Motorbikes are amazing when it comes to saving money and time. A bike is not only cheap but also convenient when it comes to slithering through traffic to reach your destination on time. For some, to own a motorbike is a dream.
Budget
Firstly, the bigger the budget, the better your bike is going to be, well, at least in most cases. This is because your budget will give you access to better parts and a good bike. If you ask me, I prefer a Honda CG 125.
Having a budget of around Tk60,000 should be a good start if you are willing to go for a used CG 125.
The CG 125 is a 125cc bike that can be very easily turned into a café racer, and a 125cc engine is just enough when it comes to rolling down the streets of Dhaka City. But it can get a bit nerve-wracking on the highways, as highways demand speed and 125cc bikes would run out of gears at an insufficient speed limit.
The Honda CG 125 is made by Honda and it is a commuter motorcycle. The bike started coming out in 1976 and stretched till 2008. Pakistan started manufacturing the CG 125 in 1992 and still continues to do so.
Though the CG 125 was initially manufactured in Japan, the W and M models were manufactured in Brazil during the mid-1980s and Pakistan and turkey during the early 90s. The exact CC of the bike is 124cc and it has a four-stroke engine with four gears.
The engine also has a single cylinder and an overhead valve.
As demands rose in the developing countries, Honda decided to develop the CG 125 from the CB125.
The two bikes are the same when it comes to parts, but the CB’s engine had an overhead cam which was subject to wear if the oil wasn’t changed on time. This was a common problem and Honda realized that riders weren’t maintaining their CBs the way they should, and to eradicate this problem, the company manufactured the CG 125 with an overhead valve.
The bike also came with washable air filters and an enclosed chain.
How much would it cost to buy a CG 125?
Unfortunately, Honda is not making these bikes anymore, but the brand new Pakistani version would cost somewhere north of Tk90,000. Atlas Honda Ltd in Pakistan is still manufacturing the CG 125 with a few changes in how the bike looks.
Some riders would say that the Pakistani version is not as good as the Japanese version, and I concur.
The Pakistani version has a 9.2 litre tank and a kick-starter. Atlas Honda launched a 5-speed transmission version of the CG 125 instead of the regular 4-speed transmission in 2019.
All things considered, it’s best if you can push your budget to buy a Pakistani CG. But as a motorcyclist myself who has owned a genuine Japanese CG 125, I would suggest you go buy a second-hand Japanese version of the bike.
These bikes may be old but they are still ruling the streets of Dhaka with ease. A second hand Japanese CG 125 will cost somewhere between Tk40,000 to Tk60,000.
Should you modify the bike?
The CG 125 is almost perfect the way it is already, but a little bit of modification doesn’t hurt anyone. And you can also do a complete makeover of the bike if you want to, to make it look really cool; having the bike in a complete stock condition is a blessing.
The bike will perform best if the bike is kept in a stock condition but if you want more speed out of it, you can change the air filter and install a mushroom head air filter. You can also replace the drum brakes with disc brakes.
With ever-increasing traffic in Dhaka, reaching point B from point A isn’t as simple as it used to be a couple of years back. To attend my university classes on time, there’s simply no other option other than to own a bike, especially if you don’t want to spend hours in traffic. Getting this bike will make life easier as it's dependable and very cheap to run.