Earlier this week my editor told me I was picking up Kawasaki’s latest Z. Imagine my excitement when he also told me to make sure I put on my “full riding gear”.
I was ecstatic.
Finally, I, the rookie, was going to get to test ride a litre bike.
So fully geared, as instructed, I went to Kawasaki Motors Malaysia’s headquarters in Glenmarie to pick up the newest member of the illustrious Kawasaki Z family.
And there she was, the 2017 Z125 Pro sitting in the garage. All 125 cubic centimetres of her.
Yes, the Z125 Pro possesses almost the same looks as its bigger brothers in the Z series: sleek, aggressive, and mean. But with a seat height of 30.7 inches and a weight of 102kg, and riding on 12-inch wheels, it is a tiny bike.
What Kawasaki has created in the Z125 Pro is a pocket rocket to satisfy “thrill-seeking riders who want a second bike to ride around town or through the pits at the local racetrack”.
And, at the same time of course, it is a bike catered for the beginner rider.
I consider myself neither a beginner nor an experienced rider, so I was not quite sure what to make out of the Z125, initially.
It does look too small for my 171cm height. My knees kept knocking into the handle bars each time I slide a little too forward in the comfortable saddle.
But if you didn’t glance down, this mini bike handles almost like a big bike! The clutch pulls smoothly and with a firm suspension set up and that upside-down fork up front — the riding impression you get is of riding a bigger bike, especially if you ride with your full riding gear on!
Nonetheless, with just a four-speed gearbox, this baby sounded miserable even before I could approach the legal speed limit on the highway, reminding me that it was probably not built for speed.
When I took the Z125 Pro out on the highway, I wasn’t confident because the bike was so tiny compared to other vehicles on road.
Even on the motorcycle lane, I tried to keep my knees close to the fuel tank because they were dangling out the whole time as there was not enough room for my legs.
The single-cylinder four-valve SOHC air-cooled engine produces almost 10hp at 8,000rpm, and 9.6 Nm of torque at 6,000rpm, more than enough power for riders to maintain decent speeds and taking corners.
Other than that, the four-speed transmission is easy to work with. Digital fuel injection makes for smooth operation.
This bike surely drew attention from riders and also non-riders. I even got smiles from passengers in a couple of cars when riding it on highways.
This nimble streetfighter features a sporty, single headlamp design which contributes to its slim image. Besides that, the multi-reflector headlamp facilitates night-time illumination for better visibility.
Being a naked bike, there isn’t much wind protection. But then again it is no high speed cruiser. The side shrouds offers a degree of wind protection though.
The Z125 PRO also gets a sporty instrumentation with a race-themed analogue tachometer and fully featured LCD digital display that includes a fuel level gauge, clock, trip meter and gear indicator.
For a small bike, the Z125 PRO carries a relatively large 7.4-litre fuel tank capacity, and comes with hydraulic disc brakes front and rear with Nissin calipers. Up front is a 200mm petal-style disc and a 184mm petal-style disc on the rear wheel.
This baby is available in two colours: Lime Green and Hot Orange, and retails at RM10,435 (inclusive of GST).