Cruisers

1981Honda CM 125T

20 fields on record

The 1981 Honda CM 125T is a Japanese cruiser with a 125cc air-cooled four-stroke parallel twin making 12 hp. It has a 6-speed gearbox and a 12.5-litre tank.

Capacity: 125.0 ccm
Engine: Parallel Twin, four-stroke
Gearbox: 6-speed
Wet weight: 140.0 kg
Seat height: 730 mm
Power: 12.0 HP (8.9 kW) @ 7500 RPM

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Other years 1980 1981

How it rides

Editorial estimate from the spec sheet - not lab tested

Off-road & trail5%

Cornering25%

City riding40%

Daily riding45%

Touring55%

Two-up50%

Track10%

Best for: Cruiser built for its class - everyday, practical use.
Built for: A cruiser from Honda, built around a 125cc engine - a real production model, but this profile is formula-generated from its class and spec sheet rather than individually reviewed.
Not ideal for: Not for serious performance or off-road use.

Scores are derived from the spec sheet using the same model across every bike, so they compare like for like.

Will it fit you?

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Your height

Inseam (optional)

Units

At 730mm, a rider of 68.9" with a 31" (estimated) inseam will reach the ground with both feet flat on the 1981 Honda CM 125T, with a moderate knee angle of around 105 degrees and an upright riding position.

Assumes about 30mm of suspension sag once seated. This is an approximation from category-typical geometry, not a measurement of this bike or of you - sit on one before you buy.

More bikes at 750 mm or under — Short Kings →

Find bikes that fit your height →

Reliability & safety

Bike Reliability score, safety recalls and owner complaints

Bike Reliability

How the score works →

out of 100Poor

The Honda CM 125T passed its annual roadworthiness test first time 66.0% of the time, 18.4 points below expected for bikes of the same age and mileage. That beats 9% of models.

This covers every year of the model.

Test records don't say which version a bike is, so this covers Honda CM 125 C / Honda CM 125T together.

66.0%Passed first time

21.0%Failed outright

13.0%Fixed during test

22,000Typical miles

162Tests

Pass rate by miles ridden

0-10k

87.1%

10-20k

75%

20-30k

63.6%

All years of this model.

Against its rivals · ranks 2 of 2

#	Model (all years)	Score	Tests
1	Suzuki GP 125	16 Poor	138
2	Honda CM 125T	9 Poor	162

Rivals are the most-viewed bikes on MotorcycleDB in the same category and engine size, from within three years of this model.

From British annual roadworthiness tests, 2005-2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (DVSA MOT test data, Great Britain). How Bike Reliability works.