There's more than one sexy learner tool for the wannabe racer - Aprilia RS125, Cagiva Mito. But Honda are at it too with the NSR125 two-stroke single. The two things going against it are price (at close to four grand it's £400 dearer than a Mito) and it's not easy to de-restrict.
The Cagiva and Aprilia have the edge on handling in de-restricted form, but it's widely agreed that the NSR125 offers the best package in restricted form. Honda say that with the: "aggressive good looks of a Grand Prix champion, the NSR125R combines fully faired racer curves with the briskly responsive performance of a compact and powerful two-stroke engine that puts out an exciting sound like the GP bikes that dominate the tracks of Europe."
But the truth is that the NSR125 could use a revamp to put it at the top of the 125cc race-rep pile.
Current learner laws allow a maximum of 14.7bhp from a 125cc bike, so at even a claimed 11.3bhp @ 10,000rpm the NSR125 falls a quite a long way short of the mark.
But with Honda about to launch a new range of four-stroke 125cc learner bikes, and the two-stroke being stifled by ever-more stringent environmental laws, we can expect a shift towards lively and exciting four-strokes to tempt the next generation of riders. And not a moment too soon.
