The first thing that strikes you about this 125 is the looks; they’re stylish, eye catching, sharp and bang up to date! They make the bike look like a far bigger capacity machine. Its true size is only given away by the small power plant. The bike really does have super sports dimensions and looks. I parked the bike up on test in a busy touristy town centre and loads of people asked me what the bike was and most were surprised when I told them its was KYMCO 125. They all thought it was a mid range Japanese super sport, I’m certain this will give the bike massive street appeal and road presence.
The bike doesn’t just look big, it is big, it easily accommodated my 6ft 3” frame, I was amazed.
KYMCO are a major Taiwanese manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters and with Honda having a major share of the company for many years, the Honda influence, really shines through on this 125. I’m sure some styling clues have been taken from Honda’s CBR 125, certainly the quality has. This bike is almost over engineered for its somewhat small power plant. Its huge single beam frame is far sturdier than the maximum 12.9bhp power out put requires. This over engineering continues to the large ventilated single discs front and rear, with twin pot calliper and the front and single on the rear. These stop the bike effectively and safely, though we’re not talking about slowing it down from super sport speeds. Claimed top speed is 75 mph and it only weighs a mere 141 kg, so the brakes are not being over stretched!
The super sports styling and high quality continues throughout this machine, from the full aerodynamic fairing, the raked screen, the twin headlights, white glass indicators, sculpted tank to the semi-prone riding position, all adding to the super sports illusion.
The eye catching instrumentation
Super sport looks for the KYMCO KR Sport 125
The KR Sports has hydraulic forks up front and rear adjustable monoshock (with eye catching red spring) and sits on painted 5 spoke alloy wheels which are shod with Cheng Shin tyres. I wasn’t expecting great things from the handling, but was again surprised. Within the limits of the power available this 125 has razor sharp handling with a taut and firm ride. Obviously the light weight helps, but the bike is also very planted and not easily thrown off line. The Cheng Shin tyres for the most part provide excellent grip even on gravel strewn country back roads, not a surface I’d recommend riding on generally. The light weight means the KR Sports can be flicked through corners, like the super sport bike it pretends to be.
This lightness of action is complemented by the light action clutch and sweet 5 speed gearbox, both of which enabled rapid and smooth gear changing; though, out on the open road it was quickly up through the box to fifth to make the most of the available speed.
Disappointingly the KR Sport only produces 12.9bhp at 10,000 RPM from its free revving single air/oil cooled engine, which is almost 2bhp short of the legal maximum for a learner. This does somewhat blunt the ultimate performance in that the bike tops out at 75mph, but for many learners this will be more then fast enough. It was really on hilly roads that I noticed this most, when it meant keeping the bike near the 8,000 RPM redline in fourth, rather than changing up into fifth, to get the bike to haul my weight up the hill, obviously a svelte light weight youngster would have less of an issue. The engine can be come a little buzzy as revs approach the red line but for the most part it’s fairly smooth.
Twisty roads is where the KR Sport 125 excelsHowever riding twisty roads is where the KR Sport really excels, its lightness and good handling enables quick changes of direction and spirited cornering to be easily achieved, which make one easily forget the bikes modest power output.
Because of the bikes large dimensions its is surprisingly comfortable, even with the semi prone riding position, it was really only the squab seat which after a couple of hours riding lacked a little in the support department. But I doubt this sort of bike will be used for touring.
Top Choice
The KR Sports is very easy to ride with its excellent handling, good brakes and lightness of controls it will makes an ideal first learner legal machine. Overall it is hard to fault the KR Sport and it should give the more firmly established Japanese choices a really serious challenge.
Top speed 75mph (120km/h)
Cylinder Capacity 124
Cooling Oil & Air
Max Power 9.6Kw at 100,00 rpm
Max Torque 9.9Nm at 8000 rpm
Wheelbase 1345mm
Height 1160mm
Width 710mm
Length 2080mm
Net Weight 141Kg
Seat Height 780mm
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