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Its Sunday but always something to work on
06
Oct
Here we are into the first week of October already, but the weather here in Southern California is not letting us experience Fall yet, it’s almost 100 today and that restricts the amount I can do outside or even in the barn, as its like an oven in there.
So, I thought whilst I take a cold drink and have the ceiling fan revving into the Red Zone, I would blog something here for you lot to read, as I get many emails informing me that they like the blogs etc. So here goes.
Honda’s Brand new CGX150 is an air-cooled back-to-basics retro, based on the trusty CG125 machine.
I saw this in MCN and thought I would show it on my website as Id of loved this was I was a Teenager .
Words by By Ben Purvis
In an era that’s seen technology advancing at breakneck pace and even the cheapest of new bikes getting flat screen displays and phone connectivity, there’s something refreshing about a back-to-basics air-cooled single with no bells or whistles.
That’s exactly what’s expected from a new range of Honda CGX150 machines that’s due to be launched in China.
It is powered by an 11.8bhp air-cooled, two valve, 149cc single cylinder motor that is a direct descendant of the Original CG125 engine.
Revealed ahead of its official launch in a series of type-approval documents filed with Chinese authorities, the CGX150 will be offered in three distinct flavours: a café racer, a retro tourer and a basic roadster, all harking back to simpler times.
And while the 149cc capacity means the initial models are ill-suited to European markets with 125cc learner cut-offs, the engine is derived from the CG125 that helped whole generations of riders onto two wheels between 1975 and 2008.
A smaller 125cc version of the engine remains in production today, so building a Euro-suited 125cc version wouldn’t be a huge challenge if HONDA decided there was demand.
The new CGX150 will be made in a Wuyang-Honda partnership and is essentially a rose-tinted vision of what the CG125 might have become, retaining the old bike’s rugged simplicity but with a more modern chassis design, disc brakes and ABS.
In its simplest form the kerb weight, including fluids, is a meagre 125kg and even with only 11.8bhp it’s certified for a top speed of 61mph.
The café racer and Tourer versions both offer the same power and maximum speed, according to their type-approval documents, but differ in weight. The café racer seen in red, white and blue, with a retro humped seat cowl, red-painted frame and springs, bar-end mirrors gains 1kg for an all-in mass of just 126kg. All three versions use the same non-adjustable suspension and geometry, with a 1308mm wheelbase that gives them a slightly more grown-up shape than the original CG125, which had just 1200mm between the spindles.
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