Top 10 best-selling Hondas
These were Honda's top 10 biggest sellers in the first half of 2015
NOT long ago we did a run-down of the 10 best-selling bikes in Europe and one big surprise was the paucity of Hondas. For the firm that’s still reckoned to be the world’s number-one bike maker, there wasn’t a lot to celebrate.
But what about this country? It’s always easy to find what the very best-selling bikes are, but when it comes to a more detailed breakdown, figures aren’t so easy to come by. We’ve dug deep into the DfT’s new model registration data to come up with a definitely list of what’s selling (and what isn’t).
So, which of Honda’s bikes are flying from showrooms at the moment? These figures relate to new model registrations in the first six months of 2015, and as such won’t include motocrossers or any bike that’s not heading for UK roads.
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10. NC750XA-E (289 registrations, Jan-June 2015)
It may not be the roughest and toughest of the adventure bike breed, but the NC750X (which would surely be called a ‘crossover’ rather than an ‘SUV’ if it was a car) is the best-selling of Honda’s adventure models and also the largest-capacity machine on this list. To be fair, this is specifically the manual-transmission bike – there were also an additional 217 DCT-gearboxed versions registered, which takes the NC750X up the ranking a bit if the two were bundled together.
9: ANC125E (307 registrations, Jan-June 2015)
A what? OK, the ANC125 doesn’t usually go by that title – it’s called the SH Mode 125 on all the badges and brochures. Despite sharing the ‘SH’ designation, this little scooter is quite separate from the SH125i, and has clearly managed to draw plenty of buyers from the woodwork.
8. CB650FA-E (327 registrations, Jan-June 2015)
A bike that never seems to have garnered the publicity it deserves, the CB650F is a worthy holder of its top 10 position in Honda’s sales. Good looking, high-tech, fast enough for most of us and reasonably priced, it might lack the bells and whistles that mark out many higher-profile machines (no buzzwords like radial brakes, traction control or electronic suspension in the brochure for this one) but it does the job in that straightforward way that made Hondas of old – like the Hornet that’s the CB650F’s spiritual predecessor – so attractive.
7. CBR650FA-E (374 registrations, Jan-June 2015)
And if the naked CB650F has earned its sales on merit, there’s no arguing that the CBR650F is just as worthy. Remember when 600cc supersports bikes were always top sellers? Back then, the old steel-framed CBR600F – despite losing out on paper to its rivals – was almost always on top, and the CBR650F rekindles that spirit, showing that today’s real-world bike buyers aren’t as easily blinded by technology as might be imagined. It’s interesting that Honda’s best-selling bike over 125cc should be the CBR650F – a sporty, faired model, but without the over-the-top aggression of the latest supersports machines – in an era when ‘adventure’ bikes are supposed to be the ones we all yearn for.
6. GLR125 1WH-F (381 registrations, Jan-June 2015)
Another bike with a title that’s not instantly familiar, this is the machine that’s commonly known as the CB125F. Learner fodder, perhaps, but it’s the spiritual successor of the CG125 that has probably seen more riders through their formative years than any other single model, and as such it’s no surprise to see this new machine doing well.
5. SH125 (486 registrations, Jan-June 2015)
Not to be confused with the SH Mode 125, this is the SH125i that’s long been one of Honda’s best-selling scoots. As with most scooters, it’s a pure inner-city commuter and unlikely to be something that spawns much more love or desire than a dishwasher, but in its own way it’s performing the same job that old Hondas like the C90 did so admirably.
4. CBR125R (619 registrations, Jan-June 2015)
What's this? A sports bike? But aren’t we all supposed to be bored of fully-faired machines and living out our Ewan-and-Charley dreams on rough-and-tumble adventure bikes these days? It seems that there’s a generation of up-and-coming riders still interested in sportsbikes, and many of them are opting for the CBR125R.
3. NSC110 (736 registrations, Jan-June 2015)
The bike most of us know as the Honda Vision 110 is officially titled ‘NSC’ – and it’s probably the better name, since it stands for ‘New Standard Commuter’ which is precisely what the Vision is. Let’s face it, though, with an official fuel consumption of 146.9mpg (and that last 0.9 must be important…) it can make a pretty compelling case for itself as day-to-day city transport.
2. CBF125 (800 registrations, Jan-June 2015)
You knew the CBF125 would be in this list, didn’t you? After all, what would training schools do without them? And despite being a ‘proper bike’ rather than a scooter, its 160mpg economy outstrips most twist-and-goes, so it’s convincing transport well beyond being a mere stepping stone to a bigger bike.
1. WW125EX-2 (1081 registrations, Jan-June 2015)
Better known as the PCX125, the £2700 scooter is a middle-of-the-road option in Honda’s scooter range, neither entry-level nor top-end, but clearly manages to translate that into a wide appeal. Exciting? No, but it’s on track to manage a couple of thousand sales by the end of the year, which isn’t to be sniffed at.
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