Should Yamaha expand the 125 class with its smallest MT?

We don’t do “Decade in Review” articles, but if we did, the Honda Grom ($3,399) would certainly get my nomination as one of the greatest bikes of the last 10 years. A little 125 cc, of all things, captured the attention and enthusiasm of riders everywhere, creating an entire subculture of riding. 

Kawasaki quickly followed with their Z125 PRO ($3,199), hoping to join in Honda’s success. Honda then expanded their “miniMOTO” line with the swanlike Super Cub reboot ($3,649) and the Monkey ($3,999). In just a few years, the 125 class went from practically non-existent to a real segment, or at least as much of a segment as 125s can be in the United States. So… is that it?

Yamaha recently announced its new world-market MT-125 and, as I looked over the press release, I had to wonder if it would join the fray with the other eighth-liters. For now, the MT-125 is not slated for North American release. What if it was?

Team Blue would be bringing variable valve actuation (!), liquid cooling, and 17-inch wheels, three huge differentiators for the class. A small MT could be the next evolution in the "fun size" class. Think about it. Honda owns our 125 street segment, with Kawi picking up the rest. Rather than introducing a copycat Gromaha, a small MT would offer the next step up in smallbore fun without being too fast to ride with your local Grom squad. Its adult dimensions mean it could also be the option of choice for larger riders. With some back-of-the-napkin math, I worked out that Yamaha might offer the MT125 for something like $3,999. That’s right in line with the Monkey, Honda’s fanciest offering. And where the Monkey looks vintage-cute, the MT looks, well, like a real motorcycle.

Then I spotted a problem: 309 pounds. Yamaha’s 125 is 80 pounds heavier than the Grom or Z125 Pro (229 and 225, respectively). At first glance, that’s a huge mark against the MT. But before you write the bike off, consider the Yamaha’s advanced engine, which delivers 15 thundering horsepower to the Honda’s 9.7. The other side of the napkin tells me that the performance gains should make up for the extra weight. On top of that, the internet tells me the little MT will do 70 mph or better with its six-speed trans. What more do you need out of a 125?

For all it has in its favor, the MT-125 isn’t a surefire Grom killer. Expect Honda’s runaway success to go unreplicated. That said, I do think the MT-125 is different enough to consider importing. A bike like this is for the rider who wants a fun, compact, economical ride that looks like a motorcycle, not a minibike, a dirt bike, or a scooter. 

Yamaha has confirmed the the MT-03 for North America, and that’s the smart move for 2020. There is certainly more demand for the larger bike stateside, where the $4,599 ‘03 is priced right for the light-standard market. You’ll also notice that the MT-03 is $600 more than some 125s. Let me borrow from Lemmy’s review of the Honda Monkey.

“The reality, of course, is that making a smaller motorcycle doesn’t really reduce costs. Yes, there is a little less steel in the chassis and a little less aluminum in the wheels and a little less rubber in the tires, but a smaller piston and smaller rings, and a different bore size isn’t really cheaper. This problem has hounded manufacturers since the days of flatheads — riders feel lower performance bikes should cost less in spite of the fact that the costs to produce them are uncomfortably close to their more powerful brethren.”

Like I said at the beginning, we probably won’t see the MT-125 and its sneery triclops face in the United States. It wouldn’t revolutionize the 125 class, but it would be the smallest and cheapest “standard” motorcycle available from the Big Four. That’s noteworthy in its own way.

I won’t go so far as to ask Yamaha to bring the MT-125 here. They are tiny, though. Maybe toss a few in with the shipments of MT-03s?