Herald reveal latest retro 125

New Brat 125 is a great-looking machine for under £3000

‘It’s a big step towards building bikes in Britain’

Herald have been around for a few years now producing cool urban commuters for sensible money. The latest machine to join their range is the Brat 125, which was first unveiled as a concept machine in 2018. Designed in-house, the Brat is a rugged-looking urban commuter – almost like a mini adventure bike. As such it ditches some of the classic looks Herald are known for, so the twin shocks are gone in favour of a monoshock, while up front is a chunky USD fork. The dash has an analogue rev counter mated to a digital speedo, fuel gauge and gear indicator. Not bad for a 125. “We wanted to create something unique to Herald,” says Gareth Williamson, Lead Design Engineer at the Cambridgeshire firm. “In the past we have imported more classically-styled motorbikes but this time the styling was down to us. We stripped the look back to bare essentials, working with a clay model to link the lines of the frame with the minimal bodywork, drawing inspiration from brat bikes, streetfighters and scramblers from yesteryear.”

Herald have also fitted flat bars and trailie style tyres for light off-road use and it’s got a stainless steel exhaust that should give it an extra bit of bark. The alloy mudguards complete the look, along with a modern 7in LED headlight. “It’s a big step towards our goal of designing and manufacturing bikes in Britain,” adds Williamson. The Brat is available in three colours (military green, iron grey and copper) and should be in dealers from January.

The air-cooled, 124cc single cylinder motor is simple to maintain but still good for just shy of 10bhp and will sip fuel, too. The Brat has an old-school vibe but still has modern touches such as LED lights and a digital dash. Every Herald comes with a two-year parts warranty, a one-year labour warranty plus two years’ breakdown cover. There’s only a 125 for now but Herald plan to launch a 250 soon, which they say will cost £500 more. Even with the funky finish, the learner-legal Brat 125 will cost just £2995 when it hits dealers.

The clocks are basic but have a modern feel

The LED illumination continues around the rear

The headlight is a bang-up-to-date LED unit