Honda’s Sportiest 125 cc Bike Yet, The CB125 Hornet Breaks Cover

Honda has taken the wraps off the new CB125 Hornet. The brand’s sportiest and most aggressive 125 cc offering yet will be available for bookings from August 1 onwards. Once launched, it will directly compete against the likes of the TVS Raider 125, Hero Xtreme 125R, and the Pulsar N125. 

The new Honda CB125 Hornet is powered by the same 123.94 cc engine from the Honda Shine 125, but has been tuned to produce 11 bhp/11.2 Nm of peak torque (0.5 bhp/ 0.2 Nm more). The engine continues to be mated to a 5-speed gearbox, and the overall setup is good enough to accelerate from 0-60 kmph in 5.4 seconds, which it claims is the quickest in the segment.

On the hardware front, the new Honda CB125 Hornet is the only bike in the 125 cc segment to get an USD fork from Showa, and this suspension setup was last seen on the KTM 125 Duke which has been discontinued. Rear suspension duties are carried out by a 5-step adjustable monoshock. Braking hardware includes  a 240 mm petal disc at the front, while the rear brake is a drum unit. It rides on 17-inch alloy wheels, and while the tyres are wide, they are not radial units. All in all, the Honda CB125 Hornet tips the scale at 124 kg, which is lighter than the Hero Xtreme 125R, and Pulsar N125, but just 1 kg heavier than the TVS Raider 125 drum brake variant. 

Feature-wise, the Honda CB125 Hornet gets all the bells and whistles. From LED DRL, headlight and tail light to even a 4.2-inch TFT console that supports Honda’s RoadSync app. This gets you all the connectivity features starting with turn-by-turn navigation, to call/SMS alerts, music playback, and even ride data, and much more. There’s a USB Type C charging port available as standard here too. 

Lastly, the Honda CB125 Hornet will be available in four shades: Pearl Siren Blue with Lemon Ice Yellow, Pearl Igneous Black, Pearl Siren Blue with Athletic Blue Metallic, and Pearl Siren Blue with Sports Red. Each of these colour options is further complimented by the same-coloured alloy wheels, making it look even more sporty.

All that now remains to be seen is by how much Honda prices the new CB125 Hornet at. The TVS Raider 125 is available in six variants priced between ₹87,010 to ₹1.02 lakh (Ex-showroom, Delhi). The Hero Xtreme 125R is priced between ₹98,425-₹1 lakh and it is distributed in 3 variants. So, our guess is that Hond might position the CB125 Hornet as a slightly more premium proposition and price it between ₹1.02- ₹1.05 lakh.