The new 125cc Adventure bike from British brand MGB
MGB ATX 125cc Adventure Bike
Adventure bikes seem to be very much in vogue at the moment. Perhaps it's down to the recent two years of "lockdown" we've been through, but either way, adventure and dual-purpose bikes have recently seen a massive surge in interest.
Now, suppose you are a full licence holder or seasoned motorcyclist. In that case, you're somewhat spoilt for choice when it comes to adventure bikes, with pretty much every manufacturer under the sun making an ADV model of some description. But when it comes to the 125 segment, not so much so. You can probably count on one hand how many manufacturers make what I would consider a proper 125cc adventure bike.
But what makes a proper adventure bike? For me, it's a relatively simple recipe, robust, comfortable, luggage options, dual-purpose tyres, good ground clearance and a bike that won't get ruined by a few drops or scrapes.
Well, British brand MGB based in Lancashire, have decided to add a bit more choice to the limited 125cc adventure bike market with the all-new MGB ATX 125. It certainly looks the part and, on first inspection, appears to be finished to a very high quality with solid panel work, good quality powder coating on the frame and other metal parts, built-in sump guard, hand protectors, off-road bars and a ground clearance of 260mm.
It comes in two flavours, the standard ATX or the Adventure Edition, which also includes a set of rear pannier rails and hard panniers. The panniers themselves also seem to be of excellent quality with a dual latch locking system, around 25 litres of storage per box and a quick release system for those days you dont need the extra storage.
Worth noting that the pannier system cannot be added to the standard version of the ATX, so if you want the panniers or may want them in the future, make sure to go for the Adventure Edition. The price difference is only £300, which represents good value given that a set of good quality rails and panniers can cost north of £500.
Other stand out features on the ATX are the comfy touring seat, LED lighting, which also continues with the LED sidelights built into the handguards. USB charge point, which allows easy connection for your sat nav on those longer adventures into the unknown and heavy-duty long-travel suspension.
The brakes are also very impressive. You could even argue that they are more than what is required for a 125cc machine, but the ATX stops incredibly well thanks to the front and rear hydraulic disc brakes. It also looks the part with large wavy brakes discs.
The CBS braking system works incredibly well on the road but isn't ideal for off-road riding, but it's an easy system to delete for those who want to tackle more extreme off-road sections.
There's no ignoring the fact that the ATX takes some inspiration from the BMW GS range; however, the fact it's a 125cc and only takes some design cues on board means it's different enough not to be classed as a copy.
Powering the ATX is a 12.1 bhp air cooled 4 stroke motor. It does an excellent job of pushing the ATX along on tarmac and dirt and gives the sort of performance you'd expect from a 125.
Availble in a range of colours, Orange, Red, Black and Blue and with a starting price of just £2599 + OTR (£150) I have a feeling this is going to get a lot of youngsters into the adventure bike which can only be a good thing!
If you want to find out more about the ATX or see one in the flesh, I'd suggest popping in to see your local dealer, which can be found here: https://www.motogb.co.uk/dealers?s_location=&s_distance=ANY&s_brand=mgb
Or visit the MGB website here: https://www.motogb.co.uk/make/mgb
