Honda Cross Cub 110 and Cross Cub 50 launched in Japan

AT LAST October’s Tokyo Motor Show Honda revealed a ‘planned for future production’ prototype for the Cross Cub 110. Now it’s putting it on sale in Japan along with a smaller 50cc version.

Both bikes are full revamps on the previous Japanese-market Cross Cub. Like their predecessors they’re based on the Super Cub scooter – itself revamped for 2018 – but with a rugged, off-road-inspired edge. It’s a strange combination, but the Cross Cub actually manages to build upon the simple, utilitarian appeal of the Super Cub. It ditches its parent bike’s trademark leg fairings, valanced front mudguard and bar-mounted headlight in favour of a stripped-down look. The new, low-mounted LED headlight is protected with a simple steel cage, the front mudguard is as basic as it could be and, on the 110cc version, the 17-inch wheels are fitted with semi-knobbly rubber.

The 50cc version looks near-identical, but its rugged looks are aimed at the rough-and-tumble of city life rather than having any off-road aspirations. The wheels are smaller 14-inchers, clad in road-only rubber, makes for lower gearing and nimbler low-speed turning. The perfect pizza-delivery bike?

As with the new Super Cub 110 and 50, there’s no sign of these versions being sold in Europe, but Honda is understood to be bringing back the Cub to these shores. It showed a Euro4-legal Super Cub 125 as a ‘concept’ last year, along with its 125cc Monkey bike concept, and both are believed to have a strong chance of production. Should the Super Cub 125, with its disc brakes and cleaner, more powerful engine go on sale over here, it wouldn’t be a huge leap for Honda to strip it back to create a Cross Cub variant as well.