YAMAHA YZF-R125 (2018-2021) Specs, Performance & Photos

Starting in 2008, Yamaha enriched the sport bike offering with the arrival of something called YZF-R125. By the time the range reached its 2018 model year, the family was already in its third generation.

The model was initially offered with a single-cylinder, liquid-cooled 125cc engine, a unit that has remained available across the range for all generations. Controlled using a 6-speed transmission, it develops just 15 hp at 9,000 rpm and 12.4 Nm of torque at 8,000 rpm.

Having gone through relatively small changes over the years, the 2018 Yamaha YZF-R125 added for this model year several things, including a new swingarm, frame, and body modifications, but also a new change to the frame and bodywork, a revised engine with Variable Valve Actuation (VVA).

In 2019, the model was also offered as a Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Edition, equipped with things like Assist and Slipper clutch, 41 mm upside-down front suspension, GP style handle crown, and a 140 mm rear tire. The bike maker called this version the “most exclusive 125 produced.”

Loved by young, beginner riders, the 2018 iteration of the bike (not the MotoGP one, of course) can still be had in 2022 for as little as 2,800 euros over in Europe, which is about the same in dollars at today’s exchange rates.