[I4_Pistoneer]

The feeling of pure joy and ecstasy when gifted with something new that we always yearned for is indeed an unmatched and a special feeling that we cherish for a long time indeed, whether being gifted a watch after board exam results, a new jacket, or anything that we always wished to possess someday. It is indeed special.

Well, I had that moment on the 17th of November 2023, where my parents gifted me, my first motorcycle, the Honda SP 125. Seeing the new Honda in its stunning matte blue paintwork and my name on the owner's manual was splendid to say the least.

Identifying Options

Since I am relatively new to the motorcycling scene, my first task was to identify the kind of motorcycle that would suit my needs.
After holding long "conferences" with other like-minded friends at engineering, I came to the conclusion that a 125cc engine would be adequate. Since my college commute clocks up around 7 kilometers daily, and considering my height (I'm 5ft 11') the factors of riding comfort, fuel efficiency, ergonomics and practicality were high up on the list.

And hence, keeping these factors in mind, I shortlisted the following options:

TVS Raider 125
Honda SP 125
Hero Glamour XTEC

Armed with these options, I had a thorough look at these bikes, and after test riding each one of them, I zeroed in on the Honda SP 125.

Why I chose the SP 125:

I've always had a bit of a bias towards the products that Honda offers, mainly because of their design, build quality and their bulletproof reliability that almost all Honda owners swear by.

Keeping that aside though, these are some of the areas where the Honda outshone its rivals:

1. Seating position is good and there is no bend to the back when seated.

2. Ergonomic factors such as the positioning of the foot pegs of the gear shifter and brake was comfortable.

3. A large fuel tank combined with an impressive claimed efficiency figure of 65 km/l.

Where the TVS and Hero fell short were mainly on the factors of seat comfort and ergonomics, The Hero Glamour was a bit small for me, and the TVS Raider's seating position was not much suited for my height.

Report:

Ownership and Riding Experience:

It has been north of two months of ownership and 1700 km on the odometer,
and it's safe to say that the Honda has been a smooth riding experience so far. It caters exactly to its intended purpose of being a comfortable commuter.


1. The gear shifts are smooth and shift with a satisfying 'click' and has never missed a gear till date.

2. The engine is very refined and responsive and virtually no vibrations have been reported at city speeds, it is only at the top end of the rpm range that slight vibrations are experienced at speeds of 80+ km/h. But, such is the nature of a typical 125.

3. The seat foam is supportive and comfortable to ride around 100 km at a stretch. The standout feature being there is no bend to the back when riding which greatly improves the comfort. The centre-set gear shifter, which is both a toe and heel shifter, makes it easy to shift gears in traffic.

4. Fuel efficiency of the Honda is quite impressive. I've recorded an efficiency of 62 km/l in stop-start city traffic.

5. Aesthetic appeal: Since the Honda had a slightly bigger wheelbase than its alternatives, and with the updated BS6 Obd-2 version that comes with a 100 section tire at the rear, it indeed has a good road presence.

6. The packaging of the bike has been done tastefully with all-black painted engine components and powder coated alloy-wheels.

Features on offer:

The new version of the SP 125 has a list of features that have kept it at par with some of its competitors.

1. It is equipped with a full digital speedometer and the large buttons provided make it easy to navigate through the different options of mileage and the trip computer.

2. The Honda also comes with a silent starter motor and a kick-starter.

3. All LED headlights with a powerful high-beam setting.

4. Wider 100/80 section tires at the rear that ensure more grip.

Criticisms:

1. Though the front disc brake is reassuring, the same cannot be said about the rear drum brakes, which are not very responsive and the force of braking at the rear can be vastly improved.

2. Although it is equipped with an all LED headlight which is powerful, the range of the light throw is satisfactory to say the least.

3. At this price point, it would have been desirable to have an option of bluetooth connectivity with the instrument cluster, similar to the TVS Raider.

4. The tail light could have been LED to improve its design.

Conclusion

All in all, the Honda SP 125 has been a smooth sailing (or should I say, smooth riding) experience to date. Yes, there are some minor changes that Honda can make to improve its appeal among its new competitors, but in my opinion and experience, if one is looking for a comfortable, reliable and an efficient 125cc commuter, then the Honda SP 125 is definitely worth considering.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Motorcycle section. Thanks for sharing!

Going to our homepage tomorrow

[W.A.G.7]

Nice! Congratulations on getting your first bike Being a commuter bike, it will be relatively easy to maintain and being a Honda, there will be no shortage of service centres. Use it and enjoy it as much as you can.

If I may ask, how much did it cost you, on road, with all the taxes and levies? And how soon did you get it after confirmation?

P.S.: More photos are needed!!

[Senotrius]

I like this bike as well. One of the bikes I like in the Honda steed for its price to features ratio (for a Honda India product that is).

[I4_Pistoneer]

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

Nice! Congratulations on getting your first bike Being a commuter bike, it will be relatively easy to maintain and being a Honda, there will be no shortage of service centres. Use it and enjoy it as much as you can.

If I may ask, how much did it cost you, on road, with all the taxes and levies? And how soon did you get it after confirmation?

P.S.: More photos are needed!!

Dear W.A.G.7,

Thank you for your kind regards! Yes, as you rightly pointed out, the maintainance and service of the bike has been quite hassle-free to date.

The price breakup of the SP 125 is as follows:

The base price of the SP 125 (Bangalore) was 91,410 Rs.

After opting for the insurance (6,856) and the road tax of 14,528, combined with some accessories like the crash guard, engine guard and the grips for the handle, the total price came up to 1,13,672 Rs.

Since the purchase was made during Diwali, there was a waiting period of 5 days from the date of booking, since the inventory had been sold out, and so I presume, if anyone books the bike during non-festival times, the delivery might take place sooner.

Also, thank you for your insight on photographs, I will be including more shots in my upcoming posts

[RD410]

That's a lovely shade of blue. SP125 is pitched as the replacement to Unicorn 150 and it quite lives upto the task. It has got as much performance as Uni150 and gives much better FE. One issue with all bs6 Honda's is heating in traffic due to much larger cat-con. It's unavoidable, blame our strict pollution norms. Other than that, stick to the Honda recommended 5w30 grade oil, but avoid their recommedned long drain interval. For air cooled commuter engines, it's always better to change oil before 3k kms.

As a new rider, I urge you to practice skills like counter steering, front-rear proportionate braking, revv-match downshifting, using engine braking to slow down instead of fully relying on brakes, etc. When you practice daily, these skills will slowly get ingrained in your muscle memory. Thus you will be able to effortlessly handle any of those bigger and more powerful motorcycles in the future

[deetee]

Congratulations on your first bike! Very nice choice by your parents!!
If you don't have it already, please get a very very good helmet. Get the one that fits very well (you will get used to the tight fit), it makes your long rides more enjoyable and might save your life if things go wrong.

[I4_Pistoneer]

Originally Posted by RD410

That's a lovely shade of blue. SP125 is pitched as the replacement to Unicorn 150 and it quite lives upto the task. It has got as much performance as Uni150 and gives much better FE. One issue with all bs6 Honda's is heating in traffic due to much larger cat-con. It's unavoidable, blame our strict pollution norms. Other than that, stick to the Honda recommended 5w30 grade oil, but avoid their recommedned long drain interval. For air cooled commuter engines, it's always better to change oil before 3k kms.

As a new rider, I urge you to practice skills like counter steering, front-rear proportionate braking, revv-match downshifting, using engine braking to slow down instead of fully relying on brakes, etc. When you practice daily, these skills will slowly get ingrained in your muscle memory. Thus you will be able to effortlessly handle any of those bigger and more powerful motorcycles in the future

Thank you for your reply! Indeed, your observations on the catalytic convertor are accurate. One of the things that mildly inconvenienced me initially was the heat radiated from the exhaust manifold. It was reflected when I accidentally dropped a polish cloth on the exhaust after going on a short ride, and it almost instantly burned a part of the cloth. Here's the result:

I was somewhat aware of the practices and techniques of rev-matching and shifting the engine into a lower gear while descending slopes to use engine braking to take some strain off the brakes, but I was not aware of counter steering, I shall surely look into it and learn that technique too! These tricks and techniques definitely make the riding experience more pleasant!

[I4_Pistoneer]

Originally Posted by deetee

Congratulations on your first bike! Very nice choice by your parents!!
If you don't have it already, please get a very very good helmet. Get the one that fits very well (you will get used to the tight fit), it makes your long rides more enjoyable and might save your life if things go wrong.

Appreciate your warm regards! Being a local of Bangalore, I've seen far too many accidents where helmets have saved the day.

Three days before the bike arrived, I paid a visit to the vast array of helmet shops near Lalbagh and bought this Vega full-face helmet. It seemed to be a new design, known as "southpaw" where the helmet buckle has been placed on the left side of the helmet to make things a bit easier for people who are left-handed, but I purchased it anyway since I liked its design, but more importantly, it seemed to be well-ventilated and had a reassuring snug fit.

This is the helmet:

[ravradha]

Congratulations on getting your new Honda!

There are lot of reports on the stiff suspension of the bike.

Do you have any opinion on that?

[Flechazo]

Congratulations for the new bike. One of the most fuel efficient and fun 125cc bike to ride. Nimble handling too. By the way, any reason why ns125 was not considered? I find a lot of college people riding these.

[I4_Pistoneer]

Originally Posted by ravradha

Congratulations on getting your new Honda!

There are lot of reports on the stiff suspension of the bike.

Do you have any opinion on that?

Thank you for your response!

Now having completed exactly three months of ownership, I'm happy to report that the suspension is quite comfortable overall. I have ridden extensively over parts of Bangalore where the roads have many ruts and potholes.

The feedback of the front suspension fork is quite good and it does a good job of soaking the impact of the front wheel after it has gone over a rough patch of road.

The rear suspension fork is a tad rigid in its feedback, though its damping action is good, the feedback could have been better after the rear wheel hits a pothole, since the rear suspension action is a bit abrupt as compared to the front.

One way to get around this is by adjusting the stiffness of the coil springs to the suitable preload/tensioning using a wrench. At present, and by default, I've set the preload to its second slot. It gets even softer if one sets it to the first slot.

Overall, the suspension does a good job, if not the best, overall in city roads!

[I4_Pistoneer]

Originally Posted by Flechazo

Congratulations for the new bike. One of the most fuel efficient and fun 125cc bike to ride. Nimble handling too. By the way, any reason why ns125 was not considered? I find a lot of college people riding these.

Thank you for response! Indeed, the nimble handling of the bike makes it a riot to ride on congested city roads.

The Pulsar NS 125 is one of the most popular bikes in this segment, with its wide range of colour options. Though I had considered it as an option, it didn't make it to the final shortlist mainly due to its slightly higher cost (nearly 25,000 Rs. more) and ergonomic factors. I was mainly in search of a motorcycle that would be comfortable to ride in the city and that's where the Honda stood out to me.

Though the NS 125 is more agile and has a head-turning design, it didn't make the cut ultimately due its higher cost which I couldn't justify in comparison to the Honda.

[dinakaranchary]

Hi,
I am planning to go for one now. My height is 5.5 ft and my weight is 55 kg.
Will I be able to handle it?
I am using a TVS Jive now.
I am getting a new bike as Jive is out of production and I may not get spares. It is also 13 years old.
Jive is a geared bike, but without a clutch lever. I am moving to a bike with a clutch lever

[I4_Pistoneer]

Originally Posted by dinakaranchary

Hi,
I am planning to go for one now. My height is 5.5 ft and my weight is 55 kg.
Will I be able to handle it?
I am using a TVS Jive now.
I am getting a new bike as Jive is out of production and I may not get spares. It is also 13 years old.
Jive is a geared bike, but without a clutch lever. I am moving to a bike with a clutch lever

Thank you for your query. Since I've been using the SP for 5 months now, I would absolutely suggest it to anyone looking for a comfortable 125 CC commuter. It's easy to handle in the city, returns a consistently good mileage of 65 kmpl, I'm 5'11", yet the riding position does not cause a bend to the back. It is equipped with a sizeable fuel tank of 11 litres. It is also a good upgrade from the Jive as the engine capacity and overall dimensions of the bike are slightly bigger than the TVS Jive 110.

I would kindly suggest you to have a look at its alternatives once too, such as the TVS Raider, Bajaj CT 125X, Hero Glamour (in the same budget range as the SP 125) and the Bajaj Pulsar NS125, which is priced a bit higher. There is also a new entrant in the segment from Hero, the Xtreme 125R.

That being said, if you have decided to buy the Honda SP 125, go for it, it's a choice one can't go wrong with!