Honda CBF125 - anyone own one?
Discussion
Just bought a CBF 125.
On the trip home from the dealer (approx 22miles) the fuel level in the tank barely dropped - filled to the brim at the dealer, and dropped an inch or two at home.
Nice little bike to ride and can be quite nippy when the throttle is opened full. Top speed I've had so far is just under 60mph but it was limited by the road ahead.
Definitely 5 gears and I did manage to use 5th a few times. I found it to be fine for cruising along at 35 or so on a level road.
It's amazing how much confidence you gain from riding on your own rather than with an instructor. I'm thinking of going for my test later in the year or maybe even next year.
On the trip home from the dealer (approx 22miles) the fuel level in the tank barely dropped - filled to the brim at the dealer, and dropped an inch or two at home.
Nice little bike to ride and can be quite nippy when the throttle is opened full. Top speed I've had so far is just under 60mph but it was limited by the road ahead.
Definitely 5 gears and I did manage to use 5th a few times. I found it to be fine for cruising along at 35 or so on a level road.
It's amazing how much confidence you gain from riding on your own rather than with an instructor. I'm thinking of going for my test later in the year or maybe even next year.
I have a 20 minute ride each morning and back at night along a NSL road. It'll haul my considerable bulk along at 60mph on a flat piece of road with my record top speed being an indicated 74mph going downhill. The only complaint I have is that the speed just falls away when going up hill. Chuck in a strong headwind too and I have trouble even hitting 50. 5th gear is useless going up hill, but I think it's fine on the flat.
(First post on PH after much lurking)
I've had a Honda CBF 125 for a year and really it's a great bike. For future thread readers, you can get 230-260 miles from a tank, ridden quite hard. I think the lower mileage figures come from riding the bike too hard in breaking in, as fuel economy appears to go up after breaking in.
Downsides:
The bars are weak and dropping the bike even on its side (wind) while stationary or just off the mark (into one's disc lock) with f* the handlebars. They appear to be made from play-dough.
I bought a '14 CBF and still got a duff fuel pump (kangaroo pump). Honda will replace with no questions tho so it's not a massive issue.
Current tyres, ContiGo, are fine. That's all solved now. However, if you get a flat, forget getting it replaced ad hoc as no one has these, except Honda garages or select places.
Gearbox is flaky, it doesn't always stay in gear and hates going into 1st if you haven't climbed through properly, more so than other bikes, live with it.
As someone else said, actually, the controls are actually weirdly placed. The way the bars and levers come set does feel wrong. You can learn to live with this. After a while, it's fine.
It's a bit of a rust bucket. I don't think this is an 'india' thing, I think it's just that parts are cheap.
Upsides
It's always started, first time, whatever the weather, so far.
It is remarkably safe-feeling.
Slow is actually good, if it's your first bike.
Seating position is a nice blend of upright and pitched forward.
It feels and probably is bullet proof.
No one wants to steal it.
It still looks pretty nice for a bike no one wants to steal.
It's not too pricey. It's like half the price of a CBR125 which is a ridiculous waste of money.
It gets 240 miles to a top up. For me, that's two weeks between fill ups, riding to work every day. And I ride quick.
In sum:
The CBF is great. It's well worth the money, and second-hand I'd say unbeatable value.
I've had a Honda CBF 125 for a year and really it's a great bike. For future thread readers, you can get 230-260 miles from a tank, ridden quite hard. I think the lower mileage figures come from riding the bike too hard in breaking in, as fuel economy appears to go up after breaking in.
Downsides:
The bars are weak and dropping the bike even on its side (wind) while stationary or just off the mark (into one's disc lock) with f* the handlebars. They appear to be made from play-dough.
I bought a '14 CBF and still got a duff fuel pump (kangaroo pump). Honda will replace with no questions tho so it's not a massive issue.
Current tyres, ContiGo, are fine. That's all solved now. However, if you get a flat, forget getting it replaced ad hoc as no one has these, except Honda garages or select places.
Gearbox is flaky, it doesn't always stay in gear and hates going into 1st if you haven't climbed through properly, more so than other bikes, live with it.
As someone else said, actually, the controls are actually weirdly placed. The way the bars and levers come set does feel wrong. You can learn to live with this. After a while, it's fine.
It's a bit of a rust bucket. I don't think this is an 'india' thing, I think it's just that parts are cheap.
Upsides
It's always started, first time, whatever the weather, so far.
It is remarkably safe-feeling.
Slow is actually good, if it's your first bike.
Seating position is a nice blend of upright and pitched forward.
It feels and probably is bullet proof.
No one wants to steal it.
It still looks pretty nice for a bike no one wants to steal.
It's not too pricey. It's like half the price of a CBR125 which is a ridiculous waste of money.
It gets 240 miles to a top up. For me, that's two weeks between fill ups, riding to work every day. And I ride quick.
In sum:
The CBF is great. It's well worth the money, and second-hand I'd say unbeatable value.
We've got one with 1500 miles on it, it is 2 years old and
Tank has rusted out
Gear lever has rusted out
Exhaust rusting from inside out
Centre stand swing pivot rusted out
Swing arm rusting out
Rear shocks showing signs of rust
Rocker cover leaks oil
Genuine Honda accessory top box rack is rusting on welds
Top yoke is rusty
Bottom yoke is rusty
Front tyre valve is rotten
Chain is fubared
Handle bar clamp tarnishing
Every single weld on the frame is showing rust coming through
Engine mount has severe corrosion starting under paint on frame
Head bearings have collapsed
Took it to local dealer, they submitted warranty claim and Honda rejected the warranty claim as "fair wear and tear on a 2 year old bike"..... it has done 1500 miles and doesn't go out in the rain, had to get onto Honda customer relations, the only benefit is my local dealer are going to do the head bearings as good will and have been really helpful so far, even they are disgusted with Hondas attitude.
I don't get this, Honda make a really good bike, it is pretty and rides well, isn't a pile of s
t like the CG125, and then make it out of the cheapest metal known to man with no quality control.
(if you're wondering I have extremely hard water here hence why it looks like it has diry water on it)
Petrol tank
Frame weld
Hard to see here, but the whole length of this weld is rust, pure rust
Fair wear and tear on a 2 year old bike with 1500 miles on the clock that doesn't go out in the rain, even has FHSH, wont even honour the rack which is 6 months old.
Tank has rusted out
Gear lever has rusted out
Exhaust rusting from inside out
Centre stand swing pivot rusted out
Swing arm rusting out
Rear shocks showing signs of rust
Rocker cover leaks oil
Genuine Honda accessory top box rack is rusting on welds
Top yoke is rusty
Bottom yoke is rusty
Front tyre valve is rotten
Chain is fubared
Handle bar clamp tarnishing
Every single weld on the frame is showing rust coming through
Engine mount has severe corrosion starting under paint on frame
Head bearings have collapsed
Took it to local dealer, they submitted warranty claim and Honda rejected the warranty claim as "fair wear and tear on a 2 year old bike"..... it has done 1500 miles and doesn't go out in the rain, had to get onto Honda customer relations, the only benefit is my local dealer are going to do the head bearings as good will and have been really helpful so far, even they are disgusted with Hondas attitude.
I don't get this, Honda make a really good bike, it is pretty and rides well, isn't a pile of s
t like the CG125, and then make it out of the cheapest metal known to man with no quality control.(if you're wondering I have extremely hard water here hence why it looks like it has diry water on it)
Petrol tank
Frame weld
Hard to see here, but the whole length of this weld is rust, pure rust
Fair wear and tear on a 2 year old bike with 1500 miles on the clock that doesn't go out in the rain, even has FHSH, wont even honour the rack which is 6 months old.
Hooli said:
Someone on here has a black one, I'm sure they've posted pics. It's a cbr125 with less plastic isn't it? if so it'll live forever as I've seen the cbr125s take serious abuse & just keep going.
Quality, as well as price, are no where near the baby CBR ime.It's still a good bike, but the CBR feels like it's the best 125cc honda could build, while the CBF has a distinct feeling of "oh, yeah, this is the cheapest honda bike". If I had to chose, it would be the CBR every day of the week.
I bought one brand new in August of last year to help me gain some experience in riding before taking my tests. I covered about 560 miles and must have filled up a maximum of 2 times. When I sold it on there was still a quarter tank of fuel left.
I loved how it felt like a bigger bike in comparison to other 125's. I really wanted a Honda MSX125 but it was too small to be a proper learning tool. The CBF fairings definitely helped with wind blast on country roads, as did the fly screen. I preferred it to the YBR125 I was learning on. The fuel economy is fantastic. I did average 130mpg!
I can't comment on rust as the bike was always garaged and mainly ridden in the dry. I had it for 6 months before selling it.
I would definitely recommend it as a cheap commuter for fuel efficiency or as a learning tool before taking your big bike tests.
There was never a time I was on it and didn't grin, even if it was pretty slow.
I loved how it felt like a bigger bike in comparison to other 125's. I really wanted a Honda MSX125 but it was too small to be a proper learning tool. The CBF fairings definitely helped with wind blast on country roads, as did the fly screen. I preferred it to the YBR125 I was learning on. The fuel economy is fantastic. I did average 130mpg!
I can't comment on rust as the bike was always garaged and mainly ridden in the dry. I had it for 6 months before selling it.
I would definitely recommend it as a cheap commuter for fuel efficiency or as a learning tool before taking your big bike tests.
There was never a time I was on it and didn't grin, even if it was pretty slow.
Blimey, I wonder how pits has got on with his now.
Wasn't sure where to post so thought I'd ask here as I can't seem to find an answer anywhere else.
There are 2 versions of the CBF dashboard. I have recently bought a poor example of the CBF but for buttons as a little project (sounds very similar to pits's bike
). Anyway, would anyone know if I could do a straight swap of the old dashboard for a new styled one (with the Rev counter)?
Thanks.
Wasn't sure where to post so thought I'd ask here as I can't seem to find an answer anywhere else.
There are 2 versions of the CBF dashboard. I have recently bought a poor example of the CBF but for buttons as a little project (sounds very similar to pits's bike
). Anyway, would anyone know if I could do a straight swap of the old dashboard for a new styled one (with the Rev counter)?Thanks.
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