The market for 125cc sports bikes is very strong. Up until just a few years ago, the learner rider wanting something other than a basic commuter style machine had little choice, now there are quite a few 125cc sportsbikes for sale on the UK market. New riders in the UK are restricted to machines of no more than 125cc with an output of less than 11.8Kw, but despite these restrictions there are still plenty of bikes that go very well indeed and look the part too! – Foremost amongst this class of machine is the Honda CBR125R which features a 4-stroke motor and styling based on that of its bigger brothers, the Honda CBR600 and Fireblade CBR1000RR. Straightforward to ride and with legendary Honda reliability, the CBR125R was the top selling bike in the UK in 2006.
Other 125 sportsbikes include the Yamaha YZF-R125, which shares more than a passing resemblance to the Yamaha R6, and the ever-popular Aprilia RS125 – a little bike with a great big grin factor built in. Whilst most current 125 sports motorcycles are 4-stroke powered, there are still plenty of great 2-stroke 125 bikes available including the fabulous Ducati 916 lookalike Cagiva Mito, the equally sexy Derbi GPR125 or perennial favourites including the legendary Yamaha TZR125, the Suzuki RG125 and the Honda NSR125.