Rieju is not exactly a household name, but the Spanish manufacturer has been making bikes for 80 years, concentrating mainly in small-capacity models. You’re more likely to be familiar with the brand if you are into enduro bikes, but the full line-up also includes machines from supermotos to street bikes.
The bike we took out for a spin is the adventure-styled Aventura 125. It runs a 125cc four-stroke, liquid-cooled engine, which makes it A1-licence friendly, and an ideal first step into the world of adventure riding.
As you would expect from a 125cc machine, the bike is very easy to get on with. The power output is gentle, the seat and weight low, and all the controls easy to use. It’s a bike that you would quite happily run as your first bike, or as a handy run-around.
But there is a bit more to the bike than just learner-friendly attitude: it’s not a big bike, and if you want to make rapid progress, you might want something bigger, but for a 125 it’s well-built, good looking, and pleasant to ride.
Acceleration and top speed are what you might expect from a 125. I saw 63mph on a flat road after a very long acceleration. However, I weigh 90kg, so the little single engine has a lot of weight to shift, and for smaller/lighter riders the performance will undoubtedly feel more responsive.
What was very impressive was how stable the bike was at top speeds. There was no skittishness or wobbles, and you felt like you could use all the power without compromising the ride quality. Similarly, in very slow speeds the bike was very easy to control, and you can easily crawl along in city traffic with just 1mph showing on the clear and informative digital colour dash.
To go with the adventure styling of the bike, the front wheel is an 18” item, giving you a slight advantage over the standard 17” wheels of city bikes when it comes to offroading. I had a little ride on easy trails, and the bike handled perfectly nicely in slow speeds, although harder terrain and higher speed will soon reveal the limitations of the bike.
Riding position is very comfortable with the low seat making it easy to get your feet on the ground, the peg fairly large and the bars wide. It’s a nice place to be. If you want to ride more adventurously, standing on the pegs is ok although the bike is fairly wide and the bars could be a little higher, but it’s perfectly fine for developing your skills.
I enjoyed my time with the Aventura more than I had anticipated, with the bike proving very easy and comfortable to ride, and delivering good ride quality. With a 14-litre tank and low fuel consumption making it capable of longer stretches between filling up, this could be a very interesting tool for some low-capacity adventure touring. I can see how you could have a lot of fun with this bike.
Rieju Aventura 125 specification
Price: £4200
Engine: 125cc single-cylinder, 4-stroke, 4-valve, liquid-cooled, electric start, electronic fuel injection
Transmission: 6-speed
Wheels/tyres: 100/90-18" / 130/80-17"
Brakes: Linked, front disc 260mm & double piston calliper, rear disc 240mm
Suspension: front upside-down fork, rear progressive mono-shock absorber
Seat height: 780mm
Dry weight: 138kg
Fuel tank: 14 litres
Contact: https://rieju.com/
Video review: Rieju Aventura 125
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Words: Mikko Nieminen
Photos: & video: Too Fast Media
