Hard to believe, but the first Super Cub C100 appeared on the streets all the way back in 1958. It seems that in the ensuing years, it has more than fulfilled the aim of its creators Soichiro Honda and Takeo Fukisawa, ‘to provide the joy of playing a useful part in people’s lives’ and still is! A perennially popular machine, it has featured in many people’s lives and even starred in a Beach boys song!
There’s a new Super Cub for 2022. As you might expect, it has a Euro 5 compliant SOHC engine and many more improvements, while still retaining the old school charm of its progenitor. The new 124cc air intake engine combines the bottom end of the Japanese market C110 with the SOHC two valve cylinder head of the MSX Grom – it’s a versatile user friendly little machine as it always has been.

The new Super Cub looks very similar to its ancestors, but the insides have all been updated. Amongst other changes, the catalyser has gone from two to one more efficient one, ready for Euro 5. The gearbox is still 4 speed, with an automatic centrifugal clutch, so when stationary, the rider chooses the required gear with the foot lever and as the throttle opens, the clutch kicks in automatically.
The 125 engine is amazingly fuel efficient, even more so than it has been in previous years, offering 1.5 litres/100km - that’s about 155 miles per full tank. Not bad by anyone’s standards.

Still true to its original styling, the Cub retains its enclosed engine, leg guards and bird’s wing handlebars. Its ‘S-shaped silhouette’ is designed to make it accessible for everyone to use easily. Now, it has a comfy pillion seat and foot pegs as standard.
The lighting is modern LED and the instruments include an analogue speedo with an inner ring digital display. In a move towards the modern world there is a smart key which also controls the immobiliser and blinks to aid finding the bike in a car park.
Coming all the way from 1958, where it was said to have been first modelled in clay rather than on a drawing board by Mr Honda himself, it’s still as much fun as it has always been. With great handling, excellent fuel economy and user friendly design, what’s not to love about this little bike?

Many people over the years have owned and ridden one of these classic machines. Do you have any experience of one during your riding years, or do you own and ride one now? Is it a bike you would choose? Let us know at [email protected] or drop us a message on Facebook.