2027 Yamaha MT-125 First Look: 8 Fast Facts, 33 Photos

Don Williams

November 2, 2026

2027 Yamaha MT-125 First Look: 8 Fast Facts, 33 Photos

Yamaha has restyled the MT-125 for 2027, giving its smallest Hyper Naked a sharper face, a leaner silhouette, and a new Redline White color, while carrying over the 125cc engine and chassis. The 2027 MT-125 reaches European Yamaha dealers, the UK included, in the first quarter of 2027. Pricing is set by each country’s Yamaha distributor and has not been announced. The MT-125 is not a US model, at least not yet. Because 125cc motorcycles play a far bigger role in Britain than they do here, we’ve included a primer on why they sell so well there.

The MT-125 gets a new face. Sharp, angular bodywork up front carries blade-like LED position lights and new LED turn signals, along with a dark-smoked, transparent front mask wearing a frosted MT-125 logo. The look ties the 125 to the larger next-generation MTs, and Yamaha intends the updated lighting to make the bike easier to see.

A new seat and fuel tank reshape the profile. The redesigned seat gives the MT-125 a stretched, leaner silhouette, and Yamaha says it improves ergonomics and the rider’s connection with the bike. The more sculpted tank is intended to add comfort in a relaxed commuting posture and in a more aggressive crouch on a twisty road. A textured side panel with a transparent dark-smoke glitch pattern and a visible MT logo completes the restyle. Seat height is unchanged at just under 32 inches. Redline White is the new color, and it comes with a two-tone seat. Ice Storm, Icon Blue, and Tech Black return, and every color gets a bold new “125” graphic across the tank.

The YZF-R125-derived single carries over, variable valve actuation included. The liquid-cooled, SOHC, four-valve 125cc engine has a 52.0mm bore, a 58.7mm stroke, and an 11.2:1 compression ratio. Yamaha’s variable valve actuation gives it two intake cam profiles, one for low-rpm torque and the other for top-end power, and the engine switches between them as revs rise. Peak output is 11 kW (14.8 horsepower) at 10,000 rpm, and torque peaks at 8.5 lb-ft at 8000 rpm. Power goes through a 6-speed transmission and chain final drive. The assist-and-slipper clutch lightens the lever pull and helps keep the rear tire from locking on hard downshifts. Yamaha rates fuel consumption at 2.0 liters per 100 km, about 118 mpg, for a theoretical range of about 300 miles from the 2.6-gallon tank.

The MT-125 makes exactly the maximum power a British learner is allowed. In the UK, a 17-year-old with a provisional license and a Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) certificate, earned in a day-long course, can ride a motorcycle of up to 125cc and 11 kW, about 15 horsepower. Learners must display L (learner) plates, can’t carry a passenger, and are barred from motorways, Britain’s freeways. The certificate is good for two years. A theory test and two practical riding tests earn a full A1 license, which keeps the 125cc and 11 kW limits and drops the learner restrictions. Bigger bikes come in steps: an A2 license (up to 35 kW, about 47 horsepower) from age 19, and an unrestricted A license at 24, or at 21 after two years on an A2. The MT-125’s 11.0 kW peak sits right at the line.

In Britain, 125s are a large slice of the market. Motorcycles and scooters of 51 to 125cc accounted for more than 28,000 UK registrations in 2025, about 30% of all new two-wheelers, according to Motorcycle Industry Association data. Up-to-125cc scooters had been the country’s best-selling category until adventure bikes overtook them in 2025. EU countries use the same A1 category with the same 125cc and 11 kW limits; minimum ages, and whether a motorcycle license is required to ride 125s, vary by country. In the US, a standard motorcycle endorsement carries no displacement or power cap, so a new rider can legally start on a superbike.

The chassis is unchanged. The Deltabox frame carries an aluminum swingarm, an inverted 41mm fork with 5.1 inches of travel, and a linkage-mounted shock with 4.3 inches of wheel travel. Rake is 26 degrees, trail is 3.7 inches, and the wheelbase measures 52.2 inches. The 17-inch wheels wear Michelin Pilot Street tires in a 100/80 front and 140/70 rear pairing. A single 292mm front disc is gripped by a radial-mount caliper; there’s a 220mm rear disc, and ABS is standard. Curb weight is 313 pounds with the 2.6-gallon tank full.

Traction control and a connected 5-inch TFT are standard. The color TFT dash offers three switchable display themes. Through Yamaha’s free MyRide smartphone app, it shows call and text notifications, weather, and music track status, and it handles turn-by-turn navigation with street names, waypoint arrival times, and the weather at the destination. MyRide also logs routes, distance, and lean angle, and lets riders share their rides with the MyRide community and on social media.

Yamaha hasn’t announced the MT-125 for the US. With no license tier steering American riders toward 125s, Yamaha USA’s smallest MT is the 321cc MT-03. Yamaha already sells this VVA engine here, in the WR125R dual-sport, so the hardware has cleared US certification. That leaves the MT-125’s case resting on sales rather than law. A full-size naked bike with traction control, ABS, a TFT dash with turn-by-turn navigation, and a claimed 118 mpg makes that case well, whether as a first motorcycle or an urban commuter, as long as you don’t need to ride on freeways. We finally got the WR125R, the MT-125’s sibling, last year, so anything’s possible. We have our fingers crossed.