[ItzaDiseaze]

I have been into motorcycles for a long time. I haven't had anything in my garage for a few years now as I have two teenagers and all the bills that go with them. I have been looking at Z125's, Groms, and even a few sportbike 300's. I am really leaning towards the Z125 for the price and cheap ability to do some basic mods- exhaust, fender elim, rear LED, levers, maybe bars... With no other bikes in my garage right now, my only concern is power and fun. I know the Z125 would be a ton of fun. I am debating on whether the extra HP in a 300 sport bike would make it just that much more interesting or not. I had a Ninja 250 about 6 years ago and loved it. Figured the Ninja 300's would be a little more fun than the 250. Local dealer has both colors in the Z125 and a leftover 2015 CBR300 and Ninja 300 that I could prob get for a decent price. Decisions, decisions.

 

[stlswagger]

It's a fun bike. Even when I can't keep up with traffic I still have a smile on my face. Just goofy fun and fits in my truck bed easy enough that I don't need help. Can't complain. Could be faster but then it wouldn't be as fun...

 

[TwelveGaugeSage]

I owned a Ninja 250 for a few years and it was a great little bike, but very different than a Z125. Unless you want to use it to do wheelies and other crazy stuff, I would go with a 250, 300, or other bigger bike. The Z125s biggest draw back, IMO, is that any roads you want to take with a speed limit over 50 start to get hairy. I love my Z125 for the "Go-Kart on the Road" aspect of it, but it is very impractical. I commute to work on it, but the highest speed limit on my 35 minute commute is 45.

Riding two-up isn't something I would recommend with another adult on the Z125, but two-up on a Ninja 250 was never a problem with my wife. I think the 300s and the smaller dual sports are probably the best starter bikes out there. The Z125 is more of a toy than anything, though I think it would make a great starter bike or even daily rider for someone too small for a 300. Have you checked out the Suzuki DRZ-400 and similar bikes? My first bike was a KLR 650 and I think they compare on the road pretty well to the classes you are looking at.

So in short, If you want a toy, get a Z125. If you want a solid all around bike that can hang with traffic on any public road in the U.S., go bigger.

 

[Greengoblin]

I owned a Ninja 250 for a few years and it was a great little bike, but very different than a Z125. Unless you want to use it to do wheelies and other crazy stuff, I would go with a 250, 300, or other bigger bike. The Z125s biggest draw back, IMO, is that any roads you want to take with a speed limit over 50 start to get hairy. I love my Z125 for the "Go-Kart on the Road" aspect of it, but it is very impractical. I commute to work on it, but the highest speed limit on my 35 minute commute is 45.

Riding two-up isn't something I would recommend with another adult on the Z125, but two-up on a Ninja 250 was never a problem with my wife. I think the 300s and the smaller dual sports are probably the best starter bikes out there. The Z125 is more of a toy than anything, though I think it would make a great starter bike or even daily rider for someone too small for a 300. Have you checked out the Suzuki DRZ-400 and similar bikes? My first bike was a KLR 650 and I think they compare on the road pretty well to the classes you are looking at.

So in short, If you want a toy, get a Z125. If you want a solid all around bike that can hang with traffic on any public road in the U.S., go bigger.

That's true. Z125 is more of a toy indeed and for starters.

It is a fun bike but as long as this is not your only bike. This should be your secondary or your toy. Because it is slow and you will crave to go faster.