Honda SP 125

Honda's Shine 125 has a reputation for being simple. The SP125 is Honda's answer to that — a sportier version of the same bike. It first came out in 2019, already styled sharper than most 125cc bikes at the time.

The 2025 update adds a proper TFT screen and brings the engine up to OBD-2B norms. Most of what's here comes from time spent on the 2020 model, with a shorter ride on the new one. Nothing mechanical has really changed, so it should still apply.

SP125 Design

Next to the Shine, the SP125 looks properly sharp. The LED headlight is tall and sleek. Muscular tank extensions flank it, making the bike look like it's punching above its 125cc class.

There's a small black visor on the bikini fairing, and it adds a sporty touch. The exhaust is upswept. The alloy wheels get a five-spoke design, and the tail light is a slim, M-shaped LED unit. None of it screams 'commuter,' which is rare for a 125cc bike.

Not every design choice lands, though. The body graphics feel like a bit much for our taste. We'd have liked something more minimal.
Build quality is properly Honda. Panels line up well. The paint finish is decent, and even the seat cover feels like a notch above what you'd expect at this price. Switchgear got a real upgrade in 2025 too — it feels tactile now, not cheap.
There are five colour options. Only the Mat Axis Grey Metallic skips the body graphics. If you want the sporty look without it feeling too loud, go for the Mat Marvel Blue Metallic — that's our pick.

Safety kit is where the SP125 falls behind a bit. There's no ABS, just CBS, which shares braking force between both wheels when you use the rear brake. There's also a side-stand cut-off, so the engine won't start if the stand's still down.

The DLX variant gets the bigger draw here: a full-colour TFT console linked to Honda's RoadSync app. It handles turn-by-turn navigation and call or message alerts. You also get music control from the handlebar, and it'll even take voice commands through a helmet headset. The STD variant makes do with a simpler digital LCD instead.

A USB Type-C port under the handlebar puts out 15W, enough to charge a phone properly on the move. There's also an idle start-stop system, and thanks to Honda's ACG tech, the engine starts up smoothly and almost silently every time.

Despite the sporty looks, you sit upright here, not hunched forward. We're 5'9", and the stance felt bolt-upright. Shorter colleagues, around 5'6"–5'7", said the same thing.

Seat height is 790mm. The bike stays slim through the middle, though, so even shorter riders can flat-foot it without much trouble.

The seat is broad and softly cushioned. That's great for the first hour. Push past that, and you'll feel it start to sink in — especially if you're on the heavier side. Pillion space is generous too. The seat is wide and long, and the grab rail is easy to hold. Getting on and off doesn't feel awkward either, thanks to a gentle step-up in seat height.

The engine is a 123.94cc air-cooled single. It makes 10.87PS and 10.9Nm — not the most in this class. Both the TVS Raider and Hero Xtreme 125R beat it on power. On torque, though, it actually edges out the Xtreme.

On the highway, cruising at 75–80kmph feels easy. Push past 90kmph, though, and you'll feel it — the motor gets stressed, and there's a buzz through the handlebar.

Mileage is a strong point. We saw 63.8kmpl in mixed city-highway riding. That's close to 600km from the 11.2-litre tank.

• If you want to ride on the highway, sitting at speeds of 70-80kmph is easy for the SP125. But beyond these speeds, the engine starts to feel strained 

Underneath, it shares its frame, fork and rear shocks with the Shine 125. Both variants get alloy wheels and tubeless tyres as standard.
In the city, the DLX's 117kg kerb weight helps a lot. It's easy to thread through gaps. U-turns and tight parking spots aren't a struggle either. The wide handlebar helps too — it gives you good leverage at low speed and bumper to bumper traffic.

On the highway, it stays composed and doesn't get bothered much by crosswinds, though the steering does get a bit heavier as speed builds. Push it into a corner aggressively and the front end feels a little vague — understandable, since this is a commuter with sporty looks, not an actual sportsbike.

Braking is tuned to be forgiving rather than sharp, so you need a firm pull on the lever before you feel real stopping power — likely deliberate, so it doesn't catch newer riders off guard. 

The DLX swaps in a 240mm front disc where the STD makes do with a drum, and CBS on both variants shares the braking load so the rear doesn't lock up under hard braking. The one real complaint with how it rides is the suspension. It's tuned firm, and sharp bumps land harder than we'd like.

The SP125 isn't the quickest or the flashiest bike in this class anymore — the TVS Raider and Hero Xtreme 125R have both moved the game on. What it still offers is a genuinely smooth ride around town and a proper feature list on the DLX variant. And there's still Honda's reliability — that counts for a lot over years of ownership. If raw performance is the priority, the Raider makes more sense. But if you just want something dependable that works, day after day, the SP125 still earns its place.

The TVS Raider 125 is the one to cross-shop if outright performance is the priority — it's quicker and feels sportier to ride, with more power on tap. The SP125 counters with a smoother engine around town and slightly more room. It also leans on Honda's stronger reputation for after-sales service, which matters given TVS hasn't always matched Honda on that front.

Hero's Xtreme 125R is the other obvious rival, and it wins on looks and outright performance too, with an engine that stays more relaxed at highway speeds. Where the SP125 pulls back ahead is the DLX variant's longer feature list, plus that same Honda reliability edge.