Menus
- Green mouse of the cities
- Discovery
- In the saddle
- Contact
- In the city
- On the highway
- On departmental
- Braking
- Convenient
- Comfort / Duo
- Braking
- Consumption
- Conclusion
Green mouse of the cities
After the J300, Kawasaki is expanding its range of scooters in the hyper-competitive 125cc segment, but with the same strategy: to develop the style internally and to leave the production of the model to a world-renowned manufacturer in terms of scooters.. The J125 is therefore designed by Kawasaki and produced by Kymco, based on a variation of the Dink Street 125 i.
It must be said that the J300 has despite everything been distributed in 3500 copies including a little more than 500 in France since its launch, allowing Kawasaki to offer bikers used to the brand and those dreaming of riding a model of the brand green a city scooter.
Discovery
The J125 offers a dynamic line of those appreciated in France with a more sporty than business look, in the spirit of the green brand and proudly displaying the brand’s logo on the fairing. And it appears on the other hand bulky and more opulent compared to good number of 125 cm3. You might even think it is a 250. The whole thing offers a rewarding aspect to its driver..
Kymco details can be found in the quality of the plastics, the ignition lock or the glove box..
Under the eyes we find a nicely backlit blue speedometer with speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge, double trip, clock. On the other hand, the settings buttons are not easily manipulated.
We find under the plumage a single cylinder of 125 cm3, 4 times with liquid cooling, offering 14 hp at 9,000 rpm for a torque of 11.5 Nm at 7,500 rpm.
In the saddle
The 1.70 rider barely puts his feet on the ground, even at the end of the saddle, because of a 775 mm saddle, as high as that of a motorcycle. The hands are placed – or even almost raised – then on the handlebars which seem slightly higher compared to many scooters where the hands are posed lower.
We then discover before our eyes a usual dashboard with double counter, the speed on the left and the rev counter on the right..
The feet are raised noticeably once placed on the floor, offering a usual position at Kymco, that is to say more curled up compared to usual. Small riders will get used to it but older ones will appreciate more space.
Contact
The J124 snorts gently and without particular vibrations. At start-up, acceleration is gentle, slightly out of step with the roar of the single cylinder which immediately rises in revs up to 6,000 rpm before dropping down; this is when the scooter really reacts. At the first red light, we are therefore dropped by the XMax but also by the PCX, even by putting the handle in the corner. The scooter then takes its turns to catch up with them little by little.
The J125 therefore offers the same behavior as the DinkStreet with natural controls.
In the city
More opulent than a number of scooters, the J125 is still a 125 with the maneuverability of a 125. The scooter therefore easily slips between the lines of cars and slides easily from one line to another. Low speed maneuvers are also easy.
On the highway
Rather soft in the city, the J125 makes up for it on the motorway with an appreciable length. When some 125 peak at 90km / h, the Kawasaki model quite naturally hangs a 110 km / h or is even capable of going to titillate a 115-120 km / h well launched (counter, 10 km / h less with the GPS) downhill . Even at its maximum speed, the scooter offers good stability and does not suffer from eddies caused by overtaking trucks..
On departmental
The J125 is appreciated on small roads where its chassis offers a healthy and pleasant behavior, while the pace is rather between 30 and 80 km / h, or its preferred speeds when it is already well started. It can string together the virolos at a good pace, whether solo or in duet, with a good general balance which makes it pleasant to drive. Its ground clearance then offers enough margin to investigate even relatively hard without hindering at any time.
Braking
Convenient
We put a good full-face helmet under the saddle (but not two), as well as a small bag or a set of rain pants and jacket.
We appreciate the 12V socket in the glove box, which can protect a mobile phone.
A central hook on the apron allows you to hang a bag.
We regret the lack of parking brake, which we only rarely find on 125.
Comfort / Duo
The J125 readily accepts a passenger, without generating additional sway. The dynamic differential in duet is also hardly diminished. The handles are practical and the passenger’s position appreciable.
If the comfort is good on flat and perfect pavement, thanks to an almost soft saddle, one quickly passes to very dry reactions as soon as the asphalt degrades. As a result, we carefully avoid any defect in the roadway so as not to have a snowshoe strike in the back. The problem decreases in duo, when the rear shock absorber is more compressed. We will therefore precisely adjust the double rear shock absorbers, adjustable in preload in 5 positions to prefer the most flexible, without losing too much rigidity and road behavior..
Braking
The handling is easy and the braking is effective, with good bite and just enough feeling, to stop cleanly, helped by the two discs of respectively 260 mm at the front and 240 mm at the back.
Consumption
With normal use, mainly urban, the scooter consumes around 3.5 liters per hundred, or a maximum range of around 300 km thanks to the 13 liters of the tank. ABS completes the picture, with a good intervention, mainly in the wet.
Conclusion
The J125 shines with its look and length, which will make it preferred by those who need to do peri-urban and want a rewarding scooter. The sporty Kawasaki logo is the icing on the cake for those who want to keep their belonging to the biker family while at a red light its look catches the eye. It’s not the sportiest of scooters but it has its own unique look. Only its price of 4,199 euros (launch price which should climb to 4,599 euros then) either frontally facing an XMax or a Forza can make the purchaser think. But it is true that he thus enters the world of Kawasaki.
Strong points
- Look
- Elongate
- Handling
Weak points
- Dynamic at the standing start
- Driving position
The technical sheet of the J125
Test conditions
- Itinerary: town, small varied roads + highways around Paris
- Mileage: 300 km
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