvata Blue
Price: £3399
Contact: Honda Motorcycles
Update – December 2024
This feature was moved over from our SLUK Archive website. The current retail price for the Cub is £3869.
