Yamaha YZF-R 125 Monster Energy MotoGP 2019 — Specifications

Can a 125 really deliver MotoGP thrills? Yamaha seems to believe it wholeheartedly with this YZF-R125 Monster Energy, a small sportbike that isn't afraid to display its ambitions on its flanks. We are well beyond a simple sticker. The machine fully adopts the dark blue and neon green livery of the official M1, with the famous 'M' branded in the Monster Energy style running along the fairing. The mimicry is striking, almost unsettling for a machine intended for the A1 license. For a young budding rider, slipping into this cockpit with a high seat height of 825 mm is a bit like putting on the gloves of Rossi or Vinales, at least in their head.

Beneath the star makeup, the technology has also evolved. The 125 cm3 single-cylinder engine, which delivers its 15 horsepower at 9000 rpm, now benefits from variable intake. A detail? Not really, it allows to optimize the torque, that famous 11.4 Nm, over a wider range, making the bike more flexible and less tense at high rpm. The Deltabox frame has been revised, the controls refined, and we note racing nods such as the open fork head and lever protection. The 41 mm inverted fork and radial front brake are serious arguments for those who want to get started in sporty riding. At 142 kg fully fueled, it is agile and predictable, a perfect school of precision.

But all this has a price, and it is heavy: 5499 euros. This is the black spot, the big gap that can be off-putting. At this price, we are approaching that of 300 or 400 cm3 roadsters, much more comfortable on open roads and highways. The R125, with its maximum speed limited to 125 km/h, remains a restricted license machine, ideal for dynamic cities and winding country roads. Its direct competitor, the KTM RC 125, offers similar equipment and just as aggressive a style, often at a slightly more contained price. Yamaha is clearly betting on emotion and identification with the MotoGP universe to justify the difference.

Ultimately, this special series is not for everyone. It targets the young racing enthusiast, for whom the aesthetics of a real race bike and the connection with the official team are worth the supplement. It is a desirable object, a motorcycle that is experienced as much with the eyes as with the wrist. It is not the most sensible in the segment, but it is undoubtedly the one that makes you dream the most. A perfect machine to get your hands and eyes used to things, before, perhaps, moving on to a higher displacement.