Do you need insurance for a 125cc bike?

It is a legal requirement for all 125cc motorbikes and scooters to be insured on UK roads. This is the same for any capacity of bike, whether it’s a 50cc moped or a 1500cc cruiser.

It doesn’t matter whether you are riding on L-plates or with a full motorcycle licence, insurance is compulsory in the UK. The minimum insurance cover required by law is Third Party Only (TPO), which is the most basic form of motorcycle insurance available in the UK and insures the risk posed by you to other road users.

How you could get cheaper 125cc motorbike insurance:

There are a host of things you can do which could help to reduce the cost of your 125cc insurance. Here are a few ideas:

125cc scooter insurance

Insuring scooters via Biker Insure is no different to motorbikes. As long as you have the relevant licence to ride, comparing quotes and getting 125cc scooter insurance is the same easy process as finding insurance for scooters with bigger cc engines.

125cc moped insurance

125cc moped insurance can also be compared via Biker Insure. Technically speaking however, a 125cc moped is classified as a scooter.

According to the DVSA, a moped is classed as a powered two-wheeler of no more than 50cc and producing under 4kW (5bhp) in power. A 125cc "moped" exceeds both the capacity and power specifications of a moped, so would be considered a scooter.

This is important for licencing purposes, because to legally ride a 125cc machine requires an A1 bike licence, whereas a 50cc machine can be ridden on the AM (moped) category.

In practice however, most 125cc scooters look like 50cc mopeds but with a bigger engine, more power, and a higher top speed. For many people, the words scooter and moped are often used interchangeably.

For insurance purposes, as long as you have the correct licence for the machine you are riding – whether it’s legally a moped or a scooter, it really doesn’t matter how you refer to your machine.

You can either enter your registration number, or find the make and model of your moped/scooter in the comparison system. The brokers should have the exact details and specifications of your machine to hand in order to provide an accurate quote.

How we used to compare 125cc motorbike insurance

Here at Biker Insure we remember out first motorbike well. It was a 1988 red and white Yamaha TZR125 two stroke. The sweet smell of burning two stroke oil, the billowing blue smoke and evil sounding exhaust crackle were something to behold and sadly something missing from today's 125cc class.

We remember our first solo L-plate outing, and the very first corner we came to at a speed that needed real counter steering input.

We also remember all too well what it was like trying to get reasonably priced insurance as a 17 year old on a sporty 125cc bike using dishwasher's wages.

Despite scouring the classifieds in MCN, ringing around for quotes from what must have been 20+ bike insurance companies, it was a real shocker to discover that it would be impossible to find Yamaha insurance for a garaged F-reg TZR125 on a third party, fire and theft basis for any less than £1,000. That was a lot back in 1997.

Even though the insurance was going to cost more than the TZR was worth, there was no other option.

Fortunately, with age and experience comes many things - including cheaper bike insurance. Despite the TZR being our first rung on motorcycling’s ladder, it thankfully proved to be our biggest ever insurance bill. Even adjusting for inflation and insuring ever bigger and more powerful bikes, we never had to pay more than that first-time insurance policy.

If you’re young and looking for insurance on a 125, you’re probably going to have a much tougher time of it than if you’re looking for over 50’s motorcycle insurance.

Fortunately, it’s a bit easier today than it was in 1997. Insuring a 125 is still a mighty financial drain, but at least it’s now much easier to find the right 125cc motorbike insurance for you by comparing loads of brokers in one go. No more scouring MCN and phoning all the brokers individually!

At Biker Insure we know what it’s like to spend all your hard-earned cash turning biking dreams into reality. Motorbikes are expensive. The kit is expensive. So is the insurance. At least the first two are interesting. Bike insurance on the other hand is one of life’s great pains in the backside. A pain that never seems to go away, and one that’s inflicted year after year.

Although 125cc motorbike insurance definitely isn’t fun, it is of course a legal requirement if you want to ride your motorbike on UK roads. Yes, you can still get quotes from loads of individual brokers like we did in 1997, but the majority of brokers now feature on comparison sites. Because you should get the same quote from a broker whether going directly to their website or using a comparison service, there should't be anything to lose by getting quotes for your 125 at a comparison site.

Biker Insure makes comparison easy. Just enter your details once, those of your 125cc motorbike, plus the type of cover you need, and you’ll get a list of quotes from all the brokers on the panel who are able to provide cover for your 125cc bike and personal circumstances. These will be ranked from the cheapest 125cc motorbike quote, to the most expensive.

125cc motorbikes back then

When we started riding in 1997, the choice of 125’s was fairly limited. The big 4 Japanese manufacturers all produced their own learner two stroke 125’s. Honda had the NSR125, Suzuki made the RGV125 (and naked RG125 Wolf), Yamaha the TZR125 and Kawasaki the AR125. They were the mainstream 125 sports-style two strokes, and the ones which most kids lusted after.

Exotic, pricey pin-up competition came from Italy in the form of Aprilia’s RS125 and the Cagiva Mito 125. They were fast, looked amazing, and had fat (for the 125 class) rear tyres. They were also unobtainable for anyone without wealthy parents.

Most 125s were capable of releasing more power when derestricted. The Italians could even produce up to around 30bhp. This was perfect if you kept the bike after passing your test and wanted more excitement. However, the temptation for many exuberant (and no doubt effectively uninsured) youths at the time was too great, and they were often to be seen screaming past the school gates on illegally derestricted 125’s.

Of course, you did also get a few 125 motocross bikes like Kawasaki’s KMX125 on the road, but they were few and far between. There were also various 4-stroke, commuter style machines such as the long-lived Honda CG125, Yamaha’s SR125 (we did our CBT on one!), or Suzuki's GS125. For a teenager though, the sporty two stroke was where it was most definitely at.

Pretty much everyone who was under 20 and into bikes at the turn of the century wanted one of the Japanese 125 two stroke sports bikes. Remember, this was in the late 90’s when most newbie bikers lusted after the latest full-fat superbike – a GSXR, ZXR, YZF or CBR. The wee screamers promised a pint-sized taste of bigger fun to come.

125cc motorbikes today

These days, biking tastes have changed. The wider market no longer has a single minded superbike obsession, and the range of 125’s available to learn on has now become much wider – both in the number of manufacturers producing 125’s, and the number of models produced.

Although the small sports two stroke may now have been consigned to the great scrapyard in the sky, mainstream manufacturers are still making their baby (4-stroke) sports bikes, with ranges now complimented by fashionably street styled machines like Yamaha’s MT-01, Honda's CB125R, Kawasaki Z125 and Suzuki GSX-S125

Chinese 125cc bikes and scooters

Perhaps the most notable change in the 125cc motorcycle market over recent years has been from the rapid rise in small capacity Chinese bikes and scooters being imported into the UK – brands such as Sinnis, Zontes, Keeway, Lexmoto and many more have made the overall choice of 125cc machines bafflingly wide.

Back in the day, we used to know every single bike by every single manufacturer. Nowadays, there’s no chance – small capacity commuter bikes and 125’s are being imported from China to the UK in startlingly large numbers. Indeed, one of the most well known and popular 125cc Chinese bike manufacturers Lexmoto now regularly rank in the top 5 best-selling UK bike brands.

You can compare insurance for most Chinese manufacturers quickly and easily via Biker Insure. Simply enter the reg number of your bike to automatically find and fill in your Chinese bike’s details, or select from the drop-down manufacturers in the first page of your quote journey.

The 125cc and under class is big - and growing

The 51-125cc motorcycle and scooter segment is now the largest sector, as ranked by total UK sales. In fact, sub 125cc machines make up around 35% of all motorcycle registrations (source: MCIA).

Whilst many of the buyers of these machines will be younger riders or learner motorcyclists, it’s clear that the segment is definitely here to stay. Riders of all ages are buying small capacity, cheap to buy and run bikes as an alternative to public transport or the car.

If you’re one of these riders, be sure to compare quotes from multiple brokers.

Whether you have a 125cc bike from Honda or Yamaha, are looking to insure a Lexmoto or a small capacity Chinese bike or scooter, Biker Insure could help.

125cc Insurance FAQ's