New Yamaha R125 is mightly impressive

We recently reviewed the KTM RC125 and we made the claim that it was the coolest bike that a teenager could get. But here comes Yamaha with a possible rival.

The R125 was first launched in 2008 - and it was, by a wide margin, the best-looking 125cc bike on the market. To the uneducated eye, it was simply a beautiful sportsbike - not a watered-down learner-legal.

This new one brings the design in-line with the R3 and R7 but also includes some new technology like a 5-inch full-colour TFT display with smartphone connectivity that links to Yamaha’s free MyRide App. You can also toggle between ‘Street’ and ‘Track’ themes - but sadly these aren’t actually rider modes, they’re just graphical “themes”.

However, the technology packed into such a small package is still impressive. You get traction control included and can also add a quick shifter as an option. So rather than this simply being a basic bike with big sportsbike aesthetics, it has genuine bike bike technology that has trickled down.

We actually got our first look at this at the year’s Motorcycle Live and were impressed at the quality of it. Well, the relative quality given that it is a 125cc and the fact that it’s a Yamaha. We’ve made no attempt to mince our words when it comes to the sub-par quality feel of many Yamahas on the market at the moment. But honestly, it felt nicer than the R3.