Honda CB 125 Hornet

Honda has never shied away from experimenting with design, and with the Honda CB 125 Hornet, the company is clearly aiming to bring some serious attitude into the premium 125 cc commuter space. At first glance, this motorcycle doesn’t look like a typical everyday runabout. Instead, it feels like a scaled-down streetfighter, carrying sharp lines, bold styling and just enough technology to make daily riding more exciting. If you’re someone who wants your commuter bike to stand out in traffic and still remain practical for everyday use, the Honda CB 125 Hornet fits that brief rather nicely.

As Preetam Bora points out, “In a segment where most motorcycles play it safe, the Honda CB 125 Hornet clearly doesn’t. The sharp lines and sporty proportions make it a guaranteed head-turner.”

And that really sums up its character — a commuter that prioritises style without forgetting everyday usability.

Expert Context

This review of the Honda CB 125 Hornet comes from Preetam Bora, a seasoned two-wheeler journalist who has been riding motorcycles since the early 1990s. Over the decades, he has clocked more than 300,000 kilometres across a wide variety of motorcycles, from lightweight commuters to high-performance machines. You can explore more of his work and riding insights on the Preetam Bora author profile at car&bike.

For this test, we spent a full day riding through a mix of urban roads and open highways around Pune. The route started in Pune city, moving through University Road, Wakad and Hinjawadi, before opening up on the Mumbai–Bengaluru Highway. From there, the ride headed into the winding hill roads of Pirangut and Lavasa, giving us a good mix of city traffic, highway cruising, twisty corners and downhill braking sections to properly understand how the motorcycle behaves in real-world conditions.