Honda CT125 Hunter Cub adventure bike not coming to Europe

Don’t laugh but Honda CT125 Hunter Cub might be the adventure bike everyone is asking for… they’ve based it on the king of small bikes – the C125 Super Cub!

Whenever we ask people what they want from an adventure bike, the message is always: small, light, cheap, big tank range, low seat, capable off-road and with pillion capacity. The Honda CT125 Hunter Cub ticks every box.

But unfortunately, Honda says there are no plans to bring the bike to Europe.

That doesn’t mean we’re not interested, though, so read on for what we know…

Just like the regular Cub, the Hunter Cub is powered by an air-cooled 124cc single. Honda have retuned it a little so peak power is down to 8bhp but torque is up to 8.1 ftlb. Along with that, it’s also got a higher air intake and exhaust for wading.

Just like the Cub (and the MSX125 and Monkey Bike twins) the fuel-injected single is ridiculously frugal, delivering around 190mpg, which gives the CT125 a theoretical range of 221 miles. One nice little touch is that despite the modern motor, it’s retained the apocalypse-friendly kick start!

Also just like the Cub, the engine gets its power down through a four-speed box with an automatic clutch. It’s been down-geared for a bit more va-va-voom albeit at the expense of top end. If you were going to go long distance touring, swapping back would presumably be quite easy.

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The frame is pretty much straight from the Super Cub but with a few reinforcements for 40mm longer travel suspension. The rear end has also been extended to fit a rack, although that can be swapped for a pillion seat. Other adventure touches include off-road footpegs, chunky controls and little crash bars.

All the extra off-road bits up the weight by 11kg over the C125 to 120kg, but that’s under half what many adventure bikes weigh.

Even with the old-school looks, there are plenty of modern features including LED lights throughout, a nifty little digital dash and it’s even got ABS on the front (but not the back for skids off-road). 

Honda Cub – a potted history

• 1958: Inspired by the popularity of mopeds and scooters in Europe, Honda introduce the C100 Super Cub: a 49cc four-stroke step-thru’ with built-in leg shields and highly practical enclosed final drive. It lives on through many variants and has become the most popular two-wheeler of all time – they’ve made more than 100 million. See our Honda C90 review for a detailed model history of the UK’s favourite version. 
• 2019: Honda reintroduce the Cub to the UK with the C125. Styled like the 1958 original but brought right up to date.
• 2021: Tightening emissions standard mean Super Cub 125 is taken off sale.