If you’d told my wife Abbey 20 years ago that one day she’d spend her weekends loading dirt bikes, packing riding gear, washing goggles and standing trackside watching our kids race, she’d have laughed.
Back then she didn’t know what a dirt bike was. Fast forward to today and life revolves around motorcycles. Our son Jax races every chance he gets, Bonnie does Nippers, and between running ADB Magazine and testing bikes nearly every week, motorcycles have become part of everyday family life.
But, there was always just one problem. Abbey had never actually ridden a proper dirt bike herself. Sure, she’d ridden the kids’ electric bikes around the farm, jumped on the occasional postie bike and had spent thousands of hours watching us ride, but she’d never tackled a clutch, gears or a manual dirt bike. She doesn’t regularly drive a manual car either, so using a clutch and shifting gears was going to be completely foreign.
That’s exactly why the Yamaha TT-R125 made so much sense.
Not so high performance
Sometimes we get caught up in performance bikes. We spend our days testing 450cc motocross bikes, enduro weapons and race machinery that can intimidate even experienced riders. The TT-R125 couldn’t be further removed from that world, and that’s precisely why it’s brilliant.
Powered by a simple 124cc air-cooled SOHC four-stroke engine with a five-speed gearbox, the TT-R125 isn’t trying to impress anyone with horsepower figures. Instead, it’s designed to make learning easy. There’s no radiator to boil while beginners spend five minutes trying to find the clutch friction point, no aggressive throttle response waiting to catch riders out and no intimidating seat height that leaves shorter riders balancing on tiptoes.
With an 805mm seat height, a wet weight of just 90kg and electric start backed up by a kickstarter, it’s about as unintimidating as a full-size trail bike gets.
Before we even started riding, Abbey admitted her biggest concern. “Probably having an accident and crashing,” she said.
It’s exactly what most first-time riders think. The TT-R125 immediately takes a lot of that fear away. The low seat height meant Abbey could comfortably get both feet on the ground, while the compact chassis never felt bulky or difficult to move around. Even simply wheeling the bike around the paddock gave her confidence before she’d even started the engine.
First things first
Once underway, the biggest learning curve was exactly what you’d expect.
“I think at the start it was learning the clutch and the throttle,” Abbey explained. “Getting the bike moving was a bit challenging at the start, but then I got the hang of that but it still was probably the hardest part.”
Thankfully, Yamaha has absolutely nailed the clutch engagement. The cable-operated clutch has a light pull that never became tiring, while the friction point is predictable and easy to find. That gave Abbey the confidence to repeatedly take off without constantly stalling the engine or panicking every time she released the lever.
I asked if her hand became tired after a day of learning. “No,” she said. “I found it was pretty easy to get the hang of.”
The gearbox was another completely new experience. “I don’t drive a manual car, so getting the hang of the gears was something new to me riding a dirt bike.”
Rather than watching the gear lever, she naturally learnt to listen to the engine. “I knew I had to change gears when the engine changed noise. As the time went on and I got more familiar with riding it, it was easier to change and I understood it all.”
The tractor that could
One thing that really surprised both of us was the engine. On paper, a 124cc air-cooled four-stroke doesn’t sound particularly exciting, especially when most ADB tests involve bikes with more than three times the horsepower.
But this little engine punches well above its weight. The 54mm bore and stroke create a perfectly square engine that delivers surprisingly strong bottom-end torque rather than chasing revs. Combined with the low first gear and smooth power delivery, it happily tractors up hills without drama.
Watching Abbey climb some fairly steep hills during the test was enough to convince me this wasn’t underpowered at all. When I asked if she’d ever wished for more power, her answer was immediate.
“No. I think it was more me learning the gears. Once I got the gear right, the power was fantastic. It handled hills perfectly for my size.”
I couldn’t agree more. Having ridden it myself, I was genuinely surprised by how much torque the little TT-R125 produces. It’s certainly no YZ125 two-stroke, but that’s exactly the point. Where a YZ snaps to attention the moment you touch the throttle, the TT-R125 responds in a soft, predictable way that gives beginners time to think rather than react.
There’s virtually no chance of accidentally looping the bike while learning clutch control, yet it still has enough grunt to crawl up steep hills in first or second gear.
The feel
That balance is incredibly difficult to achieve, but Yamaha has absolutely nailed it. The ergonomics deserve plenty of praise too. At around 170cm tall, Abbey immediately felt comfortable.
“I felt really comfortable on the bike. It was not too heavy for me. That was probably one of my main concerns about getting on a dirt bike.”
Even when turning around on awkward off-camber hills in the paddock, the bike never intimidated her. “I found I had to do wide circles, but the more comfortable I got, the easier it became.”
Stand and deliver
Despite having never ridden a geared motorcycle before, Abbey was soon standing through rough sections, climbing hills and confidently riding around the farm.
Standing wasn’t something she’d ever done before. “It felt good, but not for long periods,” she laughed. “It’s all new to me.”
Again, that’s exactly where the TT-R excels. The riding position is roomy enough that adults don’t immediately feel cramped, while still being compact enough for teenagers moving up from smaller bikes.
Suspension is another area where expectations need to be realistic. The 180mm conventional forks and linkage-equipped rear suspension offering 168mm of travel aren’t designed for motocross triples or giant erosion mounds.
They’re designed for exactly what Abbey was doing. Farm riding. Trail riding. Learning. Throughout the day the suspension remained comfortable over potholes, washouts and small logs without ever bottoming harshly.
“I felt like the suspension was really great,” Abbey said. “The seat was comfortable. It did get a bit firm as the hours went on, but that’s just getting used to riding a bike.”
The brakes also deserve a mention. The TT-R runs a hydraulic 220mm front disc but retains a drum brake at the rear. Some riders might dismiss that on paper, but for beginners it actually makes perfect sense. The rear brake is progressive, forgiving and less likely to lock unexpectedly while new riders develop muscle memory.
Electric start proved another huge advantage. Teaching someone to use a clutch is hard enough. Teaching them to kickstart a bike every time they stall it only adds another unnecessary layer of frustration. The TT-R simply fired up every time we pressed the button.
The hill start
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day came when Abbey repeatedly stopped halfway up hills before taking off again. Anyone who’s taught beginners knows hill starts can quickly become stressful. Yet the TT-R simply crawled away every single time.
“I was amazed how many times I could take off on a hill without it stalling,” she said.
The combination of that smooth clutch, torquey engine and forgiving gearbox makes the bike incredibly rider-friendly. And that’s probably the biggest compliment we can pay it.
Great for beginners
The TT-R125 doesn’t try to impress experienced riders. It impresses the people it’s actually built for. “I’d happily ride it again and try and get better.”
If there was one thing we’d change, it would simply be registration. Having the ability to ride in state forests alongside the kids would make this little bike even more versatile. As it stands, it’s confined to farms, private property and ride parks.
That being said, for our family, the TT-R125 represents something bigger than just another bike test. It’s another chapter in a life that has slowly become consumed by dirt bikes. Twenty years ago Abbey had no idea she’d marry the editor of ADB Magazine who would eventually own it.
She certainly didn’t imagine weekends spent racing around the country, riding and driving her way out to the Finke desert race or watching our kids line up behind starting gates.
Now she’s not just supporting from the sidelines. She’s out there riding too and the beginner in your family could be too!
If your partner, teenager or nervous first-time rider is thinking about joining you on the trails, there probably isn’t a better place to start than the Yamaha TT-R125. It removes the intimidation, builds confidence from the first ride and, most importantly, makes learning genuinely enjoyable.
ENGINE
Engine Type: Air-cooled, 4-stroke, SOHC, 2-valve single
Displacement: 124.0cc
Bore x Stroke: 54.0 x 54.0mm
Compression Ratio: 10.0:1
Fuel System: Mikuni VM20 carburettor
Starter: Electric and kick start
Transmission: 5-speed constant mesh
SUSPENSION
Front Suspension: Telescopic forks, 180mm travel
Rear Suspension: Link-type swingarm, 168mm travel
Front Brake: Hydraulic single disc, 220mm
Rear Brake: Drum brake
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 1270mm
Seat Height: 805mm
Ground Clearance: 295mm
Fuel Capacity: 6.0L
Wet Weight: 90kg
TYRES
Front Tyre: 70/100-19 tube type
Rear Tyre: 90/100-16 tube type
RRP: $5799
Warranty: 3 month
Browser: yamaha-motor.com.au
