Keep Joseph in front of the camera he had some really stong points on the bikes, and looked very easy on camera. My GF learnt to ride on a 125R and we both love it, Poor build quality (electrical gremlins, 3 thermostat leaks dealer repaired each time and a gearbox with horrendous backlash after 6k miles). But riding the back lanes with that little engine fizzing at 9k is just brilliant fun.

Great video MCN, giving the opportunity for your videographer to get involved and testing some bikes will pay big time in all future work he does with you and for us viewers as well. Great work Joseph very well articulate opinions and great presence on camera. 5 Star video MCN hope to see more of Joseph on both sides of the camera.

I’m in my 50’s not a youth but my bike a year ago was a 125 (Suzuki GSX-S) having just passed my full License. Really good to see Joseph and his views on a bunch of these! Would be fascinating to see how he progresses on his 400 and beyond as he gets his full license. For a youth he presents his thoughts well and would make a good series of reviews to see him work his way up! I’ve had a CBR650R all year and done 6,000 amazing miles and have just bought a Ducati Panigale V2 as I am lucky enough to have a son who’s ex BSB racer and lots of good instruction! I will follow his career at MCN behind and in front of the camera!

One of my favorite videos from MCN, would love to see more from Joe! I've moved on from 125s to A2s and would love another video from him looking at A2 bikes etc next.

What a superbly presented and relevant video - Joseph's a legend behind the camera, the quality of this channel has gone through the roof recently, and he's equally good in front too.

I enjoyed the video and Jospeh looks like a natural in front of the camera! Thanks for helping me get back up to speed with 125's!

Fantastic video! It’s great to see the chemistry between Joseph and Michael working with each other. Joseph has great character and confidence in front of the lens too, being able to deliver his opinions in a thoughtful and confident manner. I’m not in the market for a 125cc bike, but this is still great content. Good luck with the ZXR400 too, those 90’s import 400s are real gems!

Bought my son a new zontes 125 u naked as learner about 18mths ago. So far so good no problems. Great value.

I am a motorcycle courier in Sydney Australia. The bike capacity of choice is the 125 and scooters just don't do the job because there are many motorways that require you to do 90-100kph in stretches. The most important requirements are fuel range, decent seat, carrying capacity and stone reliability. And only the Honda CB125E and the newer CB125F have them all. Given regular oil changes and chain adjustments, these bikes will do 100,000kms. They have the lowest running costs and lowest spare parts cost of any bike on the market and with courier costs on paper thin margins, they take the cigar. Others may be faster and flashier, but at A$3k new and older beaters still worth A$2k, they also have the highest retained value.

I can vouch for Zontes after having ridden it for 12000 miles in a year since purchase and zero issues.

Glad i took my test before the current insanity in Bike licences

Thank you Joseph and MCN for a great review. It’s definitely helped me as I am in the market to buy a bike for my daughter who is new to riding and this will be her first bike.

Well Micheal, you have some serious competition in the form of Joseph. He is a natural in front of the camera and got to the point quickly and clearly. Plus the dynamic between you both was brilliant. I look forward to seeing more from you both. We really need to see more youngsters on bikes and Joseph is a real breath of fresh air - don’t worry though Neevesy, we still love ya bud!

Great video for the new rider, and agree with other comments that maybe Joseph should be in front of the camera more often. Maybe an A2 bike test/review next and a new licence holder with a slightly bigger budget to tempt him. 😁 Keep up the great vlogs.

Got a Zontes G-1 and I love it. Although I will admit the end mirrors do make your hands feel cramped at times but they can be changed.

Most new riders want to get the most powerful motorcycle they can afford, which of course tend to lead to disasters. After many years riding motorcycles, I keep enjoying whenever I have the chance to use a 125cc. They are so light, nimble and give lots of fun for little money.

Great video guys, thank you.

Great video, guys!

All 125 are light and fun so it’s hard to justify the high price of the Fantic over anything else except for style.

What a nice lad Joseph is. Presents very well. Watch your back Neevsey. Lol

Starters will really appreciate this production - even though I'm the other end of the conveyor belt even i like to see what is available and also groan at the superb engineering served up today! Having said that, my first 1960's ride was a Honda Benly twin 125 which compared to everything else on the market was way ahead! It would be good if Neevsy slipped in one of those into a newbees test just to see how it compared!!!

Yeap the kids good. Nice banter between you both.

Who’s going to film the photographer? .😮

Wringing the bikes neck through every gear change like a GP legend....just to keep up with traffic....ACE!

My learner bike was a Lexmoto Michigan, great little cruiser and a lot of fun to ride.

Adjustable levers should be legally required on every new motorcycle I think. It's so important to have good control over the brakes and clutch and there is such a wide range of hand sizes. I mean, it would cost the manufacturer like $5 to put on adjustable levers but for the owner, it'll cost hundreds unless you are willing to risk it with Chinese aftermarket levers (I wouldn't). My Duke 390 has adjustable levers and it's fantastic. Keep up the good work.

I almost didn't watch this, because I'm the same age as Neevesy and like him, I rode 125's back in '87, but I really enjoyed the review. We're very accustomed to seeing bike reviews from the perspective of a professional like Neevesy (the No.1 journo), but it would be interesting to see reviews of middleweights and beyond as Joseph gains experience - I thought he did almost as well in front of the camera as he does behind it

Best 125 for a beginner is an old one so you don't cry after you drop it! Also you won't lose so much when you sell it on after you pass your test and want something bigger. I'm amazed that people spend 3k+ on something that's barely capable of motorway speeds

Came back to this video because I've finally decided that looks will be the driving factor for my purchase and my ultimate triad of bikes will be Zontes G1/GK, CB 125 R and Husqvarna Vitpilen/Svartpilen. Which are somewhat transferable to the bigger engines. Probably the 401 would be my forever bike. I'm still gathering the money and making up my mind about insurance and taxes. I gotta weight where to burn the cash, my car is a tuned mk5 GTI so she needs lots of love.

Cracking review by the young lad..... Get him on the mid range bikes now.....

A star in the making he’s going to make a good presenter.

Started commuting on a CB 125r 3 years ago and now I'm on the CB 650r , like the guys said ,biking just gets under your skin.

it would be the scrambler for me. i love the style and the option to be off road or street with those tires

Fantic 125 caballero scrambler is very good. I testrode the honda, liked it, but found it less comfy. The Fantic is really good quality. Very good driving behaviour on and off road. I ride it off road regularly and I find it copes well on fairly rough terrain, it’s a true scrambler. I have now driven over 6000 km on it in 8 months, love it. Exceptional motorcycle if you ask me.

I learned how to ride on a honda grom here in Germany and I can only reccomend it for getting arround town. Yes you´ll look a bit goofy on it, even if you are not too tall (175 cm) but it is super fun.

I was riding a 125 in 1960, almost too long back to remember. Would LOVE to get hold of an Aprilia 125 two stroke.

I have a Honda Wave 125 n a Honda Future 125. Very comfortable, convenient and easy to ride.

Have the Zontes GK and it’s the best naked you can get, with the bonus of being one of the cheapest! Kept mine when I moved to a big bike - love it.

Great vid, thx. I am interested in buying the Fantic Caballero. After watching this video, I thought that I might be the type of person that the 125 Caballero would suit. I started riding in my 50s and ride a W400 now. At my age, I will not be going up any further in CCs since I started riding so late in life. I am actually looking for a second, smaller, lighter bike that can take me around the city and to do short , fun rides. For now the 400 does the longer rides and mountainous terrain. Over 50, many riders are going back to smaller bikes, the cost won't break the bank for some, and a 125 generally won't get you into too much trouble....maybe :) The major issue is that the parts have to be imported and many mechanics here do not want to touch it if the bike needs major repairs (especially electronics). So, I'm still a maybe but a strong maybe.

Great insights. As someone whose early 30s, would you recommend a 125 for a year or so, or going straight to the DAS and skipping a 125?

The most fun I've had riding is on a Yamaha YBX 125 5 speed with minor mods. Beast, absolute magical beast

In the mid 1980's when working at PC dealerships, IBM had a slogan that said 'no one ever got fired for buying IBM'. I'd transpose that philosopy & idea to a Honda, (more or less any Honda), they may not always be the most exciting machines but they know how to do just about everything right, whatever it is you are looking for. IMHO the 125R is a great bike, but saving £1600 or thereabouts & going for a 125F makes more beginner sense, as it's common to move up to bigger bikes after dipping your toe for a year anyway. Maybe it's the yorkshire in me, but id rather have the cash, less depreciation, better MPG, and a machine that's a bit easier to sell anyday as the performance difference between the two is minimal. I also think you could have included a sub 2.5k catagory, maybe showing how the odd chinese bike like a sinnis holds up, as beginners and price go hand in hand, with a 6k bike for a newbie pushing it a tad too far IMHO

Great job.

I bought YBRG 2 years ago what a great experience

I've enjoyed my cb125f, doesn't half struggle up hill though

Hi I had both the Zontes and the Honda for a year. Both great bikes. I slightly preferred the Zontes for the reason Neevsey did. I found the bike quality equal to the Honda (one year). The gearbox on the Honda wasn’t great. Zontes gearbox was smooth as F…. at least on the one I had. Unfortunately the resale price of the Zontes takes a dip because people just don’t trust Chinese bikes. I think Zontes are at the premium end if Chinese bikes. Den

Drove over 15k km with my zontes125 held up like a dime didn’t regret my purchase for a bit

Great video

Are any of them sold in the USA?

Hmmm. Wasn't sure about your comments about age. I am 54. I've never even sat on a motorbike. But I would love to learn to ride one. And then buy a 125, because I am not interested in speed outright and only interested in the city and country roads outside it. What do you think? Yamaha XSR125?

*I get the sense that it's not easy to get a motorcycle license in Britain and Australia.* Is this accurate?

Shame they got rid of 250cc learner bikes (earl 8o's). Because even non bikers could buy a cheap CD175 or TS250 & use it as a commuter bike or even a bit of touring. I use a cheap old 650 Honda custom for work which is overkill really. But if I was a learner I'd get a car cos a 125 with my height & weight would struggle on open roads. Its not about speed but the grunt to keep up with traffic & even some motorway work. The old CB250RS or Superdream are probably no faster than the bikes tested but make more sense to me. Mopeds are even more daft & dangerous. It's almost like the rules are there to makes it so dangerous it discourages biking. LOL

sad that yamaha xsr 125 was not included, probably would make final decision much harder

I think you might have missed a trick on the budgets here... my first bike I spent £1500 new. No way I would have shelled out this much when I was getting into biking

Im buying a herald brat 125 for my 1st bike. Looks so good but very slow. Under 3k brand new though

I have a Skyteam dax&a new Honda monkey.The skyteam is a better bike!Better brakes,handling,has a gear indicator &clock!Linked brakes that work really well,&a rear luggage rack!The Honda has a fantastic seat,&a 5th gear.Bur value for money goes to the skyteam dax!

Can we make a video about his current bike?

I like the XSR125. Think it looks really nice. But i think most who buy these 4 and 5k leaner bikes will lose a lot of money and wish they'd bought a more boring looking old Yamaha or Honda. I bought a ybr 125 and still lost a lot of money. Once you pass your test you'll want something that can go quicker up hills.

Greetings MCN

Often scooters like the PCX are faster and can handle dual carriageway better. However I got around to learning and glad the little mash 125 I had put up with my rubbish skills with safely low 11hp! and great around town.

Good video

Leaning off that fantic😂

What year is that zxr400

Really want to do me cbt, can I do lessons without this

How can you not mention a Yamaha XTZ125? Aren't they half the price of your cheapest bike? Plus you can take them off road or Motard them.

What about an English made bike the Mutt 125s??

Weight answer is Aprilia rs125cc ur welcome xxxx

at these prices i'de rather go for a 650 straight...

I spect more MCN. Both frantic and ZONTES are in by same company with below industry back up. Plenty of awesome bikes out there to compare to the Honda, ones that sell and off decent backup. Money talks

👍

In Switzerland, you HAVE to ride a 125cc for 2 YEARS before you can get a bigger bike...

Honda CB125f is a better choice it's over £1000 cheaper then the CB125R and easily does 150 mpg. Realistically the CB125R isn't any faster either just slightly better equipped, but why would you need ABS on such a low capacity bike. Better off saving the thousand pounds and using that to do your big test.

honda = GOAT

I have a fantic caballero 125. I can say that for all the money he has absolutely nothing, why should you pay so much...

spending 5 grand on your first bike , or a 125 is insane .

Best 125cc bike - KTM DUKE 125. There shouldn't be even a discussion about it

Most People want a sports bike as a first bike.

Only H U S Q V A R N A RULES !!!

if covid isnt a good enough reason for anyone to avoid chinese products "as long as it wont make your life too miserable"... then lets pretend there was no covid in the first place 🤣😂

I mean ….so yeah where on Earth has all of this lingo come from ? Another sheep ?

Can anyone tell me what's the brand of the scrambler??

I was i was looking at a zontes as my first bike but heard some horror stories about engine lights coming on after 50miles and frame rusting after 6 months. In the end i bought the cb125r and dont regret spending more, it feels solid and is alot of fun to ride, i use it to commute to work and even when looking for a bigger bike i cant see myself trading it in. It does commute work perfectly getting over 100mpg (as all 125cc bikes should)