2011 Honda CBR125R - First Look

Sporting entry-level motorcycles are all the rage at EICMA this year. Witness the Honda CBR125R, which is set to join the Aprilia RS4 125 and KTM 125 Duke in Europe. Announced in conjunction with the U.S.-bound CBR250R, the CBR125R is likewise built by Honda Thailand.

Though styled like the steel-framed CBR250R, the CBR125R has a massive, twin-spar aluminum frame housing a liquid-cooled, sohc, two-valve, fuel-injected single-cylinder engine. This rev-happy little mill produces a claimed 13 hp at 10,000 rpm (just 2 hp shy of the maximum allowed by law for 125cc engines in Europe) and 7.5 ft.-lb. of torque at 8000 rpm. Claimed weight is just 302 pounds.

Unfortunately, we won’t see the CBR125R in the U.S. According to American Honda, the bike wouldn’t be legal on U.S. freeways and is therefore not practical for our market.