Honda’s Entry-level CB Gets Even More Gorgeous For 2023

Honda’s baby CB125R has received a colour update for 2023. It now arrives in four new colours: matt black, silver, blue and candy red. The matt black version looks particularly stealthy with its all-black belly pan, tank extensions and USD casing. The others get a golden tinge USD casing. 

Honda updated the CB125R in 2021 with a brand-new Euro-5 engine that pushes out 14.95PS and 11.6Nm, a gain of 1.63PS and 1.6Nm from the Euro-4 version. 

Honda claims the unit is powerful enough to touch a top speed of 105kmph. With a 10.1-litre tank and a small engine, you can expect the bike to be fairly frugal.

Nothing has changed on the hardware front. The CB125R features the same premium set of 41mm Showa Separate Function Big Piston (SFF-BP) USD forks and a monoshock at the rear. A 296mm front petal disc brake, radially mounted calliper and a 220mm rear disc brake help anchor the bike. Both are modulated by dual-channel ABS. It uses an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) based system to provide precise inputs whenever needed. Everything is held together by a steel trellis frame. 

• EICMA 2022: Flagship Honda Rebel Gets Better Highway Manners

• EICMA 2022: Super Meteor 650 Makes Its First Official Appearance

• Will Honda Launch The CB500F In India Soon?

• Check out Honda Activa 6G price

Honda is unlikely to launch the CB125 here in India as it will be prohibitively expensive. That said, the Japanese brand offers the CB300R here. In terms of rivals, the CB125R goes up against the KTM 125 Duke, Yamaha MT-125 and Suzuki GSX-S125.