Up-Close with the Kawasaki Ninja 125

One of the few surprises at the INTERMOT trade show in Germany, was Team Green’s release of two 125cc motorcycle models: the Kawasaki Ninja 125 and the Kawasaki Z125. The bikes are basic in their concept, and will be headed only to the European market.

Kawasaki hopes that the Ninja 125 and Z125 will be the ideal option for those with A1 or A2 licenses in Europe’s tiered motorcycle licensing program, though the Japanese company didn’t discount some interest from older riders who are looking for something smaller in their garage.

That is a fair goal from Kawasaki, because despite the budget-focus of these 125cc machines, the quality of the bikes is quite high, and we were most impressed with the fit and finish found on the 2019 Kawasaki Ninja 125.

Featuring a steel trellis frame, with an aluminum box swingarm, the Ninja 125 shows how Kawasaki has learned from its 250cc machines. Gone is the giant bulk of a rolling chassis that the Ninja 250R perpetrated against new riders for far too many years, instead the Ninja 125 tips the scales at 326 lbs at the curb.

ABS is standard, by law in Europe, and while the 15hp motor is nothing to write home about, we suspect that it will respond well to some basic modifications.

Looking at the machine on the INTERMOT floor, if you didn’t see the 125cc badging or tiny exhaust outlet, you could confuse the Ninja 125 for being a larger model. Kawasaki did a good job of not only keeping an eye on the details for its latest sport bike, but the quality of the construction looks like a motorcycle of higher value.

Maybe it helps that the livery is inspired by Jonathan Rea’s championship-winning Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR, but getting hands-on with the machine shows that it is something more.

The small-displacement market is hot right now, and manufacturers are finally paying attention to the aged motorcycles that have been in their lineups…most of which have remained unchanged for decades. Leading the pack though, Kawasaki has hit this segment hard. Owning the demographic with the Ninja 250R, they raised the ante first with the Ninja 300 and then with the Ninja 400.

Now with the Kawasaki Ninja 125 in the arsenal, the Japanese brand has a battery of machines that it can offer riders throughout a range of markets.

Will we see anything like the Ninja 125 in the US market? Assuredly not, but it bodes well for other models that Kawasaki has waiting in the wings.