Next fall my son will turn 15, and will be able to start training for his A1 license (125cc). Even though he can't get his licence until he turns 16, he can at 15 join me on trips in Norway - on his own bike, as long as I follow behind him and both of us wear yellow vests and have radio coms. Two years later he will be ready to start with the A2 (35kw/57hp), and my daughter ready for her A1.

I have started looking into a suitable 125cc dual sport or adventure bike, possibly even a touring bike (with some off road capabilities).

The wish list includes the following:

• Top speed of at least 100 km/h (62 mph) - actual, not on the speedometer
• 19-21" front wheel
• Ground clearance suitable for off road
• Suspension travel suitable for off road travel
• Low end torque capable for off road travel
• Decent reliability

Desirable bonus features

• ABS
• Subframe capable of carrying luggage
• Range of more than 200 kms
• Spoked wheels
• Japanese
• Higher speeds
• Windscreen
• Bash plate
• Hand guards
• Crash bars
• Fuel injection
• Radiator protector

Bikes I have been suggested to look at:

• Yamaha WR250R - an awesome bike, but expensive. All the available bikes are at least 5 years old at this time of writing, and they have all seen a hard life - which typical for this particular model - because they are built to be treated with some serious hard love.
• Honda XL125V Varadero - a big bike feel, a bit old, expensive, and not the best offroader - but capable. I think it is fugly - but I do get why it is such a sought after bike, and so far it is at the top of my list together with the Yamaha WR250R. Because it is such an excellent travel bike, many have a lot of kms on the clock.
• Derbi Terra 125cc - I have no knowledge about this bike or the brand, but on paper it looks good.
• Aprilia SX 125 - really a super motard, so small wheels. Only new ones available in Norway at the moment, so a bit expensive (maybe that will change by the time I will buy one). I have little knowledge about the brand other than that they manage to squeeze out a lot of power out of their engines. I know for instance very little about the bike's reliability, and even less about this particular model. On paper it looks like it has a lot of muscle - such a shame that they made it a supermotard and not a dual sport.
• Kawasaki KLX 125 - no bikes available in Norway at the moment. It also looks gutless on paper. I've never really been much of a fan of Kawasakis.
• Sinnis 125cc Terrain - on paper it looks like a good compromise as it comes pre equipped with just about everything - and it looks pretty good. It also gets some really good reviews in terms of how it performs as an adventure bike. The biggest draw back for me is that there is no dealer in Norway (I would have to find a way to import it). Also, I have read a lot of terrible reviews from people having an exceedingly difficult time sourcing spares from the manufacturer, and that the reliability is poor. I'm thinking it is a terrible idea to get this bike.
• Honda XR125L - there are no bikes available in Norway at the moment. On paper it looks to have only slightly more guts than the Kawasaki.

If only KTM could make an adventure version out of the 125cc Duke, like they did with the 390...


So, if you were to get an offraod and travel capable 125cc learners, what route would you go?

The bike will be kept for 4 years as a learners bike and won't be going RTW. It will likely traverse Norway once or twice, and will be used for commuting. It might even troll across Morocco or Iceland - maybe both.

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Blog: www.bamakobyvespa.no
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I think: Its not possible to travel with an 125ccm bike together with stronger bikes!



used (in a good condition):
HUSQVARNA WRE 125
more for "Street" use:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySF7oQFIXdE





OFF-Road:

HUSQVARNA WR 125
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4FxItLv-IE




Depends what you understand under "dual sport".
These are BOOTH no touring-bikes! But good for learning off-road driving.




Later ....: If they think its to small :
Maico 685 Enduro - KW/PS: 60/82





Nice to go with on Norway countryside!



When a russian rider is late - Husqvarna te 300 full throttle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPJwyRWl-HI

Not that much of a selection of 125 ccm dual sport bikes available here in Norway.

* Yamaha WR125 • very expensive for what it is but lightweight and good quality(?)

* Honda Varadero 125 • starting to become a bit old and it it damn heavy for a 125 ccm bike (~150 kilos) But its a solid and reliable bike for what I have read and its V-twin engine isnt bad for a 125 ccm. And there are heaps available here in Norway
Top speed past 120 on the speedo: https://youtu.be/i8DEtISvzPA

* Aprilia SX 125, made in China I belive, so I would steer clear of those

Other than those, there are just an odd or two bikes of other models....

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In the end everything will be fine. If its not fine its not the end....

Are you able to road register a TTR 125 in Norway?

Horsepower restrictions will get in the way of him riding a true trail-capable 125. To be honest, I'd suggest getting a "standard" 125 like the Honda CG. Put dual use tyres on it if you like. Just spend a year getting used to staying alive on the roads then when he can ride a 250 there is a huge choice.

You can do it but it's unbelievably boring for the rider of the bigger bike. I've done it a few times and mostly we eventually split up and arranged to meet somewhere in the evenings. If you have to keep together for legal reasons then you'd get far more pleasure out of the trips if you were both on 125's.

Has your son expressed any preference for which type of 125 he's prefer? Most of them are all much of a muchness power wise with just styling as the distinguishing characteristic. I know at 15/16 I'd certainly have picked a race rep over a 'boring' one. I'm sure the discusion /argument will go 'you're on a big bike, you can carry all the stuff'.

I've had a succession of 125s over the decades and anything with 14/15bhp (particularly with a fairing) will probably just about hit 70mph on a good day + good road. (only exception was a Cagiva Mito that would hit 80+ but at 'a million rev power' it's not very learner friendly) Add in a wind, slope, luggage etc and you'll be struggling to get out of the 50's. Torque and 125cc engines are not really words that go together that readily; you make progress by revving the nuts off them. Mostly that's ok on normal roads and for 5 / 10 /20 mile trips but it does get very tiring when you spend the whole day on the bike, constantly searching for that last mph by rowing it along on the gearbox. I've done a number of 400+ mile days on my Suzuki and believe me you know it by the end.

Luckily for Wheelie he is from Norway and the trips he mention will be in Norway and we (here in Norway) are for the most part blessed with speed limits of 80 km/h. Only a few stretches around the bigger cities have 90/100/110 km/h speed limits. So for the most part no need to do squeeze the last 1-2 % of the 125 cc...i

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In the end everything will be fine. If its not fine its not the end....

Travelling together, I usually have the most powerful bike carries the heaviest load.

As for travelling with a mismatched power, I usually always put the slowest bike/rider up front - for a heap of reasons that translate into faster, safer, more enjoyable and more reliable long distance travelling - as a group.

As for travelling with vastly different capable bikes. I once was on an African Enduro rally, with my group riding classic Vespas with 12 hp, 10" wheels, no shock travel or ground clearance. We made up for that through vastly better preparedness, planning and tactics. For much of Western Sahara and Mauritania, we had large ATV's and very powerful bikes ending up seeking refuge, guidance and protection from us - as they had kept getting in trouble and needed our help, and found that we had our shit together. Kind of funny, seeing three Vespa riders lead a trail of monster vehicles. Once out of the sticky stuff, with much new aquired wisdom and regained confidence - they took off. So yes, travelling with mis matched rides can be done, but it is frustrating for all. The best tip is to put the slowest up front and have them set the pace, even for rest stoops.

__________________
Blog: www.bamakobyvespa.no
My Youtube Channel