Here in the US, new riders dream of 600cc sportbikes they’ve been told make “great learner bikes” but, in most of the world, taxes and tiered licensing make machines like that impossible for new riders. Overseas in Europe and in Japan, small-displacement two-strokes like today’s Featured Listing Aprilia RS125 were designed to offer a sportbike experience and style to new riders who had a bit of cash to splash on a flash bike. Sponsor logos and race-replica paint jobs were popular and frequently featured designs seen on Grand Prix racebikes of the era. Earlier RS125s looked similar to the RS250, but this iteration of the bike shows clear visual links to Aprilia’s RSV1000R superbike and the RSV4 that followed.
Sold from 1992 to 2012, the Aprilia RS125’s styling gradually evolved throughout production, but the specifications remained largely the same. The bike was fitted with a 124.8cc two-stroke, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine from longtime partner Rotax and a six-speed gearbox suspended in a beautiful aluminum beam frame, with decent quality suspension at both ends. The package was surprisingly sophisticated for what was really an entry-level machine, and it weighed in at less than 300lbs dry. Changing emissions laws and Grand Prix racing classes that favored four-stroke machines meant the RS4 that followed the RS125 lost some of the two-stroke machine’s zing, charm, and tunability.
As learner bikes, the RS125 was often restricted in terms of power output to just 15hp, but tuning could unleash as many as 30 chain-smoking horses, and the bike was capable of nearly 100mph and beyond when properly prepared. However, that two-stroke power was naturally very peaky, and the RS125 required regular and comprehensive maintenance to keep thrilling its owner in the way Aprilia intended. By the mid-1980s, two-stroke streetbikes were gone here in the US, outlawed by increasingly stringent emissions laws, so naturally the Aprilia RS125 was never officially imported here, although they do pop up for sale from time to time.
2009 Aprilia RS125Spains No 1 – Fortuna replica. Aprilia’s tribute to Jorge Lorenzo winning his world MotoGP title. Only 390 original miles. Immaculate and mint in every way. All original bike and as delivered from Italy excepting the OEM supplied “race kit” Arrow expansion chamber. Original owner. Have original exhaust. Never ridden on track or in rain. Always indoor stored in climate controlled environment. On display in private collection for past decade.This machine is showroom immaculate and needs a new home! Zero fading, discoloration, degradation, oxidation, tarnish or corrosion of any part of this machine. Will not disappoint. BLANK MSO.Fantastic machine for a budding young roadracer or keep it as is and watch it appreciate!
The Aprilia RS125 represents the last gasp of roadgoing two-stroke sportbikes and this example appears to have been perfectly preserved, like a fly trapped in amber. It has just 390 miles on the odometer, and includes both the stock and kit exhaust. It’s not going to be fast in a straight line, but should be capable of some impressive cornering speeds in the hands of a skilled or bravely stupid rider, and two-stroke owners know these bikes have their own particular charms. I understand the march of progress, but it seems a real shame that interesting and characterful bikes like this can no longer be produced.
-tad
