MotorBikes: The Innova has big - and reliable - ideas , says John Wheeler.Road testing the Honda ANF 125 Innova.
At this time of year many young people will be leaving education and going into the workplace. Others will soon be starting out at college. They are some of those now recognising the need for practical, economical and reliable transport on a tight budget.
For many the distance between affordable accommodation and the place of work or education continues to increase. Two powered wheels can represent the better solution.
Long before scooters came back into vogue, Honda's Cub, in its 50, 70 and 90 cc versions, established itself as the answer to personal mobility right across the world. Well over 35 million have been produced. Especially in less developed countries, it brought about a transport revolution of greater significance than the Model T Ford did in the US or Volkswagen and Mini in Europe.
In the Far East it's a common sight to see a family of five somehow managing to travel on a Cub. Back home, if you have ever ordered a pizza the chances are it came on a Honda Cub.
When first produced it defied classification: reminiscent of the pre-war autocycle, but much more sophisticated; echoing the scooter with its step-through design; bicycle-like with its small pedal assisted true "mo-peds" but in reality a lightweight motorcycle. Here was a machine which was designed with the non-motorcyclist in mind. Simple to ride, monotonously reliable, quiet, nimble, unintimidating, it was many of today's riders first introduction to motorcycling.
We have now come to the end of an era, time to say "Goodbye Cubs . . . Hello Innova". The ANF 125 Innova is the replacement for the Cub. At first glance it seems little different. Working on the "if it ain't broke, don't change it" principle the Innova is simply a refinement of a well-proven formula.
The principal changes are the front suspension, now 26 mm telescopic forks with 80.5 mm travel and a hydraulic front disk brake. The instrument panel contains an LCD fuel gauge and a series of lights to indicate the somewhat unusual N-1-2-3-4-N gear positions. Electric start is standard.
Another development becomes apparent when riding. An innovative "External Primary Brake System" (EPBS) is built into the gearchange mechanism. It helps keep gear shifts smooth and free from that jerky operation which were a Cub signature. The larger 125 cc engine gives a much needed boost to performance.
The rest is much the same as before. The engine is uncannily quiet. The step-through design means you could ride it wearing a frock, mini-skirt or kilt! Though bear in mind that the road is just as hard whether you fall off a lightweight machine as it is with any other motorcycle! The 17-inch wheels make it more compatible with our atrocious road surfaces than any small-wheeled scooter.
The drive-chain is enclosed, which makes for much longer life. The dual seat is generous and comfortable for both rider and pillion.
It has both side and centre stands, and a steering lock. Strangely, for such a well-thought out machine, there is no security chain anchor point, nor a helmet lock.
On the road, at first in the thick of the Friday rush-hour traffic, it proved to be an absolute delight. It feels as light and easy to ride as a push-bike. It is well mannered and nimble. It delights in threading unobtrusively through grid-locked traffic. For anyone unfamiliar with motorcycles, needing efficient local transport, it is ideal.
Perhaps "local" is a little unfair. The Innova's predecessor, the Cub, though never designed as a long-distance machine, has been used for much more ambitious trips. At least one has been around the world, we know of another used to commute from Dublin to Stuttgart, yet another that does the Dublin-Galway trip each weekend. A small machine with big ideas!