HONDA XR125L (2003 - 2013) Review

Year: 2003

So much fun for a 125 cc! I traded my 2007 cbr 125 for one, since that bike was too small for me. You sit higher on this bike and it felt much better. I once got it too 70 mph, but really that is just torturing the engine. I cruised it daily at 55 mph, no problem. A sixth gear would have been nice. A lot more fun than a stiff "racer" 125, more agile, and you can take it greenlaning. It also looks really good and gets a lot of looks on the street. The stock exhaust is quiet but makes a fun old school sound.

Buying experience: Dealer was one who only sold second hand bikes, but his prices are way to expensive. But I really wanted the bike and it is quite rare in my country (belgium). Paid 1500 uk pounds for it.

Year: 2005

Annual servicing cost: £200

This bike is absolutely bullet proof I've fell off it (hard) 3 times in 2 weeks and on the 3rd fall going about 15-20 mph it only bent the gear shifter and scratched up the clutch lever and the tip of the handle bars (Renthal). These bikes don't want to break and I enjoy riding it very much. The only down side is top speed. In ideal conditions I can only manage to get to about 60 mph but i'm a bit heavy (13 stone).

Buying experience: Buying experience wasn't so good (privately brought) the owner was a liar and completely neglected it, the oil was not even showing on the dipstick. starter motor was shot, carb needed adjusting for the Arrow exhaust but all easily fixed and now runs like a beauty.

Year: 2013

I have been a massive Honda fan always had XR400'S CARS ETC the time came to get my son a Bike age 17. Odvious choice was a Honda XR125. bought a 2004 bike from the local paper which was a cheapish price. within 4 weeks we had sold it on, to me it was not a real Honda! It was a Nightmare everything fell off it I replaced the battery starting motor all cables Tyres and the fork seals then the bike still would not start. in the end we cut our losses. It was over complimated LOTS OF DAFT CABLES, heavy and not the usual Honda build.even though it was only 7 years old it was a wreck the rust was amazing for a Honda gutted my advice is get a Yamaha xt or DT.

this was my first bike and im about to move ub to somthing a bit bigger so i thought i should say a few words abou it. in the honda xr there isnt much power to it i could get 60 on flat but on the other hand i waigh 14 stone but still its not the most powerfull bike. the handeling and suspention on the bike is fantastic! i ride on country roads to work and back and it has never let me down on the corners. i have rid this bike for around 18 months now and the engine has never let me down, it has done 35,000 miles now and the engine is still showing no signs of age, and the best thing about the bike is it keeps its price, i am selling it for almost what i bought it for.

I have learnt to ride on this bike and it has proved to me to be a very reliable and easy to ride bike. I have owned it for just over a year and I have had no problems with it. The only thing of which I can fault on it is its lack of top end power but for a 125 its acceptable and it can keep up with most other 125 around.

I've had my XR for a while now and it is absolutely brilliant. If you are 17 and are planning to get 125 this is the bike for you. It is a guarantee first time pass. At slow speeds especially when it comes to U-turns and figure of eights the XR is easy to balance and control therefore it will blitz that part of the test. It is comfortable for long journeys and the suspension absorbs every bump in the road. It does have a lot of pull in the gears expected for 5th very disappointing however it will get up to a top speed of 75 mph. It is also good for running around with passengers, it makes light work of 20 stone on the back. The only bad point I found with it is that the choke is not really effective so starting on a cold morning requires 3-5 mins of a bit of revs to get it to tickover. It brakes very well and is very responsive. Styling is also a bit soft could have made it like the original XR 250/400. But it is a good buy and is highly recommended.

You may not believe this but the XR125L is comfortable enough for 250 mile days out. I can average 40 mph overall which means a trip to the Scottish Borders from Co Durham/ North Yorks (even to St Mary's Loch) and back in a day is easily possible. It's not logical that part throttle gives 100 mpg and full throttle (but obeying speed limits) only reduces this to the high 80s, but that's how it performs. A nuisance in this sunny weather is that the midday sun reflects straight off the instruments into my eyes, and wearing specs aggravates this. Having a speedometer that doesn't flatter your speed like most digital ones is useful. Overtaking is possible with care and planning. So I'm getting to like it more and of course it's relatively cheap to buy and run in these days of rocketing prices.

I had one of these back in the 70s and it hasn't changed that much - better suspension, a front disc but worse instruments (very basic and really difficult to see when you are trying to keep to 30 mph). At least you can ride it all day without discomfort and do 200 miles or more. Top speed is low (generally 50-55 mph on the flat) but it is very economical. Thrashing it gives 88 mpg, pussy-footing around gives up to 110 mpg. Good range up to 170 miles before reserve needed. Considering I am 6 foot 2 inches tall and weigh 15 stone, I don't look a complete prat on it. Overtaking is a nightmare - as soon as a car doing only 40 mph gets in front you can forget overtaking. Please Honda bring back the XL185 or XL250 to remedy this!

This is my first motorbike and being over 6 foot very little works except the trailies but what an introduction! Yes fair enough after riding a CB500 on my assessed ride before I take my direct access next month it is slow and lacks grunt in comparison but it blasts through town and the twisties with ease and inspires confidence that when you start riding needs time to grow. Basically if you're new to bikes buy one of these and it'll put a smile on your face without killing you!

I was commuting on my R6 but needed something more practical. Paid £1900 brand new last year, i've done 5500 miles so far. likes:- 100mpg, comfy seat, good steering lock, upright position, build quality, good fun. dislikes:- choke on carb, only 11bhp, tyres are slippy when wet and have inner tube. reserve too big (80 miles) I'd recommend this bike for being cheap and fun but i wouldn't buy another unless 15bhp (or more), supermoto wheels and choke sorted. Honda are you listening?

Traded in a disintegrating GSX600F last year as commute to work is now much reduced. Honda were offering an excellent finance deal, so I bought new. Performance is perfect for town use with an excellent riding position, handling and mirrors. Around town I average 75mpg giving 150 miles to reserve. Max speed with a following wind is 65mph, but 55 – 60 is more realistic so not ideal for fast roads. Riding through winter showed up some corrosion, but spraying the bike with ACF-50 anti-corrosion spray put an end to the problem.