Aprilia RS 125 2024 — Specifications

When other Italian manufacturers abandoned the sporty 125 segment in favor of more profitable displacements, Noale held firm. The Aprilia RS 125 2024 version embodies this tenacity, and we won’t complain about it. Where a Kawasaki Ninja 125 or a Honda CBR125R play the card of accessible wisdom, the RS fully embraces its connection to the competition stable. The 54 world titles embroidered on the tank are not just for decoration: they recall where the machine comes from, even if the glorious 2-strokes of the RS 125 1998, 1999, or 2000 now belong to another era.

What immediately strikes you is the work done to rejuvenate the fairing. The design of the lights has been refined, the turn signals are integrated into the headlights, and the whole thing clearly borrows from the stylistic vocabulary of the RS 660. The result is convincing without being revolutionary: the line remains one that enthusiasts recognize, the kit déco evolves, but the Aprilia RS 125 fairing as a whole has not been redesigned. One could have wanted more, especially at €5,499. It’s the price to pay for an Italian sportbike with genuine Aprilia RS 125 original parts, an inverted 40 mm fork and a perimeter double-beam aluminum frame that many machines in this category cannot even claim.

The real work has been done under the fairing. The 124.2 cc 4-stroke single-cylinder engine has been deeply revised: new cylinder head, reworked combustion chamber, more aggressive camshafts, redesigned exhaust line, iridium spark plug, Magneti Marelli MIUG4 ECU, and optimized catalytic converter to obtain Euro5 certification. The legal ceiling remains at 15 horsepower at 10,000 rpm and 11.2 Nm at 8,000 rpm; the law is not negotiable. But these horsepower arrive earlier in the rev range, the torque curve is better filled in the low and mid range, and the 58-tooth sprocket improves acceleration. On a machine limited to 120 km/h, every nuance counts. Those who want to know what a de-restricted Aprilia RS 125 top speed delivers will have to explore other avenues.

For the novice rider with an A1 license, the RS 125 2024 offers a serious level of equipment. Bosch ABS makes its appearance, the clip-on handlebars rise by 18 mm to spare the back on slightly longer journeys, and the rear tire goes to 140/70-17. The front braking system with its 300 mm petal disc and radial 4-piston caliper is clearly calibrated above the bare minimum for a 125, and that’s a good thing. A quickshifter remains available as an option, a tribute to a tradition established on the previous generation. The fully LCD dashboard, adjustable in white or blue backlighting, displays everything you need: rev counter, speed, engine temperature, fuel level, battery voltage. The MIA platform allows you to connect a smartphone for those who want to push the options further.

At 144 kg fully fueled and a seat at 820 mm, the RS 125 is neither the lightest nor the lowest in its category. With a 14.5-liter tank, however, it provides reasonable autonomy. Its positioning is clear: it is aimed at the young rider who wants to learn to ride properly, not at the one who is primarily looking for a scooter in disguise. For those considering a used Aprilia RS 125, the 2021 or 2023 generations share much of the technical philosophy of this model year. But the 2024 version, with its engine revisions and standard ABS, represents a qualitative step that neither the classifieds nor the small ads will allow you to easily find on the older ones.