Beginner bikes used to suck. They were built to a price, not a standard. If you were lucky, you’d get something that ran well enough to learn on. If you weren’t, you got a wheezy scooter or a boring excuse for a sportbike that maybe looked fast but felt like a commuter on a sugar rush.
But fast forward to 2025, and starter bikes are no longer the underdogs of the showroom. They’re better equipped, better built, and maybe even actually desirable. Case in point: the F125, a new 125cc naked sportbike bearing the Morbidelli name.
Yes, that Morbidelli. The legendary Italian outfit that once stormed GP grids and built one of the weirdest, wildest V8-powered motorcycles the world has ever seen. Except, it’s not exactly the same Morbidelli. Not anymore.
Today, the brand lives on under the wing of the Chinese juggernaut QJ Motor—the same group that controls Benelli, Keeway, and Qianjiang. The rebirth is being led by Keeway’s MBP Moto division, now rebranded as Morbidelli MBP, with design and R&D still housed in Italy to keep the illusion of Italian DNA alive and kicking. It’s part heritage flex, part global business play. And honestly? It works.
Because this 125cc machine isn’t just another rehashed budget bike. It’s surprisingly well-specced, impressively put together, and clearly aimed at riders who want a proper first bike without settling for something dull.
Powering it is a liquid-cooled, DOHC 125cc single that cranks out 14.48 horsepower at 9,500 rpm and 8.51 pound-feet of torque at 8,000 rpm. It revs with energy and feels lively, especially when paired with a 6-speed gearbox and slipper clutch. That’s right, a slipper clutch on a 125. Beginner riders from a decade or so ago could only dream of tech like this.
And it’s not just a peppy engine in a flashy suit. The chassis is properly sorted, with a 33mm upside-down front fork and 130mm of travel, matched with an adjustable multilink rear shock. That’s sportbike hardware on a beginner budget. It also gets dual discs with ABS—260mm up front, 220mm in the rear.
The F125’s design is as sharp as you’d expect from a company trying to make a statement. It’s got the streetfighter silhouette down: minimalist bodywork, aggressive stance, full LED lighting, and a forward-biased riding position that’s all too reminiscent of KTM’s Duke range of naked streetfighters.
Morbidelli has also outfitted this bike with a whole bunch of tech. For starters, there’s a digital LCD dash with a gear indicator and even dual USB ports. One Type-A and one Type-C. So yes, you can charge your phone and your GoPro while you pretend you’re the main character blasting through traffic.
Seat height is a friendly 795mm, making it accessible for newer riders without feeling like a toy. And that sums up the whole bike, really: it’s approachable, but it doesn’t patronize. It gives you real tools to learn and enjoy, wrapped in a package that feels premium enough to be proud of.
Now, you folks in the US might not necessarily care about this since tiered licensing isn’t really a thing. If you’ve got the license, you can pretty much ride whatever you want. But in many parts of the world, these 125s are more than just a choice—they’re a rite of passage. In Europe, Asia, and elsewhere, this is the dream: teenagers saving every coin they can to buy their first real motorcycle.
And bikes like this? They’re what keep the fire alive. They’re aspirational, accessible, and just legit fun.
Source: Morbidelli
