HONDA
125 CG - 1976
Economical best-seller
Presented without fanfare in
1976, the little 125 CG was the most basic Honda, but also one of the most
carefully considered. This modest 125 would conquer the entire world,
particularly the less-developed countries. Still in production today (both by
Honda and under license), it is incontestably the bike that is built in the
largest numbers.
Astounding Simplicity
Honda was being totally
restructured under the leadership of its vice-president Kihachiro Kawashima in
the mid-1970s, and was attacking the world markets on all fronts. The Japanese
leader was wooing the Western world with a wealth of high technology features,
but it was also studying the Third World – the biggest untapped market. To
serve it, Honda built a new factory dedicated to motorcycles of 100-125cc and
designed the astoundingly simple 125 CG.
Saving a Shaft
Even though it followed the
general lines of the 125 S, the CG differed from it in many constructional
details, all aimed at the same goal: economy. The least visible but the
smartest of these was the valve gear. Honda, which had long championed
overhead-camshafts, here abandoned this technique in favor of pushrods and
rockers. It simplified this old-fashioned layout – which normally called for a pair
of camshafts in the crankcase – by using an old design, formerly used by NSU
(on the 100 Fox) and Parilla, with a single-cam actuating inclined intake and
exhaust valves through rockers.
SPECIFICATIONS
Engine: 125cc (565x49.5mm)
air-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke
Power Rating: 11 hp @ 9000 rpm
Valves: overhead
Fuel System: 22mm carburetor
Transmission: 5-specd,
enclosed chain final drive
Suspension: telescopic forks
(front); swing arm with twin spring/dampers (rear)
Brakes: 4.3 inch drum (front
& rear)
Wheels: 17 inch wire (front
& rear)
Weight: 232 lb
Maximum Speed: 65 mph
Economical, easy to build and needing a minimum of maintenance, the CG is
an indestructible utility machine available in l00 and 125cc forms with 4- or
5-speed gearboxes.
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