ACE OF CUBS
Rehashed retro ride will have you itching to jump in saddle
I’VE been looking forward to riding Honda’s brand new Super Cub for ages.
It’s the bike that kick-started (sorry – rubbish pun) Honda’s fortunes back in 1958.
It’s affordable, bulletproof, easy to ride, quiet, clean, economical and adaptable. And the firm have built over 100million of them.
That huge number makes the Honda Super Cub the best selling vehicle of all time – and yes, that includes cars. Some feat.
Back in 1958 – a postwar picture of severe austerity, poor roads and unreliable machinery – the Cub was a welcome addition to the developing world.
With its three-speed gearbox and clever centrifugal clutch (no lever as Mr Honda thought it was crucial to be able to carry a carton of Soba noodles while riding), enclosed drivetrain and plastic bodywork to keep your clothes clean and dry, it was unlike anything else.
And while other scooters relied on small diameter wheels Honda chose to fit the Cub with larger
17in ones that behaved far better on bad road surfaces. The placing of the engine in the centre of the bike also improved the handling compared to the rear-engined scooters of the time.
The bike’s back for 2018. Re-imagined with LED lighting, a larger four-speed 125cc engine with digital fuel injection, electric start and cast alloy wheels.
The fundamentals remain intact, though.
Yes, it’ll still achieve close to
200mpg. Yes, the bodywork still keeps your clothes clean and dry and yes, it’s still easier to ride than a bicycle. Much easier to ride.
In fact it’s such a blast I haven’t been able to leave it alone.
The slightest excuse to pop to the shops and I’m gone. My trip into town and back can take half an hour in a car and literally about three minutes on the Cub, filtering its way neatly and precisely through sluggish traffic in near record time.
It’s very narrow too, so filtering (and parking) is even easier than on a “normal” bike.
But it’s the reaction of strangers I’ve most enjoyed. People just see it and grin. I’m assuming these are people who remember the old Cub or rode one.
Whatever the reason, after my week or so with it it’s pretty clear there’s a lorra, lorra love for it.
With its gleaming paintwork and bright chrome plating it looks every inch a faithful restoration of an old Cub. Maybe that’s what makes strangers smile?
As a rider there’s a lot to smile about, too. Those retro-look rear shocks and conventional front forks are brilliant. This modern Cub handles 100% better than the old one. It stops better too, with a decent front disc set up and a faithful old drum rear with plenty of feel.
It may not be crazy-fast but with a low first gear ratio there’s lots of oomph available away from the lights and the Cub will out-drag most cars up to around 30mph. Perfect for town and city use. The top speed? Around 60-65mph depending on wind speed, the amount of cake you’re carrying and gradient.
As kids we had our fair share of old Cubs to rag around on wasteland and fields.
These were usually MOT failures and invariably in an ugly state of repair.
But I can’t recall ever breaking an engine. Ever. You just can’t kill a Honda Cub. I know, we tried our best.
And this new 2018 version has exactly the same feeling of Honda solidity.
Measured against anything else on the scooter market the Super Cub’s build quality is off the chart. The closer you look, the nicer it all is.
Cash price is £3,399 or Honda are offering a PCP deal of £65 a month. That – and the fact I’d genuinely use it every day – is going to make it very difficult for me not to buy one.
I’d quite like a set of retro tartan panniers to put all my shopping in, too. 2018 Honda C125 Super Cub
GOT A COMMENT ON NO LIMITS? EMAIL ME AT MARK@MARKFORSYTH.NET OR JOIN ME ON INSTAGRAM MARK.FORSYTH1