Honda CBF Stunner: The small timer's sportbike

Reviewed by Jiljith C.P

Yes, Honda is already here. Did you guys even notice?... The looks are stunning indeed-- and not from a single angle alone; and at a price of 60k, it has a lot of goodies to offer.

Honda advertises it as a sport-bike; and declares that it has a high-performance engine which delivers power at all speed ranges. It has even lent the bike it's age-old and honoured CBF nomenclature. Is Honda playing the marketing game or...?

Anyways, I found myself astride one at a City Honda showroom. Surprisingly, this time the service-guy was in no mood to sit behind me. This was really a first for me after all the test-rides I've been through in the past 3 months. He seemed to have complete confidence in me. After all the fighting I had to undergo just to get a short test-ride on the R15, this seemed like kingly treatment. "You really trust me?" Man, you Honda guys must think you're still in Japan.

125cc, 11 bhp..haha; this bike will be funny-- I thought. "I better throttle well, for such an under-powered bike." I opened and released the clutch quickly-- woa! it jumped ahead and turned off! Well, this was not expected from a 125cc bike: 125cc 4-stroke bikes are supposed to behave themselves.The engine seemed very responsive and the clutch impatient: I managed to get it off the footpath with some difficulty. Once out on the road, I opened throttle-- the engine immediately responded pulling me with it and began screeching as though I were near the red-line already. And..oh! I forgot to tell you: they left out the tachometer on this bike-- on their so-called race-model. This is the most glaring omission by Honda on this bike. Anyways,I quickly went through the gears, the engine screeching all along. Before I knew it, I was zooming (or so I felt) and...I had run out of gears. "oh, 125cc", I said to myself.

It all seemed so wierd though. I had never experienced a bike like this before. It was more like a motocross bike-- it revs like crazy anytime...any gear too? I never open throttle on any bike, but it seemed like I had done the same on this bike without even realising it. It was then I realised that the throttle could not be moved much, unlike our usual bikes. So I had only moved it a little, but relative to the bike's throttle, I was close to max! It takes off smooth though, and continues to vroom smoothly until...you were left wishing you had an extra gear.

Another funny thing is-- when the engine screeches, if you continue to open throttle--- it screeches even more! and continues to zoom. At one point I thought the engine was going to blast, and I pulled-off the throttle. The speedo had been disconnected, I couldn't make out what speed I was going at. I always felt I was flying on the bike-- but was I really...? This bike seemed to do the opposite of the R15-- it even made 'slow' feel fast.

But the throttle, clutch and gear-shift are synchronized really well. I think the gear ratios are really close: even the gear-cog travel seemed really less.

The top speed, the guy there said, was about 105; somebody on the net had commented that he touched 115: either ways you can be sure of one thing-- it will screech all the way. There is no 'cruise' mode in this bike: it keeps revving and will give you no peace

I wonder...did Honda leave out the tachometer on purpose? All this revving made me suspicious: is there something fishy about the rpms of this bike? It develops max torque at a slightly lower rpm than the rest @6000, compared to the usual 6500 on most 150cc bikes. On a side note, the R15 develops its max torque only @7500rpm: is this the primary reasons it lacks acceleration in low rpms?

The bike overall though was high quality. After having ridden almost every current sporty 150cc+ bikes in the country, I can say with confidence that in terms of quality and engineering Honda and Yamaha are in a league of their own-- and it doesn't require a keen eye to realize this. The rest, I personally felt, could be ranked thus-- Hero Honda, then TVS, and finally..Bajaj and their Pulsars. Bajaj has improved a lot over the years, but are also in a league of their own...at the bottom.

The testride bike had only drum brakes, yet I was able to brake well. It cornered easily enough too. It was light-- 130 kgs, and showed quick movements when we motioned. It does draw attention with it's fiery classic-Honda red-and-black stripes -- but being only 11bhp it could leave you embarassed despite the looks. The tyres were tubeless, unlike the Unicorn, but I didn't have supreme confidence on them: the roads were a bit sandy though...could be the reason; or was I just too nervous on this crazy bike?

The best part is the seating posture-- it is sporty yet comfortable. And the split seats made it all the more comfortable: disconnects you from the rear...makes you feel as though you are the central figure in the bike. I think split seats also marginally improve riding balance. It was lacking handlebar weights; it seemed incomplete without this, since most bikes have them nowadays.

This bike is unique among the four-strokes; it has a wierd character-- it just keeps revving...for no reason apparently. I just wish somebody could tell me whether or not I actually went fast on the bike. I don't think I did-- else the bike magazines and everybody would be prasing this bike for its performance; or did the 125cc part put them off completely?

Anyways, it's Honda's first foray into our Indian sport segment. The guy also told me that Honda was planning to bring out a 200cc bike next year or so-- but it would cost over a lakh. All this makes me wonder-- did Honda put in the 125cc on purpose to avoid a confrontation with the R15? Honda plays carefully, and studies our market well. This could not be a mistake. What then was their intention with this bike? The Unicorn of today is not like the Unicorn of yesteryears-- it is no longer sporty; it is more like a family-man bike. So was this their supplement to the line of the old Unicorn; more aggressive and sporty?

Nevertheless, if you're a lightweight city-bound sportbike enthusiast who never goes on long rides, rarely crosses 80, values quality, is on a tight budget, loves Honda (for their contribution to sport-motorcycling over the decades)-- then look no further: this is your answer (infact it is your only choice).

Else...just forget this bike: it sits in a category that is not supposed to exist and nobody in this country cares about.