Honda releases the Super Cub, Monkey 125's

[woodsrat]

I can't believe it but they announced at the BBQ they hosted at the Smoky Mountain Crawl small bore gathering that the Monkey 125 and the Super Cub 125 would both be coming to the U. S.:

https://powersports.honda.com/street/minimoto.aspx

Your thoughts???

[Hersbird]

Cool but $4000? When you can have an Elio for $7450? Just kidding. I see how Honda is pricing the Ruckus, then the Grom, then the Super Cub, then the Monkey. Just $450 more buys a new 300 Rebel. I wish they all were about $1000 less, at least $500 less.

I do like the Grom, I like the Monkey more but $600 more? The Grom and the Super Cub are the same price if you count the Super Cub has ABS. It's good they are selling the Grom well enough. Now I can only expect a Trail 125 based on the Cub like 1964 all over. Don't make some dude in Idaho make them first this time.

[Stubby79]

$4k? waay overpriced. As previously stated, you can get more for less, from the same company.

Otherwise I approve...though I doubt it will do well in the US market.

Just loaded up...the cub really does look like a cub! That's great. I'll give them $1k for it.

[Daox]

Very cool. There have been lots who have asked for it, but they are actually doing it. Overpriced? So what, its actually here, buy used if you don't want to fork out the money. These things aren't going to sell in droves, you can't expect them to go for peanuts. Its simply how things work.

[Frank Lee]

They USED to sell because they were a great value.

[Stubby79]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

They USED to sell because they were a great value.

'zactly!

[woodsrat]

Would a lesser equipped Cub without all the bells and whistles appealed to folks? Nowadays it's exactly that kind of stuff that sells vehicles especially among the youth.

The SYM Symba was an excellent updated version of the original with twice the displacement, an extra cog in the gearbox and a hydraulic front fork. It sat in the showrooms unsold, part of the reason being an importer that didn't have money to or want to spend it on advertising. Lots of folks didn't even know they existed. It wasn't a Honda, too despite SYM having lots of manufacturing history with them.

Myself and several friends have a fleet of old Honda step throughs repowered with Lifan 125 engines. They're light (around 175-180 lbs. with our battery-less AC lighting system), simple and run up around sixty for a top end. Would/could Honda have built one without F. I., ABS, and all the electronic do-dads and been able to sell it for closer to $2500?

I also own a KYMCO K-Pipe and it's proven to be a simple, reliable bike with an asking price of two grand. If the Super Cub strikes you as too much money negotiate a deal on one of these.

[woodsrat]

For those still stuck in the sixties I went to an on-line inflation calculator and the $3599 price of the Super Cub works out to $468.58 in 1966 dollars.

My K-Pipe's $1999 price becomes $260.27 going to the same year.

Somehow inflation always gets ignored during a discussion about the price of vehicles.

[jkv357]

If you are older (like me), the prices of small cycles like the Grom ($3350, $3550 w/abs) blows your mind. For me they have limited use. Serious off-road cycle prices are crazy to me as well. I bought a new SV650 in '06 for $6000 OTD.

I'd never consider paying $4000 for a small displacement cycle, even if it did say "Honda" on it.

Had a person by the shop the other day on a huge Vespa. Says it was over $9000. Had 2 of them.

There obviously is a market for stuff like that, but it can't be very big (I wouldn't think)

[Fat Charlie]

Expectation inflation is worse. "It's a cheap little runabout" 50 years ago has become "It's a Honda, everything about it should be superlative."