For all the bike models in 2022 that strive for a modern-retro aesthetic, they roll on a very fine line. If they’re too modern, then they may not be seen as charming enough. Go too far in the other direction, though, and prospective owners might question why they should pay 2022 prices for 1972 technology. In all things, there must be balance. Triumph’s gotten pretty good at toeing this line. Heck, Honda and Vespa practically invented this line.
That makes it more of a challenge for newcomers to compete. Take GPX, a Thai company that started in 2007. Compared to all three of the previously-mentioned OEMs, that’s practically the blink of an eye. Now, it doesn’t have the global reach of any of those historic OEMs at this point—but you’ll find its bikes all over Thailand. It also distributes elsewhere in Asia, and has been making inroads in Japan in recent time.
One offering that particularly stands out is the new GPX POPz 110, which is set to go on sale in Japan on March 26, 2022. Stylistically speaking, it’s like an alternate-universe version of a Cub 110—which, Japanese publications like Young Machine surmise, is exactly the point. You see, Honda is rumored to be introducing a new Super Cub 110 sometime in the near future, so of course an upstart like GPX would want to beat them to the punch.
Gallery: GPX POPz 110
In the same way that your favorite vaporwave playlist offers you a glimpse at neon-tinged ‘80s nostalgia that never actually happened, the POPz 110 exudes an aura of pure cybermod. While it clearly wears its influences on its sleeve, you’ll never actually mistake it for a Cub—and honestly, that’s probably best for all parties concerned.
The POPz 110 is powered by a 109cc air-cooled, fuel-injected single cylinder engine mated to a four-speed semi-automatic transmission. It has a telescopic front fork and twin rear shocks with two levels of adjustability. The front gets a 220mm disc brake, while the rear relies on a drum brake. Alloy wheels, LED lighting, and what GPX refers to as a “semi-digital meter” that’s part LCD display all come standard. The POPz 110 also packs a D.I.D. 428D chain from the factory, and wants to make sure you know it.
Seat height is 760mm, or 29.92 inches. Vehicle weight is 100 kilograms (or about 220 pounds), though it’s not clear if that’s a curb or dry weight. Available colors include green, orange, red, silver, or black—and all come with a rather nice-looking (in photos, anyway) brown vintage-look saddle. In Japan, the MSRP will be ￥264,000, which works out to an extremely reasonable-sounding $2,274.
Although it’s highly unlikely that we’ll ever see these in the U.S., I would 100 percent ride one and think about all the alternate futures we never explored on the way to 2022. How about you?
