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2021 Kawasaki Z125 Pro Review: Embrace Your Inner Child With The Miata Of Motorcycles

“Blessed are the wicked whose grins stand true merely wafting along at trivial speeds, for it is they who truly know a splendid time when they see one.”

Translated from the totally-real Book of Coolness & Badassery that I didn’t just conjure in my head, the Kawasaki Z125 Pro has to be the most fun-per-dollar that you can have, regardless of the number of wheels. On paper and, in some ways, in practice, it shouldn’t be, yet it achieves its goal of reclaiming summertime fun on a budget in a way that arguably few cars can.

Except maybe a Mazda Miata, of course.

What Is This Thing?

Introduced for the 2018 model year, the Kawasaki Z125 Pro is a minibike in the same spirit as its key rivals, the spunky Honda GROM and the age-old Honda Monkey. Far more capable than 50cc scooters yet far more sluggish than most other beginner motorcycles, the Z125 stands as another excellent choice for commuters, fun-havers, or ill-experienced folk who romanticize the idea of two wheels but have never thrown a leg over a bike, ever. This bite-sized pit bull appeals to them all and then some.

Specs:

MSRP Base: $3,399 (2022)

Powertrain: 125cc air-cooled SOHC single // 4-speed manual transmission

Horsepower: 9 bhp @ 6,000 rpm

Torque: 7 lb-ft @ 6,000 rpm

Seating Capacity: 2

Curb Weight: 225 pounds

Fuel Economy: >80 mpg

The Z125 is motivated by the class norm, a 125cc, air-cooled single. But don’t scoff at the unintimidating displacement just yet, as this mill outputs a scorching nine horsepower and an earth-shattering seven pound-feet at 6,000 revolutions.

Hide your S1000RR because the Z is the storm that is approaching.

All that grunt is routed through a four-speed manual transmission, the only available gearbox – in The States, at least. Z125 Automatics are reportedly offered elsewhere.

This little pocket rocket is then duly unmotivated by a pair of drilled, floral wave discs measuring 200 millimeters up front and 184 millimeters in the rear. Single-piston Nissin calipers chomp down on both and come finished in a lovely shade of coppery orange.

A 30-millimeter inverted fork and offset rear coilover with 4-way adjustable rebound keep things in check when the going gets twisty. The frame is a backbone type that utilizes the engine as a stressed member for rigidity, and it all communicates with the tarmac through 12-inch wheels wrapped in what appear to be ⅕-scale sport bike tires.

Curb weight is roughly 225 pounds. I know people who eclipse that figure, and I’m pretty sure there’s a show on TLC about people who triple that. But in all seriousness, this sucker is genuinely light. Now, queue happy Colin Chapman noises.

As for toys and gadgets, there are none. In fact, I’m not quite sure where the “Pro” part of the moniker comes from, as it certainly doesn’t allude to any premium tech. There’s no multi-axis IMU, no steering damper, and no traction or stability control. There isn’t even ABS. However, if you’ve experienced reasons to really need safety nannies on this thing, you either need a bigger bike or your license revoked.

Perhaps the “Pro” alludes to the rider you will become after spending enough time ripping through suburbia at less than breakneck speeds.

What’s It Like To Ride?

Oh ho, boy, howdy. It’s about to get rowdy.

Don’t let the kawaii Kawi’s diminutive displacement and stature fool you that it’s some gimmicky sales pitch to upsell commuters previously eyeballing Honda Metropolitans. This bike is no scooter in disguise.

Ridden like the mini streetfighter that Kawasaki claims it is, the Z125 is a snappy chihuahua, always nipping at the heels for a chance to sprint. It’s no superbike, but it’s got the spirit in spades.

The single-digit power and torque figures, laughable on paper, produce surprisingly usable acceleration, further exaggerated by the snappiness of the four-speed gearbox and the throaty bark of the low-slung exhaust. Depending on how much you had for breakfast that morning, you can bounce off the satisfying hard rev limiter at 60 miles per hour by the end of top gear.

Note that none of this is a backhanded compliment for implying the Z125 can only reach the speed limit when caned. It’s just damn fun, and willing to do so.

Ridden like a basic errand runner, the Kawi can still hold its own on nearly any backroad and side street. Despite its debatable lack of oomph, the bike can still chug along and glide past traffic, even below the 6,000 RPM power and torque peaks. Power builds linearly, producing a predictable and usable band that’s suited for both spirited blasts and nine-to-five commutes.

The chassis that proves oh-so flickable and eager to huck into corners is easy to keep steady, and ride quality is shockingly supple for such a small bike on dinner plate-sized wheels. Sewer covers and the occasional gravel patch are nonissues. That 225-pound curb weight may as well be 100 because this chassis is so damn brainless to whip around in whatever manner you deem fit. Rough terrain can send mild jitters through the undampened steering, but it’s so light that all you need is a steadier grip to snuff out any ill behavior. It’s a genuine sweetheart.

Oh, and fuel economy is Prius-slaying good, in case you were wondering. Kawasaki doesn’t list MPG estimates, but sources claim 80 miles per gallon in mixed riding or 160 miles out of the two-gallon tank. I call BS as my 50 miles spent ripping past neighborhoods hasn’t made a dent in the projected fuel level. None. Nada.

So, it’s a simplistic, fuel-sipping, ultra-compact sports bike that loves corners, high revs, and spitting in the faces of larger, heavier peers? Interesting. You could say it’s very Miata-like in its character, hm?

Any Cons?

There are just a few gripes, and one is far more subjective than any other nitpick I could muster, so allow me to get that out of the way briefly.

The styling is equal parts charming yet somewhat boring. The red accents contrasting against the matte black paint certainly pop, as do the yellow-ish front shocks that make a remarkable impression of an Ӧhlins. The angular headlamp and low-slung, flush exhaust are certainly sharp, and the bike definitely exudes the mini streetfighter vibe that Kawasaki aims for.

It’s just not as attractive as it could be, especially in an increasingly colorful field of retro throwbacks, cyberpunk rocketships, and adventurous trailblazers.

That’s not much of a knock against the Z125, but more towards most modern Kawasakis in general, which are relatively uninspired aside from the kill-your-whole-family-with-no-remorse H2 superbike. With such a subjective topic, you’re free to think otherwise, but this author leans toward the techno vibes of the GROM and the classic ruggedness of the Monkey.

On the subject of its peers, the Z125 lags slightly behind. A recent facelift imbued the Hondas with one extra gear and a smidge more power from a revised, higher-compression engine. This should improve acceleration and potentially allow those bikes to traverse some freeways, a feat that the Kawi most definitely cannot match. But I’ll reserve judgment until I can actually test one.

On the mechanical side, the shifter throw is a tad longer than what I’m used to on other motorcycles. Perhaps I’m a dunce, but gear shifts seem to ask for a deliberate, potentially fatiguing movement of your ankle, but at least it’s easy to slot into neutral.

The upright riding position is cozy enough for jaunts around town, at least for my five-foot-six frame. But I can easily tell that things will feel quite tight for those eclipsing six feet, especially if that long shift throw is the norm.

Reclaimer Of Fun

Nitpicks are just that. Nitpicks. And that’s a shame to nitpick the Z125 for its obvious shortcomings, as that makes it too easy to glance past everything it gets right.

If you want one for yourself, you can easily snag one for the recession-friendly price of $3,399 for a current model-year bike, matching the current GROM yet undercutting the Monkey by several hundred dollars.

For that coin, you get a quirked-up streetfighter ready to bust it down Miata-style. And before you ask, yes, it is indeed goated with the sauce. Is it highly unprofessional of me to include such childish phrasing in an article? Absolutely, but the Kawasaki Z125 Pro is professionally unprofessional itself and serves to help riders reconnect with their inner child. We just want to have fun!

It’s a pure, easygoing, honest-to-goodness companion that just wants to have a hell of a time without charging a hell of a lot. That’s the kind of product worth praising in today’s world, and it’s a flame worth keeping lit for as long as we can.

Published in Reviews

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David Olsen-Fabian
1 year ago

Love the review! Can’t ride anymore. I super appreciate reviews like this since I have to live vicariously through others when it comes to two wheels. Riding days are over.

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