Honda CT125 Hunter Cub

[jonnie comet]

Top TOP farkeling there Micky - That gold chain is just......

 

[Micky]

Very smart
Look forward to seeing it on its' travels somewhere. There should be a night away somewhere close to a beer source

Indeed so Alastair

 

[Arsey]

Very smart
Look forward to seeing it on its' travels somewhere. There should be a night away somewhere close to a beer source and next to a cheese shop

Fixed


Sent from my Nokia 3310 using Thetwatcantalk

 

[Micky]

The last of the 'required' farkles arrived and fitted

The 'bike certainly looks better out there on the road for having the exhaust heat shields powder coated black

Before ...

After ...

So the BarkBusters arrived today .... my last 'must have' required farkle

The standard bar end weights are mystical, a solution looking for a problem? Maybe Honda know a thing or two but the requirement for this technology beats me

Standard bar end weights, they spin round and are heavy, take some getting out

So in with the new ....

The aluminium bits will be away next week for powder coating

 

[Kritou]

You need some inexpensive running lights …

 

[Clifton]

If Micky adds much more stuff it's going to need a bigger motor.

 

[Micky]

You need some inexpensive running lights …

No I don't thanks .... I fly under the radar ....

If they don't see that LED headlight they'll not see anything

 

[Daffy]

The standard bar end weights are mystical, a solution looking for a problem? Maybe Honda know a thing or two but the requirement for this technology beats me

Standard bar end weights, they spin round and are heavy, take some getting out

I seem to remember that Mr Honda had some ‘rules’ that applied to all Honda’s, one was that the mirrors wouldn’t vibrate - or did I dream it?

Lovely looking Bike you have there Micky

 

[Toddmeister]

Well I’ve had a few ups and downs with getting the “little red fecker” registered in the UK what with all the MSVA testing, then having to get the Speedo recalibrated and a regulation Power Plate made up, with a big thank you to Micky of this Parrish and Seven Seas for their help with invaluable information on this. DVLA then took weeks to reject my application first time around as I needed an MOT , and then once that was done, took a few more weeks to finally process everything. So when someone sells you one of these and says “Don’t worry mate, it’s dead simple to get it registered”, you may wish to take that as meaning it is if you know what you are doing, but it does take a bit of effort even then!

However the good news is that I did finally managed to get all the paperwork sorted out and the registration docs arrived from the DVLA a couple of days ago. It was my birthday yesterday (as well as the anniversary of Her Majesty’s passing!), so I thought it would be a nice present to myself to take the little red thing for it’s maiden voyage on UK roads and trails on what was one of the hottest days of the year so far.

Here’s a few pics from the outing…….

 

[Toddmeister]

A few observations from my little 50 mile jaunt around the highways and byways of Berkshire:

1. You’re not going anyhere fast! Got a top speed of 51 mph ish out of it, but it’s happiest sitting around 45mph on the tarmac so you just have to sit back and chill
2. It’s actually tiny and very light and nimble, and changes direction quickly. Very noticeable on the trails in particular
3. The foot control layout taking me a lot of getting used to! I found it really hard to get my feet in the right position to use the gearshift and brake initially and alternating between sat down and standing up was a bit of a challenge. By the end of 50 miles I was starting to settle into it and get the hang of things. I also need to take the kick start off as it gets in the way of my right calf.
4. The semi-automatic gearbox works really well, but takes a bit of getting used to as well, and there is definitely a technique I need to learn to get it shift down without spinning up the back up on the loose stuff.
5. The suspension is more bouncy than Tigger and I’m not sure there’s too much damping. It’s very plush but a bit too boingy for me so I might need to eventually put some different shocks on it.
6. It‘s very frugal on fuel, especially off road, where it seems happiest just chugging along around 20-25 mph. I did do one trail flat out but point 5 above makes it interesting at that speed!
7. It’s quite comfortable once you work out how to position your feet and dangle your limbs at the right angles
8. And finally - It puts a bloody great big grin on your face coz it’s just so much fun to ride

All in all a successful first outing - a bit of fettling and farkling now needed to get it just how I want it to be.

 

[Micky]

Good to see you're on the road Toddy

Yes, the gear change does take some getting used to

If you're going to be stopping in third or fourth don't even think about coming down the gearbox, just stop in gear and then you can press down on the gear-lever and straight in to neutral

Mine's easy at 50mph and will go up to sixty now that it's freed off a little. But on the A614 national speed limit country road, with a headwind, you will have cars creeping past you on your side of the road, with less room than they would give a cyclist. You need good mirrors and rear observations

I love mine .... so much fun

 

[jonnie comet]

Re 'dead easy to get it registered' and also 'will easily pass an MOT' - I always wonder why THEY haven't done it then????

Re 'Big grin' - At the end of the day, that's what it's all about......innit? Lovely little bikes.....

 

[Toddmeister]

Some more observations, if I may, on the joys of Hunter Cub ownership:

• You meet the nicest people on a Honda!
• It’s so quiet even the horse riders didn‘t hear me coming up from the rear (ooh err matron).
• Everyone I met on the trails at the weekend was so friendly and engaging, a very different dynamic from when I am on the Enduro bike in full face helmet and dark goggles
• It was a 12 polo ride - in so much as I stopped and chatted with 12 horse riders and gave their awesome steeds a polo mint. Every one of them was really friendly and their horses weren’t spooked in the slightest by me passing them.
• It’s got limited suspension and the geometry is best for staying seated. I do stand up for the more nadgery stuff, but it’s not a natural position you’d want to stay in for any length of time
• I’ve taken off the kick start which has given my leg a lot more room
• I’ve finally started to get the hang of the gearbox! If you treat It like a foot operated clutch and feed the gear change in slowly on the downshifts then the whole thing makes sense and works soooo much better
• I met up with a TRF mate who also owns a Hunter Cub (gen 2). He is a really good Enduro racer, but none of that makes much difference when you’ve only got 8bhp - you just bimble along together enjoying the trail and the scenery. I asked him why he bought it, and his view was that there is a time and a place for hooning (i.e.during a race), and technical stuff is as a good challenge, but when you’re just out trail riding what is the point? Much better to sit back, relax and enjoy the scenery.

The little red fecker is growing on me

 

[Clifton]

Wonderful seeing you (and of course Micky) enjoying those little bikes! They are ideal at what they do.

 

[Micky]

A simple service today .... only 400 miles but time to take out the Honda break-in oil.

Valve clearances checked. Exhaust spot on but the inlet had closed up a tad ....

Replaced the sump plug with a magnetic one, and a new crush washer ...

The 2023 models with the JA65E engine now have oil filters fitted



In case anyone asks "What oil Mister?"

Ready to rock'n roll now

 

[Toddmeister]

Nice one Micky!

Re the magnetic sump plug - I’m sure I read somewhere that someone had a problem after fitting one of these as it sticks up further in the hole than the OE part and blocks one of the oil return feeds which then restricts flow around the engine!

I might be talking bollocks (no change there!), and your one looks like the same size as OE, so it’s probably not an issue - just something that stuck in my memory when I read it!

 

[Micky]

Nice one Micky!

Re the magnetic sump plug - I’m sure I read somewhere that someone had a problem after fitting one of these as it sticks up further in the hole than the OE part and blocks one of the oil return feeds which then restricts flow around the engine!

I might be talking bollocks (no change there!), and your one looks like the same size as OE, so it’s probably not an issue - just something that stuck in my memory when I read it!

Cheers Toddy

I checked with a probe, would appear to be a gauze filter strainer above the sump plug. This is about half an inch above the level of the top of the sump plug so I presume OK

 

[AndyT]

They've just released a Yellow colour here in Thailand which reminds me of an AA Patrol bike for some reason. Still just 2,000 ukp new here. I wish i could be bothered to export a container full to the UK.....lol

 

[nick.ct]

Looks like someone has

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[Micky]

Looks like someone has

Honda CT125 Hunter Cub 2022 Model | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Honda CT125 Hunter Cub 2022 Model at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

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Hondas biggest mistake eh .... for not importing them in to Europe


I might not have finished farkling mine yet

Saving up some of my pension

Might get our own section at this rate ....