– Detailed 2019 Honda Super Cub ABS Motorcycle / Scooter Review | Buyer’s Guide: Specs, Price, Release Date + More! –

It’s finally “official”! Honda has let the cat out of the bag on the all-new 2019 Super Cub 125 scooter! If you follow the blog, you knew this was coming as I posted about a week ago here that is was unofficially, officially going to be released in the USA for 2019. If you don’t follow the blog or a lot of motorcycle news in general, it’s easy to skim right past this 125cc version of the Super Cub concept that was unveiled back in 2015 at the Tokyo Motor Show and returned for the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show too. You can read up more on it by Clicking Here for my original article on the Super Cub Concept (C125) from 2015 and then you can Click Here for the article from 2017.

Quick Overview of Key 2019 Super Cub 125 ABS Specs:

• 2019 Super Cub 125 Price / MSRP – $3,599
  • * 2019 Super Cub 125 comes standard with ABS  (ABS = Anti-Lock Brake System)
• 2019 Super Cub 125 Release Date – January 2019 (pushed back to March 2019)
• 2019 Super Cub 125 Colors – Pearl Niltava Blue
• 2019 Super Cub 125 Miles Per Gallon –  MPG TBA
• 2019 Super Cub 125 Horsepower –  9.1 HP @ 7,000 RPM
• 2019 Super Cub 125 Torque – 7.7 lb/ft TQ @ 5,000 RPM
• 2019 Super Cub 125 Weight –  240 lbs
• 2019 Super Cub 125 Seat Height –  30.7 in.

The year is 1956. Honda president Soichiro Honda and managing director Takeo Fujisawa have just returned from Europe, where they had traveled in search of inspiration for the next major Honda product. They realize that it should be a commuter bike—a stylish, fun, inexpensive motorcycle that can be ridden by anyone, and designed around just four key features:

1. A high-powered four-stroke engine that is quiet and fuel efficient but has strong, reliable performance
2. Chassis and bodywork with a size and shape that enables even women to easily get on and off, and ride
3. A gear-shift system that doesn’t require operation of a clutch lever
4. An advanced design that is also friendly, fresh, and timeless

Two years later, the first Super Cub C100 is wheeled out of Honda’s production plant. A star is born, and Americans will only have to wait one year to get their hands on it, with the first Super Cub C100 crossing the Pacific following the June 1959 launch of Honda’s first overseas subsidiary, American Honda Motor Company. California students and trendsetters, hitherto experienced with small, inexpensive motorcycles, are early adopters. Instead of the loud, oversized models that had dominated public eye up until this point, the Honda 50 looks friendly and stylish. It’s wildly convenient and fun too, offering not only excellent mobility to and around college campuses, but also enjoyable transportation to work and the local hangout. The door to an all-new world has been opened, and the Honda 50 is the key to it all.

Following the launch of the 1962 CA100, specifically designed for the U.S. market with tandem seat and no turn signals, Honda launches an award-winning advertising campaign featuring the “You Meet the Nicest People on a Honda” tagline. Combine the CA100’s friendly, stylish nature with a feature in the Beach Boys’ international hit, “Little Honda” and a Life magazine story examining the ways Americans have fallen in love with the brand, and it’s not long before the Cub becomes a social phenomenon, with U.S. model sales peaking in 1965. There are even seasonal booms, with teenagers often waking up Christmas morning to find a Cub parked beside the tree.

Stylish, fun, and inexpensive, the Super Cub changes people’s understanding of not only motorcycles, but also mobility and the enjoyment available through riding. Discontinued in the U.S. in 1974, 15 years after the Honda 50 was first introduced, the Super Cub continues to be offered worldwide, with the little motorcycle surpassing a production milestone of 100 million units in 2017, making it the highest-selling motor vehicle in the world.

Now, for the 2019 model year, American Honda celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Super Cub’s debut by bringing the iconic model back to the U.S. market.

2019 Super Cub 125 Overview

Honda’s classic Super Cub styling provides the cues for the new model, the 2019 Super Cub C125, featuring an S-letter silhouette that reaches from the steal rear fender to the step-through space. There is significant wind protection, with the rider positioned upright and close to the lower fairing, yet the Super Cub C125 is still easy to mount and dismount. An open cockpit provides the rider with optimum visibility on crowded city streets, while a side cover pocket on the right side offers storage for essential items.

As with the very first Super Cub, the Super Cub C125 features an air-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke engine that is designed to offer great power for around-town riding but also be fuel efficient and quiet. Bore and stroke for the 125cc, SOHC two-valve engine is 52.4 x 57.9mm, while the compression ratio measures 9.3:1. Fed by PGM-FI, it produces strong, enjoyable power all the way through the rev range.

For noise reduction, the newest version of this engine features a helical primary gear and high-quality crank-journal bearing. Meanwhile, for optimum shift feel and reduced shift noise, the engine has a high-quality shift-drum bearing, shift-arm rubber, and optimized clutch-damper rubber material. A semiautomatic automatic centrifugal clutch makes it easy for new riders to adapt to riding, while still enabling experienced motorcyclists to have fun.

A steel frame with dedicated stiffness characteristics for the engine hanger and head pipe offers a nice balance of comfort and on-road performance, while a rubber handlebar mount, seat mount, and step surface reduce vibration. The high-density urethane seat with thick seat foam is narrow at the front.

Front suspension stroke is up when compared to previous C100 models, measuring 3.9 inches, and the twin shocks have 3.3 inches of travel. Stopping power comes courtesy of a 220mm front disc and 110mm rear drum, while the cast aluminum wheels are produced using a special cutting process to enable the use of a tubeless tire; front and rear wheels are 70/90-17 and 80/90-17, respectively.

Wheelbase is 48.9 inches, while rake and trail are 26.5° and 2.8 inches for predictable handling. Wet weight is 240 pounds, and the seat height is 30.7 inches, making the Super Cub both easy to get on and confidence-inspiring in around-town riding.

Through the incorporation of LED lights, which require minimum space, the Super Cub C125’s headlight shape matches that of the first-generation Super Cub. The meter includes a digital center screen showing two trip meters and six-segment fuel-level indicator, with an outer analog display showing speed. A smart key allows users to lock the seat electronically. 

Key 2019 Super Cub 125 Features

• Classic Super Cub styling celebrates the model’s legendary heritage
• High-density urethane seat with thick foam is narrow at the front for rider confidence
• Engine features a helical primary gear and high-quality crank journal bearing for reduced running noise
• Smooth shifts through use of high-quality shift drum bearing, shift arm rubber, and optimized clutch damper rubber material
• Front and rear suspension with 3.9 inches and 3.3 inches of travel, respectively, provide a combination of stability and on-road comfort
• LED lighting adds modern touch, durability, and energy saving while helping match the headlight shape of first-generation Super Cub
• One-channel ABS standard (front only)
• The Super Cub 125 comes with two smart keys

My Thoughts on the Super Cub 125… Yours?

Personally, I’m digging it! I think the Super Cub for 2019 is going to be a pretty big hit. I’m hoping Honda doesn’t keep it too “limited” when it comes to production numbers as not only will that make it difficult for anyone and everyone that wants to buy one to get their hands on it but it’ll also give some dealers a reason to start playing games with the Super Cub’s pricing. It could end up a repeat of what happened with the Grom through 2013 – 2014 and the Grom wasn’t even considered a “limited production” model like the Super Cub will be. Honda just couldn’t keep up with the demand on the Grom which led to some dealers playing games with jacking prices up with misc fees etc. It was fairly common for me to talk to people that had quotes exceeding $4,500 and that’s on a bike that originally had an MSRP of $2,999. It’s going to be interesting to see what age demographic really falls for this bike and if it’s just the generation that is familiar with what the Super Cub is and the history behind it etc and or if it’ll be a home-run with the younger generation that more than likely doesn’t know what a Super Cub is and or was. The semi-automatic clutch setup where you don’t have to use a clutch but can still change gears manually will be an upside to many and should help introduce some people to motorcycles that have a fear of using a true clutch but a downfall to some as well so it’s kind of a win-lose situation on that in my opinion. I’m looking forward to getting a chance to throw my leg over one and see how it feels stacked up against the other 125cc motorcycles from Honda for 2019 like the Grom 125 and Monkey 125 and you also can’t count out another one of its competitors which will be the fully-automatic PCX150 scooter.

What do you guys think about the new Super Cub? Are you interested in possibly buying one? Even if your’e not part of the targeted audience for the Super Cub, what are your thoughts on it? 

2019 Super Cub 125 Pictures / Photo Gallery

Technical 2019 Honda Super Cub 125 Specifications

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