Apart from this, I have not ridden a bike under 900cc or 100bhp+ for many years. But 'needs must as the devil drives', to quote an old proverb. Using my ZX-9R Ninja for a 12 mile round commute was killing it. Oil was turning to Guinness in less than 1500 miles. & at £30 an oil change, & £20 for a weeks fuel, economies had to be made. Enter the Innova...the 2nd I'd seen an ad for. 2005, FSH, described as immaculate - & it was. Didn't even quibble, wanged down a £200 deposit as soon as I saw it. Ok, ANF125 impressions. Cheap to run, a fiver a week instead of £20 for the commute on the Ninja. Cheap tax/insurance is a given. Brakes/front end. The rear drum brake is very effective. The front disc looks good but feels very wooden. But an improvement on the C50/C70/C90 drum & leading link(?) forks. Takes a while to warm up, juggling w' the choke. Once done, fine. The 4 speed semi auto g/change is better than the earlier 3 speed Cub's. Whether it will last as long is another question...

Ok. This is purely a review based on my test ride and after purchasing, the ride home so those of you like me who ride normal motorbikes can get an idea of what to expect. I have a Ducati Monster 600 and a Yamaha Fazer 600, the latter I am looking to sell and keep the Innova as my commuter bike to work etc. I test rode the 2003 Honda ANF 125 Innova late afternoon in a cold 4 degrees and wet rainy weather. Not ideal but I can't change the weather lol. Starting the bike on electric start or kick starter. It idles smoothly and very quietly, maybe idle a tad low but I can sort that. Having not ridden a step thru for 18yrs, I found it very 'alien' but easy to do. Wierd not seeing a clutch lever at the handlebars. Into 1st, pulling away the bike is instantly easy to ride and balance on those super skinny tires. Back off throttle a tad when changing up the gears, release the gear lever slowly and there was hardly and jerking. Down changing is more awkward. I'm not sure if your supposed to use your heel or toe of your boot to press down on the rear of the gear lever but there's definitely a knack to smooth down changes. Mine were more instantly engaging lol. Need to work on that! NOTE. There is a cycle on the gearbox if you come to a standstill you can change straight from 4th into neutral(no-one has mentioned this, it's in the Honda handbook, I thought my gearbox was broken when it did it accidentally!). This action is blocked tho if you are moving forward so it cannot happen when riding as that would be dangerous. Neat trick Honda! Rear drum brake is good, front much less so. Has had new shoes and pads so I'm taking it 'as is' but until I check it out I can't say they're all like this. Steering is precise and huge steering lock to lock so you can turn this round in a very tight circle. Anyway it can get up to 40mph very respectably, 50mph is still good but acceleration is noticeably less urgent. I changed into 4th gear at 50 and it was very slow getting up to 57mph(ran out of road, it would go more btw), counting the mph 1 by 1 kinda acceleration. Turned around and did the same again but staying in 3rd it pushes through passed 50 and nearly 60mph so see 4th as an overdrive an use the 1,2&3 gears to get up to speed as 4th can't pull much but could probably hold the speed as long as the wind wasn't too strong. I'd guess indicated 55-60mph happy cruising speed, top speed maybe 68-70mph but I don't know yet. Handling at slow speed under 20mph is fine. Above this feels nervous but again, I've come straight off riding 600's with 120 and 160 width tires so I'm guessing this is more down to me being nervous about skinny tires than their grip. And being wet and raining and flooded roads you can imagine how I felt! Indicators and horn are on the left and easy to find without looking, the headlight....apparently was improved for injection models '07-on and was a worry for me as I commute in the dark mornings but tbh I was surprised how good it was. Maybe I had low expectations but its headlight had good flood pattern spreading wide and 20-25 ft ahead, and lit roughly 6ft in front of the bike, main beam was good too. Nice even spread like the dipped but further. Up to 40mph was quite ok on unlit roads. So not something to concern people who commute in the dark. The bulb btw is apparently 12v 35/35w so low power, something that could be improved upon maybe later. Things to look out for are rusty downpipe on the exhaust and wheel rims rust, and mine has some rust on the swing arm but only surface rust. Engine looks dry underneath, no oil leaks. Mine has a Honda top box that can fit helmet and gloves and is lockable and seems to be the genuine Honda one as the mount is part of the original grab rail. Very handy to have. Centre stand and side stand is good too. Easy to use. The seat feels ok. I found I was sitting near the front in order to use the gear lever more easily. Overall if your commutes are local and under 50mph this is perfectly suited. I'd be worried on buffeting along dual carriageways but it will do it. Don't expect to overtake stuff tho, it isn't nippy enough at speed to have the get up and go. This is purely speculation as I've not done it yet. There is a nice feeling about this Innova, a care-free feel as its cheap, reliable, easy to ride and light weight(99kg dry) one, something that bigger bikes never have. I will update later once I have put some miles on and had a good look around it but so far I'm pleased with it.

The Honda Innova 125i is part of the Honda Wave family of underbone (step-through) type motorcycles and was designed by Honda of Thailand to better meet the needs of a 21st century population with access to fast, well surfaced roads. Previous models (the famous Honda Supercub series) were designed for less well developed countries so had light off-road capability, but were not designed to run at modern traffic speeds. The Wave series all feature a new design of long stroke engine which can propel the bike at it's top speed without revving too high and cools itself properly while being ridden so. the innova 125i has a 125cc fuel injected single cylinder engine and like the rest of the Wave range the engine is mated to a four speed gearbox with a semi-automatic clutch making it a four speed 'twist and go'. Suspension is significantly more plush and the UK/Euro specification Innova has the optional and powerful disc front brake. The lighting has similarly been upgraded and the fuel injection model has even better lights than the previous carburettor Innova enabling it to be ridden at night at full speeds on totally unlit roads I bought my 2010 Honda Innova ANF 125i 'used' with 6,000 'lady owner' miles on it. Apart from some paint work marks where panniers had been fitted and removed, it was pretty clean. The bike had a small rear rack fitted when I got it. The Innova has chromed steel spoked wheels very similar if not identical to its forerunner, the old Honda C90, and as they are not the most rust resistant items in the world, I cleaned them and wiped them with ACF50 as the bike lives outside and is used daily. I also went over other potential spots like the screws holding the front panel on, etc. I fitted a Puig screen and a small but useful top-box to the rack. Although infinitely better than the older C90, the rear suspension units were not really good enough for the combined weight of my son and I plus luggage so I fitted some units from a Kawasaki W800. They look the same but are significantly beefier. I also found the standard 420 chain was requiring a fair amount of adjustment with these loads so I imported a much heavier duty 428 chain and sprocket kit from Greece which has not needed any adjustment since fitting over 2000 miles ago. I run the bike on Mobil 1 0w-40 Motorsport synthetic as it gets up to working viscosities faster than ordinary oils and so minimises cold start engine wear....The little engines in these sorts of bikes work MUCH harder than even the engines in big supercars! The oil capacity is small, to enable the oil to warm up faster extending engine life so oil changes are every thousand miles. You get around 6 oil changes from a four litre oil container. There are no oil filters to change although there is an internal centrifugal filter and a mesh strainer but these are unlikely to need attention for many tens of thousands of miles if good oils are used. The air filter is a large flat paper type held in a plastic frame and sits in a sealed air box at the front of the engine just behind the front mudguard. the filter is reasonably easily accessed via 5 screws. Mine was changed after 10,000 miles but the old one was still fine as it turned out! I run around 50 PSI in the rear tyre and about 40 in the front. these little bikes run easier and use less fuel if the tyres are nice and hard...just like bicycles do! I picked up a nail in the rear tyre which destroyed both tyre and tube so I currently have an old Dunlop block tread type on the rear. It has cut the bike's speed somewhat compared to the smooth modern tread tyre originally fitted. Tyre wear is low, the front tyre has done over 10,000 miles and is still fine, the rear is about 1/3 worn after 5000 miles. Typical journeys for me are a 25 to 80 mile round trips down fast 'B' roads including some motorway. Top speed, on the flat, is an indicated 66 mph, which is a GPS confirmed true 60. Fuel economy has been as good as 170 mpg pottering about at 40-45 mph. Starting is instantaneous on the button and is so reliable I removed the kickstarter lever as it gets in the way of one's foot when riding. If the battery does go flat the fuel injection will run without a charged battery and the bike starts instantly from a gentle push. Handling is pretty good. It is stable up to its top speed and copes well with road imperfections. The telescopic front fork is an improvement over the older Cub's trailing link system which could jar unpleasantly if caught out by a pothole. The forks are stiff enough to retain a lot of the 'solid' feeling of the older bike even so. Comfort is good. Although I've heard complaints about the saddles on the Innova, particularly the older carb models, It is fine for me and my pillions...I sit well forward and quite upright and on journeys of 100 miles it has been no less comfortable than any other machine. Although lacking the retro charm of the older Cub, the tubular frame inside the plastic body promises to be less likely to suffer the catastrophic rot that has sent so many of the previous models to the scrap yard and in purely practical terms, the suspension, lighting and smooth and softly tuned long stroke engine make the Innova a remarkably economical and superbly practical two wheeled transport solution. I expect to keep mine for many years.

I used mine regularly & is reliable just change the engine oil every 1000miles & do the chain adjustments when needed or will clatter inside the chain guard. Plenty for sale but be aware of ex pizza or delivery bikes as they are thrashed around & short on servicing. Parts are plentyful. Make sure the plastics on the body work are tight or will rattle. Capable of high milages but must be maintained properly. When buying second hand check it properly all over & if you aint sure walk away as some are ex delivery & tarted up. Good bike.

By far for me this is one of the most reliable and fun bike to ride on,I have one since highschool and it was with me all throughout college until now,all my friends had one so after riding round for a day I got used to it immediately, I liked it despite it's small engine,but honda should have just made a twin cam(DOHC) engine than of the single cam (sohc) for more power, but by far when it comes to braking and accelerating it's a joy, it is just so swift easy to use,after getting used to the transmission you'll find it easy in traffic where you can start from 2nd or 3rd gear (depends) all my complaints would be the thin tubed tires,which i had changed after a month to tubeless tires, i also had changed from spokes to cast alloy ones (which are heavier, a bit and wider but more stable) with electrical stuff, I have not encountered any problems,with the engine? I only change the oil every month or two, same goes with the air filter and they run forever. regarding the whole bike I don't like so much the minimal access to the spark plug and air filter.that's right changing the oil, sprockets spark plug and air filter is done by myself since they are simple bikes. oh yeah my bike since 2006, is still alive and ready for any adventure all mint and good (i have a basket attachment for city driving and a travel box(whatever they call it) for long distance travels, sometimes I bring a little canister of gasoline since the tank is rather small) the spoke wheels i have bought rough terrain tires for it and fit them on the bike in a minute or two for a little country driving( my relatives live in a farm) it's a good bike/cub whatever they call it or say against it it's a GOOD bike i tell you all.

On the recommendation of my older brother, who has had more bikes than hot dinners and has a 2011 one, I bought a 2006 Innova as a runaround alternative to my `88 BMW R80 RT which was becoming too heavy for me off saddle. At £950, half the then new price, it seemed a bargain and looked great in red with 32L back box and Honda screen. I have loved owning and riding this machine although the rocking LH gear change took some getting used too. In fact, I once slammed it down into 2nd when at top of the rev range intending to go from 3rd to 4th - very scary but no damage done! I have used it mostly for business commuting use (30 mile round trip average) as well as for fun rides, to save fuel costs, car parking problems/costs and high blood pressure sat in traffic jams. I did feel a little vulnerable on motorways but did ok, mostly tailing HVG's. Economy-wise, the best I could get was 144 mpg on a bike I have screwed 70 mph out of (just) when slightly downhill with tailwind. However, with the somewhat skinny tires, I feel 60 max is more comfortable. Ultra reliable, adequate performance (you can always use more!), cheap to run and fun to ride, it takes some beating. After 9800 miles, in the past 15 months I have just fitted a new (copy) exhaust, back tyre and front (copy) pads - not bad. Parts are relatively cheap. Keep a careful watch on engine oil levels - I nearly let mine run out but got away with it. Like others, I have had to dismantle the footpeg/stand/back brake lever assembly to free things off and put up with some headlight/panel rattle - minor issues I think. Good appearance has been maintained by always thoroughly drying it off if wet before putting it away - well worth the trouble. I had intended to treat myself to a new one in a year or two but recently found out that their import was being stopped to make way for the 110cc Wave model. I then decided to buy one of the last few available (I was told) in silver from Padgetts in Batley for £2100. We agreed a new Honda 32L back box included to bring it up to the £2170 RRP. I was lucky to get a rare (tall) Innova screen new off ebay. I am even more pleased with this last version which I feel has been developed to its ultimate in terms of fuel injection, suspension, headlight, etc. With only 400 miles clocked up and still running it in, it is too early to judge performance but, from my brother's, I know it should be a bit better with max power being higher up the rev range. Economy-wise, it is incredible. On my 2nd tankful (only 3.7 L - £4 to fill up!) I reckoned I got 150-160 mpg which I felt I surely must have got wrong. Last week when commuting, I managed to get 116 miles out of exactly 3L (2/3 gall) of fuel (carefully filling to tank rim each time) which works out at a fantastic 175.75 mpg! Yes, I have ridden for economy, keeping to level roads, slow throttle opening, feathering back where possible without loosing road speed but just kept up with traffic in 30/40 mph limit areas and up to 45/50 occasionally on open A roads. I think the high screen has helped a lot. My best mate is interested in my old red one at £850 (it reached a bid of £870 on ebay against a reserve of £950) which is good going for a machine owned for over 3 years. Some dealers are asking £1500/1600 for the same. All in all, with low tax/insurance, I have no hesitation in recommending this machine and I hope this has been useful to anyone considering its purchase. Have some fun!