How much is a used Honda CB125F worth?

A 2023 Honda CB125F in good condition with around 9,000 miles is worth roughly £2,150 (typical range £1,950–£2,350). Dealer asking prices sit higher than private sales, and a full service history, no crash damage and an unbroken theft record are what hold a bike at the top of its range.

How quickly does the Honda CB125F depreciate?

The Honda CB125F loses about 32% of its value over the first three years, against a 25–32% norm for bikes and 40–50% for cars. These figures are specific to this model rather than a shared default, though they remain indicative estimates rather than a measured sample of sale prices.

Can you ride the Honda CB125F on an A2 licence?

The Honda CB125F is an A1 machine, so it suits a 17-plus rider on an A1 licence and is also available to anyone with A2 or full A entitlement.

How much does it cost to insure a Honda CB125F?

Expect around £280 a year to insure a Honda CB125F, typically £200–£380. That assumes age 30, 3yrs NCB, suburban postcode. It sits in motorcycle insurance group 4 of 17. Bike premiums move far more on licence tier, rider age and postcode than car premiums do, so treat this as a starting point rather than a quote.

What goes wrong on a used Honda CB125F?

The wear and failure points we track for the Honda CB125F are: rear shock (under-damped from new) (any, £200 to upgrade); chain stretch (around every 15k mi, £150 (chain + sprockets)); battery (around every 2-3 years, £40-60). We don't publish a reliability score for bikes — the MOT dataset behind our car scores doesn't support one at model level — so treat these as the specific things to inspect rather than a verdict. A full service history and a fresh MOT without advisories remain the best protection.

What does a Honda CB125F cost to run?

Expect around 140 mpg, about £156 a year in fuel or energy, £120 for an annual service, £120 a pair for tyres every 8,000 miles, £180 for a chain and sprockets every 18,000 miles. Figures assume 3,000 miles a year, the UK average from DfT travel and traffic statistics, and current DESNZ pump prices. The cost-of-ownership table on the profile breaks this down per year and per mile.

Is the Honda CB125F likely to be stolen?

The Honda CB125F is a relatively low theft target. Small learner bikes aren't a theft target — too slow to flee on, too cheap to part out. Basic chain lock sufficient. A Thatcham-approved chain and ground anchor, a disc lock and a tracker are what insurers look for, and secure overnight storage moves a premium more than almost anything else.

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LearnerLicense A1 (16+)15,500/yr UK

Honda CB125F

The unkillable learner. Honda's CB125F is the most-recommended first geared bike in UK CBT schools — air-cooled GLR125 engine that runs on rumour and bad fuel, learner-friendly seat height, ~140mpg real-world, sub-£3.5k new. The 2021 refresh got modern styling and ABS. If you want to learn on something you can't break, this is it.

Engine: 125 cc
Power: 10.7 PS
Weight: 117 kg
Seat height: 775 mm
A2 licence: —

The short version

71/100

Forecourt score

Value 44 · Insurance 81 · Theft 100

The Honda CB125F holds its value about as well as most bikes (around 32% lost over three years, against the 25-32% bike norm) and is cheap to insure (group 4). Theft risk is low.

A bike-specific blend of value retention, insurance and theft risk (weighted 40/35/25). Bikes carry no MOT reliability data, so reliability isn't scored. Higher is better.

Variant: CB125F

Engine

Petrol · 125cc

Power

10.7 ps

Torque

10.8 Nm

Weight

117 kg

Seat

775 mm

Transmission

5-speed manual

Economy

140 mpg

The default learner geared bike. GLR125 air-cooled single, 5-speed manual, chain final drive. 117 kg = lightest in class. 775mm seat — accessible to short riders. ABS standard from 2017.

Tell us about the one you're looking at

Year of registration2023

20212026

Mileage on the clock9,000 mi

0Expected: 9,00060k

Conditiongood

PoorFairGoodExcellent

Tidy and well looked-after for its age — the typical clean bike.

Estimated market value

£2,141

Range £1,927 – £2,355

HIGH CONFIDENCE

When new (2023)£3,149

Age-based value£2,141

Mileage adjustment+£0

Condition adjustment+£0

Holding value

Bikes hold value far better than cars — typical motorcycle 3-year depreciation is 25–32%, against cars' 40–50%. Some bikes (Hayabusa, Gold Wing, classic Z1000) actually appreciate in the 7–15 year zone as cult demand outstrips supply.

New

£3,349

At 5 years

£1,909

At 10 years

£1,162

Value loss by phase

Each band shows the share of original value lost during that window — not cumulative. Appreciation (green, marked +X% gained) is real for bikes that develop cult status.

Years 0–3First-owner depreciation32% lost

Years 3–7Used-market sweet spot22% lost

Years 7–15Stable / vintage-cult zone30% lost

After year 3: 68% retainedAfter year 7: 46% retainedAfter year 15: 16% retained

UK new price by year

How we estimate this

These figures are specific to this model rather than a shared default, but they are indicative estimates and not yet derived from a recorded sample of UK sale prices. Bike residuals depend heavily on theft history, service-stamp count and crash-damage signatures. Figures assume a clean, fully-stamped example.

What it costs to own

Over

Indicative running costs at 3,000 miles a year — the UK average from DfT travel and traffic statistics. Chain-drive bikes carry a chain/sprocket consumable line; tax (typically £25–£100/yr) and depreciation are excluded — see the section above for value retention.

3-year total

£1,142

Per year

£381

Per mile

£0.13

Servicing£360

Tyres (pair)£135

Chain & sprockets£90

MOT£89

Fuel / energy£468

Service costs assume independent specialist labour and OE parts. Tyre intervals reflect typical UK road riding — track-day usage burns through rear tyres in <2,000 miles. Fuel uses the variant MPG at the current DESNZ pump price of £1.60/L (week commencing 03/08/2026). Electric bikes are costed from battery capacity and published range at the current domestic electricity price; where a bike has no published range we show no energy line rather than guess. Lower-mileage riders see proportionally lower totals; higher-mileage commuters pay roughly linearly more.

Estimated insurance

Group 4 of 17 (low — A1/learner-friendly) · Comprehensive · 5 yr NCB

Indicative annual comprehensive premiums for this bike. Bike insurance is far more sensitive to licence tier and rider age than cars — pick the combination closest to your circumstances.

Licence

Age

No-claims bonus

5 years

0 yearsBaseline: 5 years15+

Risk profile

Estimated annual premium · typical, age 30-39

£280/ year

Roughly £23 per month

Typical

Suburban postcode, 3+ years NCB, standard security (Thatcham chain + disc lock), no recent claims.

Age band	Lower risk	Typical	Higher risk
Age 17-21	£462	£616	£862
Age 22-29	£284	£378	£529
Age 30-39Selected	£210	£280	£392
Age 40-49	£185	£246	£345
Age 50+	£168	£224	£314

How we estimate this

Premiums combine licence tier, rider age, no-claims bonus and a risk-profile multiplier on top of a bike-specific baseline. Bike insurance is materially more sensitive to licence tier (CBT / A1 / A2 / A) than car insurance, and young riders pay considerably more than older riders even on the same machine. Always get individual quotes before buying.

Theft risk

Bike-specific · Met Police + insurance reporting

UK bike theft rates are an order of magnitude higher than car theft. Nakeds and supersports lose more to professional gangs; large adventure bikes and tourers are statistically much safer.

Theft risk score · 1 to 4

1/4Low risk

1 — Low2 — Medium3 — High4 — Very high

Low risk

Not a typical theft target. Basic locking deters opportunists; standard insurance terms apply.

What this means for you

Small learner bikes aren't a theft target — too slow to flee on, too cheap to part out. Basic chain lock sufficient.

How we set this band

Bands derived from Met Police bike-theft reporting (most-stolen lists) cross-referenced with insurance industry underwriting data. Model + postcode are the two biggest factors in motorcycle theft risk in the UK, materially more than vehicle value.

What goes wrong

4 known issues · sorted by severity

Documented failure modes from UK owner forums, dealer service bulletins, and aggregated mechanic feedback. Mileages are approximate — different riders see different intervals depending on use and maintenance. Always address "high"-severity items before resale.

High severity

Medium

Low / cosmetic

Severity	Part / issue	Typical mileage	Cost
medium	Rear shock (under-damped from new) Hagon/YSS replacements common any	any	£200 to upgrade
medium	Chain stretch every 15k mi	every 15k mi	£150 (chain + sprockets)
low	Battery every 2-3 years	every 2-3 years	£40-60
low	Cam chain tensioner Listen for rattle at startup 20k+ mi (rare)	20k+ mi (rare)	£200

How we score severity

High — strands the bike or causes consequential damage if left. Medium — service item that affects ride quality or risks failure. Low — cosmetic or minor inconvenience. Costs are independent-specialist UK rates for parts and labour together; main dealer prices typically run 30–50% higher.

Safety recalls

Manufacturers occasionally issue safety recalls to fix a fault free of charge. You can check whether the Honda CB125F, or your exact vehicle, has any outstanding recalls on the official DVSA service.

Check on GOV.UK

Opens the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency recall checker. Choose the make, model and year of manufacture — no registration needed.

Variant comparison

CB125F

New: £3,349Fuel/yr: £1563yr depreciation: 32%

Most-recommended UK learner geared bike. Cross-shop Yamaha YBR125 (similar, slightly thirstier), Suzuki GSX-S125 (sportier but A2-restrictable), Honda CB125R (more premium, £1.5k more). CB125F wins on running costs and indestructibility.

Known issues

Stock rear shock under-damped — common upgrade (~£200)
Chain stretch every 15k mi — replace at 18-20k (£150)
Battery every 2-3 years (£40-60)
Cam chain tensioner noise rare but possible (£200 fix)
Otherwise extremely reliable — air-cooled single is bulletproof

Strengths

+Air-cooled GLR125 engine — essentially unkillable
+140mpg real-world is achievable
+Low seat (775mm) — confidence-inspiring for new riders
+Light (117 kg) — easy to manage at slow speeds
+Cheapest geared 125 in the Honda lineup
+Strong residuals — CBT schools buy them

Watch-outs

−Stock rear shock under-damped — many owners upgrade
−Limited motorway capability vs Yamaha YBR125
−Basic instrumentation — no fancy TFT
−Slow acceleration vs Yamaha MT-125 (but that's A2-class)

Value this bike All bikes

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Common questions

Honda CB125F, answered from the data

How much is a used Honda CB125F worth?: A 2023 Honda CB125F in good condition with around 9,000 miles is worth roughly £2,150 (typical range £1,950–£2,350). Dealer asking prices sit higher than private sales, and a full service history, no crash damage and an unbroken theft record are what hold a bike at the top of its range.
How quickly does the Honda CB125F depreciate?: The Honda CB125F loses about 32% of its value over the first three years, against a 25–32% norm for bikes and 40–50% for cars. These figures are specific to this model rather than a shared default, though they remain indicative estimates rather than a measured sample of sale prices.
Can you ride the Honda CB125F on an A2 licence?: The Honda CB125F is an A1 machine, so it suits a 17-plus rider on an A1 licence and is also available to anyone with A2 or full A entitlement.
How much does it cost to insure a Honda CB125F?: Expect around £280 a year to insure a Honda CB125F, typically £200–£380. That assumes age 30, 3yrs NCB, suburban postcode. It sits in motorcycle insurance group 4 of 17. Bike premiums move far more on licence tier, rider age and postcode than car premiums do, so treat this as a starting point rather than a quote.
What goes wrong on a used Honda CB125F?: The wear and failure points we track for the Honda CB125F are: rear shock (under-damped from new) (any, £200 to upgrade); chain stretch (around every 15k mi, £150 (chain + sprockets)); battery (around every 2-3 years, £40-60). We don't publish a reliability score for bikes — the MOT dataset behind our car scores doesn't support one at model level — so treat these as the specific things to inspect rather than a verdict. A full service history and a fresh MOT without advisories remain the best protection.
What does a Honda CB125F cost to run?: Expect around 140 mpg, about £156 a year in fuel or energy, £120 for an annual service, £120 a pair for tyres every 8,000 miles, £180 for a chain and sprockets every 18,000 miles. Figures assume 3,000 miles a year, the UK average from DfT travel and traffic statistics, and current DESNZ pump prices. The cost-of-ownership table on the profile breaks this down per year and per mile.
Is the Honda CB125F likely to be stolen?: The Honda CB125F is a relatively low theft target. Small learner bikes aren't a theft target — too slow to flee on, too cheap to part out. Basic chain lock sufficient. A Thatcham-approved chain and ground anchor, a disc lock and a tracker are what insurers look for, and secure overnight storage moves a premium more than almost anything else.

Answers are generated from this bike's Forecourt data — curated specifications, our valuation model and the week's DESNZ fuel and energy prices — and update with the weekly data refresh.