Ahead of the Tokyo Motor Show set to open on October 23, Yamaha has now unveiled two small-displacement models. It started with the MT-03 Team Blue launched at the beginning of October. Now, it’s the 03 baby brother’s time to shine. Introducing the new MT-125.
Busy Bee:
When we wrote about the Yamaha teaser a while back, suggesting the brand might have decided to upgrade the 125 to a 150. We know now that Yamaha is sticking by its baby MT’s side and is giving it a thorough upgrade for 2020.
In a Tron-ish, video-game-like video, Yamaha shows the new MT-125 for the first time. The heroes of the short digital saga are a bunch of teenagers—obviously the target audience for the baby MT.
The look is in line with what we’ve seen on the MT-03 launched two weeks ago with the dual headlight design with an LED pod. The small MT receives an updated 125cc, single-cylinder engine now featuring what Yamaha refers to as variable valve actuation (another way of saying variable valve timing)—likely a change brought by the Euro 5 emission standards.
Gallery: 2020 Yamaha MT-125
The chassis underlying the model remains the same, but the new generation is slightly bigger than its predecessor with a longer and wider silhouette. Despite being slightly bigger, the 2020 weighs the same as the previous generation, clocking in at 308 lb, sacrificing some fuel capacity in the process. The suspension and brake settings remain the same with a 41mm inverted fork and 292mm disc at the front and a swingarm and 220mm disc at the back.
Power also remains unchanged at 14.7 horsepower but torque is down slightly from 9.1 to 8.5 lb-ft. The six-speed transmission mated to the engine is now teamed with a new assist and slipper clutch. The cherry on top is the new, fancy-looking TFT display.
Unlike with the MT-03 Yamaha showed a few weeks ago, there’s no talk of bringing the MT-125 to the US. The new 2020 Yamaha MT-125 will be available in Europe in December and pricing remains to be announced.