Sportbikes

1988Kawasaki AR 125

22 fields on record

The 1988 Kawasaki AR 125 is a Japanese sports bike powered by a 124cc liquid-cooled two-stroke single making 22 hp. It weighs 107 kg dry and has a 6-speed gearbox and an 11.5-litre tank.

Capacity: 124.0 ccm
Engine: Single, two-stroke
Gearbox: 6-speed
Dry weight: 107.0 kg
Seat height: Not on record
Know it? Add it →
Power: 22.0 HP (16.4 kW) @ 9500 RPM

⇄ Compare with another bike ＋ Add to garage All model years

Other years 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988

How it rides

Editorial estimate from the spec sheet - not lab tested

Off-road & trail5%

Cornering80%

City riding25%

Daily riding20%

Touring10%

Two-up25%

Track75%

Best for: Sport bike built for its class - everyday, practical use.
Built for: A sport bike from Kawasaki, built around a 124cc engine - a real production model, but this profile is formula-generated from its class and spec sheet rather than individually reviewed.
Not ideal for: Not for serious performance or off-road use.

Scores are derived from the spec sheet using the same model across every bike, so they compare like for like.

Reliability & safety

Bike Reliability score, safety recalls and owner complaints

Bike Reliability

How the score works →

out of 100Poor

The 1988 Kawasaki AR 125 passed its annual roadworthiness test first time 59.5% of the time, 23.3 points below expected for bikes of the same age and mileage. That beats 5% of models.

All years of this model: 9 / 100 (poor) from 671 tests.

59.5%Passed first time

35.1%Failed outright

5.4%Fixed during test

20,000Typical miles

148Tests

Pass rate by miles ridden

0-10k

75.6%

10-20k

58.3%

20-30k

64.7%

30-40k

61.5%

All years of this model.

Score by year first registered

198619881989

Against its rivals · ranks 2 of 6

#	Model (all years)	Score	Tests
1	Suzuki DR 125	9 Poor	308
2	Kawasaki AR 125	9 Poor	671
3	Cagiva 125 Mito	5 Poor	5,282
4	Suzuki RG125 Gamma	4 Poor	200
5	Yamaha TZR 125	4 Poor	1,995
6	Aprilia AF1 125 Futura	3 Poor	113

Rivals are the most-viewed bikes on MotorcycleDB in the same category and engine size, from within three years of this model.

From British annual roadworthiness tests, 2005-2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (DVSA MOT test data, Great Britain). How Bike Reliability works.

Full specifications

Engine

Capacity: 124.0 ccm
Power: 22.0 HP (16.4 kW) @ 9500 RPM
Torque: 16.7 Nm (1.7 kgf-m)
Engine type: Single, two-stroke
Power/weight ratio: 0.2056 HP/kg (dry)
Compression: 6.5:1
Cooling system: Liquid
Fuel system: Carburettor
Starting: Kick
Ignition: Capacitor discharge

Transmission

Gearbox: 6-speed
Transmission type: Manual
Final drive: Chain

Performance

Top speed: 121.0 km/h (75.2 mph)

Dimensions & weight

Dry weight: 107.0 kg
Fuel capacity: 11.50 litres
Seat height: Not on record - add it

Chassis & suspension

Front suspension: 30mm Leading telescopic
Rear suspension: Rising rate Uni-trek linkage 5-way preload.

Brakes & wheels

Front brakes: Single 232mm disc 1 piston caliper
Front brakes diameter: 232 mm
Rear brakes: 130 drum

Specs last verified against published sources: November 2026.

Compiled from manufacturer documentation and user contributions, corrected on an ongoing basis. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.

What changed, year to year

Differences highlighted

Specification	1982	1984	1985	1987	1988
Capacity	124 cc	124 cc	124 cc	124 cc	124 cc
Dry weight	107 kg	107 kg	107 kg	107 kg	107 kg
Fuel capacity	11.5 L	11.5 L	11.5 L	11.5 L	11.5 L
Bike Reliability ⓘ	Too few tests	Too few tests	Too few tests	Too few tests	5 Poor