I bought a scruffy, 1975 Honda CB125S from a dealer for £150 with 25000 miles on the clock. The brakes were a joke, it was out accelerated by most 100s, but it would cruise at sixty and do 90mpg.
A change of cables and shoes went some way to improving the brakes (£5 for the lot from a breakers), but they were never more than adequate. The handling, however, was beyond repair; an oversize rear tyre had been fitted by the dealer and, possibly as a result of this, it simply would not corner fast. Attempting to follow a more exotically mounted friend (GP100!) around aright angle bend, at moderate speed, resulted in the rear sliding away. Whatever one’s opinion of Yokohoma rubber, the poor tyre quality alone was not enough to account for the total inability of the machine to be chucked hard into the bends.
Forced to ride sedately the machine was reasonably stable within its limits. For trotting across town the Honda was ideal - the low mass and centre of gravity meant it could be weaved through traffic despite the handling, whilst the mildly tuned motor meant it could be stuck in top when following traffic at speeds above 25. It should be noted that 100mpg is easily achievable around town, acceleration was just about adequate to keep up with traffic although those wishing to move faster than the stream might need something more powerful. The little Honda, then, just about copes with its given role as a cheap commuter. At seven years and 25000 miles, the bike was something of a dog when purchased. However, it cleaned up reasonably well.
The seat had been recovered but the base was rusted beyond repair, but was not replaced and did not fall off (quite) in eighteen months. The rear shocks (original) were predictably shot, but still proved quite adequate for two-up town riding. The centre stand was warped and did not hold the rear wheel off the ground. The paint was badly faded, the front guard rattled, the rear was rusted, but neither was bad enough to require replacement. All in all, not bad for an elderly bike which had clearly been somewhat neglected.
Day to day reliability was truly excellent. It always started first kick from cold provided the throttle was held. slightly open, and would then rev and tickover well. Choke was only necessary when cold and could be dispensed with immediately. The only things to fail in my 10000 miles were the bulbs which blew every couple of months - a result of the excessive vibration rather than any electrical fault - and the horn which cost £5 to replace from a breaker.
However, all was not bliss. Two weeks after purchase, the thing refused to rev beyond 7000rpm, when it would misfire badly. Since the redline is 9500rpm and Honda singles must be revved hard if progress is going to be slow, instead of absurdly slow, top speed was cut to 50mph and it was too slow to keep up with the traffic.
The dealer I purchased the bike from (since defunct) was less than helpful, informing me that I could not expect a four stroke single to rev like a two stroke and, no, he wouldn’t investigate the problem. I suppose one should expect no more for the money, but is it any wonder that people are put off motorcycling? Still, having no money and less mechanical experience, I continued to ride it in this state, until a few weeks later an oil leak appeared in the cylinder head. You guessed it, the camchain (of this “carefully prepared" machine) hadn’t been adjusted correctly.
It ran well (the term is relative) with nothing more than adjustment of chains, brakes and topping up the oil thanks to the oil leak. The oil was changed every 2000 miles, although every 1000 miles would have been more sensible. A replacement barrel was eventually bought for £12 from a breaker. Despite the lack of maintenance the camchain was still OK after 30000 miles and I was most impressed by the engine’s durability after my 10000 miles. I managed to sell the bike for what I paid for it.
Would I, however, recommend this model to prospective purchasers? Frankly, no. Reliability, durability and economy were impressive and the only real fault arose from a mixture of dealer incompetence and owner ignorance. However, it was unpleasant to ride, it was slow, whilst the mixture of engine vibration and noise made it feel crude. Moreover, the poor handling relegated the role of the bike to that of a plodder. The machine excelled only in its role as a basic, economic, commuter. On longer journeys the bike became tiring due to the vibes and the lack of distraction (or fun) provided by the minimal power.
The Suzuki A100 that replaced the Honda, was faster, lighter and better handling (Christ, it must have been bad - 2021 Ed.), although it might not last much beyond 30000 miles. More importantly, it cost half as much to insure which more than offset its greater thirst (80mpg). The Honda does have much to offer as a cheap commuter but if you laugh at the MZ or CZ then give it a miss.
M Kapoor