I've always loved the Kawasaki motorcycles, from 6 years old and so I have to answer to that little kid that is jumping about the idea to get a bike :D
I've stopped riding bigger bikes and now have Yamaha MT125 and Monkey 125. Yamaha is best in class, feels and rides like a bigger bike and tops out at just below 80....it never gets a look in! Monkey every time! Quite simply the greatest, most fun bike in the world.
We shouldn't assume 125s are just for youngsters - it's not the 80s and 90s when every kid got one. Most bikers nowadays average 40-60 ( with a little more money) and often either want to start on CBT, or like myself, downscale to 125 because they are cheap, light, fun and hold their value
48 years old here and I just restarted after a 25 year break with a brand spanking new Honda CB125R, those things are so much fun to ride in urban and curvy environments... No need for a larger bike at this time to be honest
@@zinno01 Just take A1 test on your Honda. No need for lessons if you are competent. 1 stage at a time and cheaper than CBT. Then no L plates, pillion and motorway if you want; as well as cheaper insurance.
@@brucegroom1929 No need for that (at least here in Belgium) My B license for cars is valid to drive A1 as well. I can go to A by taking mandatory lessons and exams .... maybe in the future.... got my eyes set on a Honda NC750X with the idea of touring and traveling cross-border which is restricted now with my license
@@zinno01 I'm in a similar situation to you. My one and only bike was a brand new Honda SL 125 which I bought in the mid 1970's and loved for a few years until I got married . I'm almost 65 and live alone now but the biking bug has bitten me hard for the last few years now! So pumped to get back on the road on two wheels.
I bought a one year old new model CB125F for £2400 in immaculate condition with only 300 miles on the clock, including it's first dealer service & love it, so it's hard to see how i could have justified spending almost double that on an MT125. No 125cc bike is going to rock your world performance wise (especially if you carry a few extra pounds like me), but i'm getting over 170mpg, have done loads of 100mile plus rides in a day (the most was 200 miles), I find it's comfy if you take a break every 90mins, and it's fast enough to buzz around the lanes where i like to go. If/when i come to sell it i won't lose much if at all, so it's a perfect fun bike for me with bullet proof reliability - maybe i should become a honda salesman, but i like it that much. GL
The G1 is an amazing machine - recommend anyone considering a big brand 125 checks it out - like me you'll realise you don't need to spend the additional £1,500- £2,000!
@@Labgorilla this is what I needed to see. It looks to be most refined and unassuming. It has such a polite presence. Especially for a me being an absolute novice.
Great video and really informative. On the verge of jumping back into biking and I have been seriously considering the Zontes 125. Either the G1 or the U1. Ideally, I would love Triumph to venture into the 125 market. Pretty sure that they could corner a sizeable chunk of the UK market.
@@christopherclemson1278 From all the stuff I've seen and read, they're a quality bike from China - at last!. I was talking to my local dealer last week and managed to check out both bikes. Very good. Especially for the price. Colour me impressed,! lol.
@@TM-kf1nz Not at the moment. I'm unemployed now, my health is crap overall and like everyone else here, getting screwed over by the cost of living crisis. But, I keeping thinking about next spring/summer and that keeps me hopeful of being able to find a way to get two wheels back on the road 🫰🫰🫰
I’ve recently bought a svartpilen 125 for my first bike. There was an offer on £800 off so it was a complete steal! Can’t wait to get out on the roads in spring
have you tried it ? I an loooking for bike aswell abd i cant figurre out what bike is best my top 3 bikes are ktm rc 125, husqurna 125 svartpilen or yamaha mt 125
I live in Germany and just bought the Honda CB125R for 4590€. It feels the most comfortable beginner bike to me (32 years old) and has very high built quality. The only problem is its not available yet. My bike comes in June to the dealership!😩
Yes, quality of Chinese bikes has improved a lot in recent years. I bought a Lexmoto ZSB the cheapest of them all to use as a runabout. I have been riding for a long time and the little ZSB is the only new bike I have ever bought that did not have to return to the dealers to have some little niggle corrected. Two years service so far with no problems.
Hyosung gt and GTR is pretty cool too. Heavy and not too fast but it has a size of a 600cc bike wide tires V2 and in my opinion one of the best sounds in the 125 category
I just got a second 125CC Duke 2022, and you are so right, I thought I was getting the same bike, But! it Feels liter By Miles, Thinking are they cheapening it, No! Loving the ride and new color Gray, would Have been still riding my 2018 But! got Stolen at Petrol station, so Please Put on your D-locks for anything that you eyes are off it for inside of a minute. Awesome breakdown B.M
Great review of the best of the 125's. I'm looking at a 125cc for my son and now my head is spinning with some seriously good looking smaller bikes, wish there was this sort of choice when I was 17 years old. Thanks for some great picks of the 125cc best of bunch.
Your video would have been of more shopping assistance if you had pointed out if panier racks are available for each bike or not. I'm 52, have a real license and bought a CB125F. Quite happy! My primary need is for an ultra fuel efficient commuter but I can see myself traveling on that comfortable bike too.
Stay away from KTM . very hard to get new parts , plenty in breakers yards for old parts , had too buy a 3 way fuel filter from India where the bike is made .
@@oddarntnes7079 ,I ride a1200 bandit ,My wife rides a cbf 125 and my son KTM 125 , We have been a biking for over 30 years , yes we know how too maintain bikes and look after them , Over the 47 bikes we have owned over the years , the KTM is my biggest headache by far i do not write these comments lightly , raek comment say`s about every 4 -6 months ,which sounds about right ,when some thing else fails on it . Don`t get me wrong ,they look pretty , But under the skin ,very badly made .
im from Israel, and here all the bikes you listed get a raise in price by about 1.25k. Do you think i should get the duke 125 as a 16 year old listed for 5550$?
What about Fantic? They have the Minarelli 4T done in collaboration with Yamaha, which I suspect it's powered by the Minarelli 125 4T. I like the CB125R the most, and it's also very light. 126kg wet. The Fantic XMF Competition is a Motard with Yamaha frame reworked by Minarelli and Minarelli engine. Should be the lightest 125 with the strongest engine.
good morning I wanted to ask you a few things, do you happen to know where I can find a motron nomad 125 exhaust pipe? because I can't find anything specific for this engine, also are you if the original ecu is remappable? I wanted to elaborate it a minimum since the original makes me type 90km/h real
I've a 2014 CBR125R and I don't know how they come up with the stated performance figures, my bike will do 70mph all day, even up a slight gradient and given a long enough stretch it will get up to 80mph on the flat... Downhill with the wind behind me I've seen 88, so with a bigger hill and more wind I'm hoping to see 90... maybe my speedo is just off ?🤔
2 questions…. I’m torn between the aprillia rs125 gp replica and the ktm rc 125 which one would you recommend? And 2 let’s face it I won’t be keeping the stock exhaust is there any aftermarket exhaust you’d recommend for either the aprilia or ktm?
@@BikeMatters I have and im still torn between the two but thank you. For me it comes down to the fun factor more than anything else on a 125, which one would you say is the most entertaining? I need something to keep me entertained for a good couple of years until I have the money for an a2 bike
I am 26, only have a £2500 budget to get licence + motorcycle and insurance. What motorcycles do you recommend? I am 5 feet so any suggestions would be appreciated.
never understood the price point of 125cc bikes. Cheap enough to make them accessible, but also too expensive for teenagers to reach without parents help. Manufactures offer 3/4 year PCP finance, however most 125cc bike owners are likely to aim to have this as a short tern stepping gap before they pass the full test so wont want to keep it for that time scale...
@@ghostshadow1794 they make the CB125R now, which is the naked bike version of it. Kickass forks and suspensions and one of the fattest 125ccm rear wheels on the market. Really nice.
@@emmajones8715 I’ve been asking around, and the response I’m getting is that the keeways just aren’t built to last, so the more reputable builds are recommended more, even 20+ years old. I haven’t bought one yet, I just haven’t had the money 😔
I’ve been SCOURING the net, and Still unable to find Any list of 200cc or Less bikes, weighing Very Near 100kg …. Wish that Someone would consider LIGHTWEIGHT is really Not 150+kg …. this observation comes from a Four Decade cyclist, and road racer
Honestly, just go for the one you think looks the coolest or is in your price range. Especially once you get to the Japanese sportbikes and nakeds, there is no meaningful difference in reliability or power.
so true - no 125 is ever going to stun you with it's performance, and most people only keep them until they pass their test, so i'd say don't lose a huge wedge of cash on the way
First I wanted KTM Duke, but the height of the seating (81cm) is too high - I'm a short person. So I thought maybe Kawasaki Ninja as the seating is 78.5cm. But the price was pretty high for a used one which had 40k kilometers done. I ended up with a brand new Benelli BN125 (78cm height of the seating, legs still dangling a bit, I can place only 1 foot steady on the ground lol) and I don't regret it. Price was basically the same as for used Kawasaki. Very good for a city stroll and short-medium journeys, speed is alright for a 125cc. I love it but damn those brakes at the beginning, they barely worked and made me fall 2x.
I'm buying 125cc motor, I like cafe racers, but i'm 196cm tall (6′ 5.1654″) (100cm from heel to balls). Which bike is big enough? Thank you!! p.s.: the greatest compare vid of 2022 on tube! congrats
How can anyone recommend a Keyway bike ? To be honest I wouldn't recommend most of the cheaper bikes because they may look great in showroom but after a winter on British roads they will rust like crazy....
Just not many about, and they are not hugely popular especially compared to those on the list, we might well look at doing a small list of their own at some point
Monkey is way cooler. Grom is a pretend street naked ( why not just buy a bigger one). Monkey is nothing but a Monkey and has a Fantastic 60 year heritage
