Learner-legal highs
The best new 125s ridden & rated
hen Dick Whittington set off for London it was under the illusion that the streets were paved with gold and alongside his faithful feline he was expecting to make his fortune in the mighty capital. Sadly for our
WDicky-boy, he found the city’s streets were paved somewhat differently. Nowadays London is a very different place and instead of being paved with gold (or otherwise), the streets are mostly full of speed cameras, bus lane cameras, 20mph limits, bicycles, electric kick scooters and a million
and one other obstacles that are all hell-bent on ruining your day. It’s not exactly the ideal place to venture on a big bike, however for small-capacity machines, it can be the perfect environment. There is just one immediate problem – between us in Peterborough and London there are 70 miles of motorway and on a 125 that means holding the throttle open, dodging lorries and seeing if you can better your previous top speed on any downhill section. Taking to the A1M on three A1legal (see what we did there...) bikes is never a particularly pleasant experience but fellow testers Saffron Wilson and Matt Sutherland (who both hold full licences so are legally allowed to take the 125s on motorways) seem unperturbed. Maybe it is due to the promise of what lays ahead (Matt is yet to venture into London on a motorcycle, he’s from Lincolnshire) or possibly it was down to the bikes we were riding. Small-capacity models are going through a ‘retro revival’ while race reps drop off the radar. And who can blame buyers for swapping allegiances as the Honda CB125R and new Yamaha XSR125 and Husqvarna Svartpilen 125 look really cool parked up on a street corner? And 20-year-old Matt agrees. “I like the retro XSR and subtle CB, but the Husky stands out, it’s really well styled and looks more expensive and cooler than the other two,” he says.
Onto the A1 and looks are quickly forgotten in a flurry of revs. Despite a variation in engine types (well, head design), all three 125s claim almost identical power figures and flat-out they deliver the same performance. Cruising at 65mph with the throttle wide open is the norm with a tantalising dip into the 70s should we hit a downhill run. Remarkably, despite the little motors working their socks off, the vibrations aren’t too intrusive and the A1 is soon seen off with surprisingly little hassle as London’s skyline hovers on the horizon. If you had to commute on a motorway (or dual carriageway) you certainly could on these. Alongside its funky styling the Husky has a seat that is a little too firm where the CB and XSR are more relaxed, making it the least-suited to straight-line longdistance riding. It’s not horrific but we all agreed we’d rather be on the other two when it came to posterior pleasure. Not that this is such a factor in the city proper. Concentration is paramount when riding in London as it is now an almost blanket 20mph speed limit and you need to keep a constant eye out for a huge variety of hazards all set to make things sub-optimal. It’s all a bit hectic to say the least and judging by Matt’s wide-eyed look it is a lot to take in for a first-timer. Thankfully, the 125s helped rather than hindered the city riding experience. With ultra-light clutch actions and not much weight, zipping through traffic in search of London’s tourist attractions was a doddle on all three 125s. As soon as you hit the central zone you never feel like a 125 is lacking in power and I’d certainly far rather be on one than a bigger-capacity bike. Keeping to 20mph is tricky enough with just shy of 15bhp, I’d never manage it on anything more powerful and my licence would soon have more stars on it than Hollywood’s pavements. Yes, you
need to shift the gears a fair amount but aside from the Husky’s gearbox being a bit clunky and stiff, this was no issue. That said, in traffic you quickly start to spot irritations and quirks on all three bikes.
“The Husky’s bars feel too close to me,” says Saffron. “Not only does it make it less comfortable, it also brings the mirrors too close to your body, compromising the view of what’s behind.” It’s an annoying trait as with bicycles travelling at roughly the same pace and delivery scooters on deadlines, you do need to know what’s going on around you at all times, something that is far easier on both the Yamaha and Honda whose mirrors offer a noticeably better view.
The Honda certainly feels classier than the Husky and its engine is also smoother, its dash clearer and the more road-targeted tyres offer more confidence. “I find the Honda’s riding position a bit more cramped than the Yamaha,” says Saffron, “the XSR is a bit better suited to taller riders as it is a touch more stretchedout, something that made it comfier on the A1 and also in town. It just seems to suit me, I really like it.” Continuing our tour of London even in the areas we can allow the 125s to dash up to 40mph it is surprising how similar the engines feel in performance. The XSR comes with Yamaha’s sohc variable valve technology where both the Husky and Honda have conventional dohc four-valve heads, but you would never know as they all accelerate at the same rate. In fact, the only thing that splits them is fuel economy with the Yamaha smashing it out of the ballpark, recording about 20mpg more. There again, with such a limited amount of power allowed by law, it isn’t really that surprising they all feel the same – it’s not the halcyon days of the two-stroke 125s, which is good because the Ultra Low Emissions Zone costs £12.50 a day and there’s no way a 1990s stroker would hit the emissions limits. And it has to be said, the handling performance is also pretty similar on these 125s as well.
There are a few subtle variations but in a city environment you don’t really spot the slight extra plushness the Honda’s Showa forks and Husky’s WP units deliver over the XSR’s more basic inverted items. Or the fact that you can only up the shock’s preload on the Husky. Out of town this may be more of an issue but will riders really care? I suspect not. There is a certain amount of joy to be had pushing a 125 slightly beyond its comfortable limits on the road and giggling as the chassis protests slightly. Not that this can be achieved in central London – well, not unless you are a Deliveroo rider with a deadline to meet.