2017–2023 · Supersport · Buyer's Guide
The Pocket-Sized Superbike Apprentice
The RS 125 is Aprilia's superbike formula scaled down to 125 cc, and the parts list shows where the money went. The fairing is styled off the RSV4 and the frame is an aluminum twin spar. Up front there's an upside-down fork and a radial front brake on an 11.8 in (300 mm) disc, and ABS is standard. The engine is a liquid-cooled single making 15 hp at 10,500 rpm and 8 lb-ft at 8,250 rpm. It runs a balancer shaft and a six-speed gearbox, and an upshift-only quickshifter is on the options list. For this class, that's serious hardware. The chassis outranks the engine.
On paper, this bike is built for learning precision. It isn't built for chasing numbers. Top speed is 80 mph, peak power sits just below an 11,000 rpm rev limiter, and the hardware asks you to keep the single spinning and carry your speed through the corner. Its strongest suits are light handling, easy controls and agility in town. The seat is 32.3 in (820 mm) high, and the suspension isn't adjustable at either end, so you ride Aprilia's setup as delivered. That points to a newer rider who wants real sportbike geometry, or a skilled one who wants a small machine for sharpening lines on tight roads. Small engine, serious school.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 15 hp (11 kW) @ 10,500 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 8 lb-ft (11 Nm) @ 8,250 rpm |
| Displacement | 125 cc |
| Engine | Single-cylinder |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Chain |
| Fork | Upside-down (USD) |
| Front brake | 300 mm |
| Front tire | 100/80-17 |
| Rear tire | 130/70-17 |
| Seat height | 32.3 in (820 mm) |
| Fuel capacity | 3.8 gal (14.5 L) |
| Top speed | 80 mph (129 km/h) |
| Fuel economy | 62 mpg (US) |
Equipment check
Drivetrain
Safety
Over the years I've heard a lot about this bike. It comes up in paddock conversations, in chats with owners, at club nights and in the emails and messages riders send me directly. The pattern is consistent. Owners love the way it looks and rides and how civilized it feels. Their complaints are about character and cost.
Riders talk about the styling first. Most owners think it's the best-looking bike in its class, and they describe it the way people describe a much larger machine. The engine gets the same kind of respect. Owners call it smooth, free of buzz and easy to get along with, a motor that feels mature rather than raw. They're just as consistent about the chassis. They say it feels stable and sure-footed once the bike is leaned into a corner, and that it gives them the confidence to push on.
The most common complaint is about character. Riders who remember the old two-stroke RS125 miss its rush at the top end. To them the four-stroke is functional rather than exciting. Cost is the other sore point. Owners say it's priced above rival 125s without going any faster. Some are also irritated that a USB port costs extra and that connecting a phone means paying for Aprilia's MIA system.
Where this Aprilia RS 125 ABS pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the RS 125 ABS is actually built for.
If precision is what you're after, the light chassis and serious front end suit tight canyon sections well. Just know that 15 hp and an 80 mph top speed make the freeway run out of LA the hard part.
Made for Angeles Crest Highway · Coronado Trail / US 191 · Highway 1 / Big Sur
Skill over speed is exactly what this bike is built around. Light handling and an aluminum twin-spar frame make it a strong tool for working on your lines through tight East Coast twisties.
Made for Tail of the Dragon · Back of the Dragon · Blue Ridge Parkway
The light, agile chassis suits the sporty half of your weekend, and 62 mpg keeps fuel costs down. Long road-trip legs at highway pace aren't what 15 hp is built for.
Made for Austin / Texas Hill Country · Texas Hill Country BDR-X · Twisted Sisters
If you're cross-shopping the older generation, here's what changed.
Previous generation · 2011–2016
Real Grip, Learner Displacement
Compare to the previous model →If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
