Honda has produced over 100 million Super Cubs since its introduction in 1958, making it the most-produced motor vehicle in history. This figure doesn’t include other models that have tried to reproduce or improve on Honda’s design. Most of these imitators fail to live up to the original, but newcomer Leten might have succeeded in creating the ultimate Adventure Cub for the modern age.
Leten is a Chinese company founded in 2021, and the LT 190 is their first motorcycle. While the overall design is similar to the venerable Super Cub, unlike many Chinese manufacturers, Leten didn’t simply copy and paste Honda’s original design. Unlike the Super Cub’s simple air-cooled engine, the 188 cc engine is water-cooled, has dual overhead cams, and produces 20 horsepower, twice as much as the Super Cub. It also transfers power to the back wheel through a scooter-like CVT instead of a centrifugal clutch, enabling the LT 190 to achieve a top speed of 120 km/h or 75 mph. This is not an ordinary Cub.
Photo: Leten
Stopping power comes from disc brakes, front and rear, equipped with ABS. The LT 190 even has traction control, which may seem unnecessary on such a low-powered machine but could be handy when the going gets slick. Handlebar controls allow the rider to adjust how sensitive ABS and traction control are, a feature that many popular adventure bikes don’t even have. Other tech features include a color display, tire pressure monitors, push-button start, LED lights all around, and even a lightweight lithium battery, all as standard equipment. Heated grips will be an available option.
Photo: Leten
Leten just put the LT 190 on sale, only in China at this time. The nature of China’s securely locked-down Internet has made it difficult to find the manufacturer’s website, so most of our info comes from a Motorrad article with corroborating information from other websites. This Adventure Cub will be sold in China for 14,580 yuan, which is approximately $2,000 US dollars. That’s almost half the price of a genuine Honda Super Cub, at $3,899, and the same as the Navi. An even less expensive 150 cc version with 16 horsepower is expected to be available soon.
Photo: Leten
Of course, it remains to be seen how the upstart’s reliability will compare to Honda, the king of reliable transportation. We also have no idea if Leten has any plans to sell the Adventure Cub outside China at some point. We’ll have to keep an eye on this model, and on Leten in general, to find out.
