It’s a classic pub-quiz question which will leave most competitors scratching their heads – what’s the most produced motor vehicle ever?
Of course, the answer is the Honda Super Cub.
The first model, the C100, was introduced in 1958, when the Japanese firm was itself only 10 years old.
It was created by Soichiro Honda and business partner Takeo Fujisawa, with the stated aim “to provide the joy of playing a useful part in people’s lives”.
Since then, the company has built more than an incredible 100 million of them, which have been sold in more than 160 countries.
Why, the Cub even inspired the Beach Boys’ 1964 classic Little Honda.
A famous ad campaign for the bike in the US, which began in 1963 and ran for 12 years, used the slogan, “You meet the nicest people on a Honda”.
It provided a major boost, not just for sales of the Cub but also in shining a positive light on motorcycling in the eyes of the general public.
This latest version comes with the same two-valve, four-stroke, air-cooled 125cc motor used in the recently released Monkey and the MSX125 Grom.
There’s a four-speed gearbox – but no clutch.
Changing is via a ball-and-heel rocker lever – press down into first, then just twist and go.
(Image: Megan Rudd)
To select second, close the throttle and press down with your toe again and the same for third and fourth.
To change down, press the lever behind the footpeg with your heel.
It’s simple, once you get used to it, but I suspect some will wonder what the point is when almost all scooters these days use a fully automatic twist-and-go system.
Nevertheless, the bike is surprisingly nippy and beats most four-wheeled vehicles off the line up to around 25mph – which is fun at the traffic lights.
The 17in spoked wheels are shod with skinny 70mm and 80mm tyres, but the grip is actually pretty good.
And the thin wheels combined with the low overall weight (109kg) make the Cub extremely nimble and agile around town.
(Image: Megan Rudd)
It’s easy to dart through gaps that bigger bikes or even other scooters wouldn’t manage.
Leading link-style forks on older models have been replaced by conventional telescopics, with a standard twin rear set-up – all perfectly acceptable.
Braking is via a 220mm disc and single caliper on the front, with ABS.
An old-school, non-ABS drum on the rear means you can even lock it up at the back if you want to pretend you’re a teenager again.
The single seat is pretty plush, the instrument panel has an analogue speedo and digital info display, lighting is all LED and there’s a small luggage rack.
The keyless ignition fob is a nice, modern touch and there’s an immobiliser and alarm, too.
It’s difficult to pinpoint why you should buy a Super Cub rather than a more practical smaller-wheeled scooter, not least Honda’s own excellent SH125.
But practicality is not what the Cub’s about.
It’s about cool retro styling, an unrivalled back-story, around-town nimbleness and good, old-fashioned fun.
As the Beach Boys put it: “It’s not a big motorcycle, just a groovy little motorbike. It’s more fun than a barrel of monkeys, that two-wheeled bike…”
(Image: Megan Rudd)
The Facts
Engine: 125cc air-cooled single
Power: 9.9bhp
Torque: 7.7 ft lb
Colours: Pearl blue; pearl red
Price: £3,399
