1980Yamaha RD 125

25 fields on record

Built around a 124cc air-cooled two-stroke parallel twin making 17 hp, the 1980 Yamaha RD 125 is a Japanese sports bike. It weighs 115 kg wet and has a 5-speed gearbox and an 11.5-litre tank.

Capacity: 124.0 ccm
Engine: Parallel Twin, two-stroke
Gearbox: 5-speed
Wet weight: 115.0 kg
Seat height: 749 mm
Power: 17.0 HP (12.4 kW) @ 8500 RPM

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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 Yamaha, 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.

Will it fit you?

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Your height

Inseam (optional)

Units

At 749mm, a rider of 68.9" with a 31" (estimated) inseam will reach the ground with both feet flat on the 1980 Yamaha RD 125, with a cramped knee angle of around 65 degrees and a forward-leaning riding position.

Assumes about 30mm of suspension sag once seated. This is an approximation from category-typical geometry, not a measurement of this bike or of you - sit on one before you buy.

More bikes at 750 mm or under — Short Kings →

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Reliability & safety

Bike Reliability score, safety recalls and owner complaints

Bike Reliability

How the score works →

out of 100Poor

The 1980 Yamaha RD 125 passed its annual roadworthiness test first time 71.0% of the time, 14.6 points below expected for bikes of the same age and mileage. That beats 13% of models.

All years of this model: 18 / 100 (poor) from 358 tests.

71.0%Passed first time

12.0%Failed outright

17.0%Fixed during test

20,000Typical miles

100Tests

Pass rate by miles ridden

0-10k

84.1%

10-20k

76.2%

20-30k

66.1%

30-40k

77.8%

All years of this model.

Score by year first registered

197919801981

Against its rivals · ranks 3 of 5

#	Model (all years)	Score	Tests
1	Yamaha RD 80 LC	41 Average	101
2	Honda MBX 125F	30 Below average	170
3	Yamaha RD 125	18 Poor	358
4	Yamaha DT 125 LC	10 Poor	961
5	Kawasaki AR 125	9 Poor	671

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.