The haters call it a copycat. Kawasaki calls it a Grom-killer. But what do we really know about this motorcycle?
Well it’s called the Z125 Pro and it’s an annoying little shit. Like the kid in class who asks what grade you got on the midterm, just so he can do one better.
See the Honda weighs 225lbs, while the Kawi is lighter at 224.8. The Honda holds 5.5 litres of gas, so this tank takes 7.4, and the Honda got 134 miles to the gallon, so Kawi made sure they made 135.5. The Grom has a digital tach, so Kawasaki gave us a nice analog. The Grom has rubber pegs, so the Z125 has sporty metal. And while both motorcycles are priced just north of three grand – surprise, surprise – the Kawasaki is a few bucks cheaper.
Put simply, this little punk has one-upped the Grom.
Or has it?
Kawasaki says they built the Z125 Pro to “conquer the city,” so we’re going to put that claim to the test. And here in Montreal, there’s only one master of the metropolis.
Chicken delivery!
Quebecers love their poultry – anytime, anyplace – and the delivery cars get it to ‘em. So I’ve got some FortNine chicken to deliver, and we’re going to see if the Z125 has what it takes.
My first delivery is downtown and this tiny bike is perfect for hitting a narrow gap. It gets ahead off the line too – Kawasaki gave the Z125 a 12.6% shorter stroke than the Grom, so it revs up quicker and accelerates faster . I feel like it has more power up high as well – near the 9500rpm limiter.
The Z also dodges potholes and pedestrians better than any bike I’ve ridden because its tires are skinnier than the Grom’s and the wheelbase is 25mm shorter.
I guess the little punk beats the Grom in terms of handling, then. One delivery down, two to go.
My next order is on the outskirts of town and that reveals a problem. The Z125 can go up to 426 kilometres on one tank of low-octane gasoline.
But it won’t get there fast . This engine produces a prepubescent 9.5 horsepower and I’m not actually sure it’s legal on Quebec highways. I need more than 125ccs to run on the autoroute and I can’t remember whether this is technically 124.9, or 125.1 or whatever.
I go for it anyway and the bike *does do* the 100kph limit. Barely. But like taking a rickshaw ride from a starving child, I'm too busy feeling sorry for the poor little engine to appreciate the ride.
Speaking of which, Kawasaki is adamant that the single-cylinder powerplant is not borrowed from their dirt bike line. And I’m sure that’s true but from this seat, it feels exactly like a DRZ-125 I used to own.
On my way to the next delivery, I get distracted . The low-weight and low-power Z125 is confidence inspiring, and that makes it really easy to ride like a jackass. The engine note even has a smidge of that Kawasaki sizzle and as we all know , idiotic riding and loud noises are sure to attract the ladies.
Lucky for me, the Z125 has adjustable suspension – four preload settings on this back shock, which is four more than on the Honda Grom. And I also get passenger footpegs and a 353-lb load capacity, so in theory I should have no problem carrying that woman.
Trouble is, the Z125 is super underpowered for two riders … and there’s only one way to solve that problem.
Now it’s been a long day in the saddle but surprisingly, I’m not in any pain. The Z125’s seat is the same height as a Ninja 650 – at 31.7 inches – so it’s comfy even for a tall guy like me.
Of course the issue with a tall seat on a small motorcycle is that it brings my knees into contact with the handlebars.
Another long-term annoyance is the clutch. See the Z125 Pro has been sold as the “Z125” in Southeast Asia for the past year. And the non-Pro version is an automatic rather than this four-speed manual.
The negative side effect of taking an automatic bike and transplanting a standard gearbox, is that the clutch gives me nothing, nothing, nothing, miles down the travel … and then all of a sudden I’ve stalled. It’s straight-up difficult to use.
Industry folk will tell you that the Z125’s gear indicator is very handy for beginners, and that it makes up for the hair-trigger clutch. But I think shifting gears is harder than counting to four, so I’m not buying that excuse. Plus the shifter itself feels loose and sloppy, and it hits way too many neutrals between first and second.
Another problem for newbies might be the lack of ABS. So you’ll have to learn to brake by touch without locking the wheels. Or not…
But the Kawasaki still offers more features than the Grom, and we already know that it’ll out-turn and out-run the Grom. But what about style?
Well Kawasaki says the Z125 takes its “dark side” attitude straight from mom and dad – the Z800 and Z1000.
Indeed, we can see that the mirrors, signals, headlight and taillight are all hereditary. And penis jokes aside, the pointy underbelly fender definitely comes from papa.
But to me, the final package is a bit awkward. I mean let’s be honest – a face this ugly only works because it packs a 1000cc punch. So when you put these aggressive features on a cute little bike the result is just … weird.
And that’s the biggest problem, because in this market image is everything. Kawasaki’s engineers might have beat Honda spec for spec, but the Grom will always be the original, stylish mini .
It’s like the difference between these phones. Everyone knows that the Android has more memory, more ram, more functions and it’s cheaper- that’s why computer geeks choose it. But for everyone else … well there’s only one iPhone.
In the same way, moto geeks like myself will prefer the Z125 because it is the better motorcycle. But for the masses I don’t think it will really matter. There was only one Grom two years ago, and there’s only one Grom today.
Sleep easy, Honda.