Motorcycle specifications KoveNK 125 R 2025 The single-arm class

When it comes to seduction, you've got to pull out all the stops! That's what Kove must have thought when it came to conquering Europe. And while the Chinese manufacturer is renowned for the quality of its trail bikes, Kove has other trump cards up its sleeve with a number of very attractive small-displacement roadsters.

This NK 125 R is a doe-eyed way to open your wallet with some serious arguments, starting with finding an amazing single-arm at this level!

A contemporary look

The small 125 roadster market is flourishing, and its stylistic codes are fairly well established. KTM shook things up a bit back in the day with its first Duke 125, and since then, the utility 125 has fallen out of fashion. Here, we find the necessary attributes: a dynamic headlamp, a sporty tank/scoop block and a two-tier seat shell. The small engine mount and under-seat exhaust complete the picture, creating a world that smells of gunpowder: we want to file footpegs!

Especially when you consider that this single-spoke bike has a beautiful 17-inch wheel, it's the stuff of dreams. It takes me back to my youth and the exceptional Gilera 125 CX that made me drool over the posters in my bedroom.

The instrumentation consists of a 5-inch color LCD digital display (note that it's not a TFT screen) with a USB port. The lighting is LED.

The chassis is a "diamond" trellis frame made of steel tubing. The fork is 41 mm in diameter, with 145 mm of travel. The preload-adjustable shock absorber offers 57 mm of travel.

Braking, on paper, promises to be heavy with a 4-piston radial-mount caliper, a rarity in the segment. It bites a 320 mm petal disc. The rear is no exception, with a 240 mm disc and double-piston caliper. For safety, ABS is naturally present. The bike weighs 135 kg in running order (13-liter fuel tank). Seat height is a reasonable 820 mm, but it's getting a little high.

The finishing touches are quite good, with aluminum controls and foot plates, and a stainless-steel exhaust manifold.

Euro5 engine

The NK 125 R is powered by a 4-valve, 4-stroke, single-cylinder engine developing 14 hp (10.2 kW) at 9,500 rpm and maximum torque of 10.8 Nm at 8,500 rpm. This engine is not native to Kove, which buys it from engine manufacturer Loncin.

It features a 6-speed gearbox and chain final drive.

Price advantage

This Kove NK 125 R has plenty of styling arguments to win over the class benchmarks, such as the Honda CB125R or the KTM Duke 125. The only drawback is the brand's image, and its relatively low level of distribution, with around thirty sales outlets scheduled to open by the end of 2025. So Kove is hitting back hard!

With a price tag of "only" 3,699 euros and a 2-year warranty, the bill will be considerably lower than for traditional manufacturers: almost 2,000 euros less than the turbulent Austrian and 1,400 euros less than the Japanese. The price of risk?

Vincent Beaucousin - Manufacturer's photos

Price 3,699 euros - Available in 3 colors: black, red or white