LONG-TERM REVIEW: Zontes ZT 125 U

[Fat Angry Scotsman]

[Fat Angry Scotsman]

Thought this deserved an update now that I actually have a bigger bike to compare the little 125 to.

Well, as you all know, I fucked my ER6-F last Friday night, so since then I have went back to my little Zontes and I have to be honest, the little bike is quite charming.

Before Saturday, I hadn't ridden her since I got my MOD 2 and ER6-F and I have put damn near 2,000 miles on the ER6-F since I got it because I was enamoured by the Kawasaki. So on Saturday, coming back to the little 125cc was actually really nice and it actually rides really pleasantly even if it has no guts about it.

I missed the fact the bike is so, so light compared to the ER6-F. It's way more nimble and I actually get the "flickable" quality people refer to in reviews. It's a very easy going little bike and in all honesty there's a couple things I prefer about the little Chinese 125cc over my Japanese 650cc: first is that the clutch on the Zontes ZT125-U is extremely light, after figuring out how the adjusters on the Zontes worked it now takes the lightest of touches to operate the clutch. Second is that it is so light and can be man-handled about compared to my big bike. Third is that it's extremely frugal, it sips at petrol. Fourth is that it's extremely easy to adjust the chain tension as it's a single sided swing-arm all you need is two 17mm open-ended spanners and a single 30mm spanner and the job is made easier as there are rubbers on the swingarm that you gauge the slack against: something the ER6-F doesn't have (I know this is minor and trivial as the ER6-F is easy to adjust, but it's easier still on the ZT125-U).

All in all, having the big bike and being on it for a while has given me more of an appreciation for the little Zontes.
____________________
PRESENT: 2018 BMW S1000XR SE Sport.
PAST: 2009 Kawasaki ER-6F. 2021 Zontes ZT-125U.

[A100man]

[Fat Angry Scotsman]

Just a note in case anyone googling "how to start a Zontes or Kiden ZT125-U or KD150-U when the key has no battery" comes by this thread, there is a way to start the bike with a dead key fob.

The instructions in the manual are not very clear, so I will list what to do:

1. Move the handlebars all the way left,

2. Standing in front of the bike and looking towards the headlight assembly, look to the inside of the left-upper fairing (as it points towards you, if you are sitting on the bike it would be the right-upper fairing),

3. On the fairing you will see a square cover, remove the cover to expose the key-sensor. If you have no battery left (i.e. no LEDs flashing on the key-fob) you will need to touch it against the actual sensor pad which takes up the entire lower-right of the plate. If your key is flashing a red LED then you still have enough power in the fob for the sensor to detect it through the square cover (without removing it),

4. Pressing the fob against the sensor will turn on the bike and let you start it by the normal procedure,

5. Buy new batteries (either BR1225 or CR1225 will work), they are not common sizes that you will find in a supermarket, you will need to go to Halfords, a watch repair store or order them online. They are very low profile and discharge fully within a year due to being so small capacity. Your spare key will discharge within a year too. I got a pack of 10 of the batteries from Amazon for a tenner.
____________________
PRESENT: 2018 BMW S1000XR SE Sport.
PAST: 2009 Kawasaki ER-6F. 2021 Zontes ZT-125U.

[Fat Angry Scotsman]

UPDATE:

Got it's (late) 3,000 mile service, cost £119.44 from the dealership.

Things replaced:

Engine oil (£9.95),
Engine oil filter (£3.93),
Spark plug (£7.25).

Things marked as checked:

Air filter,
Battery,
Exhaust bolts and fixings,
Clutch lever and linkage adjustment,
Throttle linkage adjustment,
Idle,
Radiator hoses,
Chain (adjusted and lubricated),
Sprockets,
Swing arm guides and guard,
Brake pads and discs (see advisory notice),
Brake hoses (to be replaced within 2 years),
Brake fluid (to be replaced at next service),
Tyres,
Engine coolant (to be replaced within 2 years),
Road test.

Advisory notices:

Front brake calliper pin is seized to calliper, warranty claim submitted, calliper to be replaced at next service with brake pads.

Also got told off for having the chain too tight and told that it's better to be on the slack-end of the spectrum rather than the tight-end as it can affect alignment.
____________________
PRESENT: 2018 BMW S1000XR SE Sport.
PAST: 2009 Kawasaki ER-6F. 2021 Zontes ZT-125U.

[Bullcross]

Reading all the comments from the start and do have to chuckle at some of the internet experts .

regarding the ecu fault , on the Gen1 bikes there was an initial problem when the ambient temperature dropped by a certain amount it would flash up the EML , in no way did this interfere with the running of the bike and unfortunately due to covid took time to get the flashed ecu's resolved .
they are now on the 4th or 5th batch to come into the uk , only problems i have seen is the gear change can be a bit rough on some of them which requires a new selector rod that goes through the box but an easy fix.
another problem is the valve clearances need to be done sooner than what clements/zontes are claiming so if your bike starts stalling or you are losing power it will be that .
The torch plugs are a bit crap but there is a couple of NGK alternatives that you can use ( CR9EIX & CR8EIX)
Apart from that they are pretty good and we are seeing bikes coming in for 7k services now and are still running lovely .
Just wish the kids would look after the chain and sprockets

[Just_1ce]

Hi
I have a ZT125U I bought in May21. It has ~1500 miles on it now. Its been perfect so far with zero issues, the only time it has been to the garage was the 1st service which was £40. quick oil and filter swap.

I would thoroughly recommend the Zontes over any other 125. The spec is higher, the price is better, and so far the quality is equal or higher.. I park my bike next to every other 125 in the bike shed at my work and its clear that the Zontes is a much better product. I've had 4 other 125's and this is the best by far. I wouldn't mind a go on the XSR 125 with it fancy cam shifting engine but I'm not into the styling.

All my concerns about the keyless entry etc.. came to nothing I'm very used to it now although I wish I could make it not beep when it unlocks as I set off to work really early and wake everyone up..

Angry Scotsman where did you get the screen and the handguards? I'd like some of those myself.

[Fat Angry Scotsman]

[Fat Angry Scotsman]

Bought it new for £2,999.99 in 2020 and sold it three years old 2023 for £2,000.00.

Wanted to round out the thread with some key thoughts on my time with it:

1. It was genuinely a good little bike, the slipper clutch and gearbox were actually very good,
2. Brakes were a little lacklustre, they were more than enough to stop it, but didn't give me anywhere near the confidence that my ER-6F or S1000XR give,
3. The illuminated switchgear and very bright LED headlights were amazing for low-light and night-time riding,
4. The chain tensioning was very easy to use, easier than the Kwak,
5. The handlebar was annoying, it wasn't a uniform thickness like my two other bikes, it has a taper along it's length and made mounting a quadlock a bastard,
6. Even putting ACF50 on it, some fasteners corroded pretty quickly, it wasn't enough to be butthurt over but was more noticeable than I expected, they really should have just spent a few dollars more on stainless steel fasteners,
7. The keyless ignition was actually very nice to have, I am gutted my bimmer doesn't have that it's a good feature.

So, would I ever buy a Chinese 125cc again? No. Then again, I wouldn't buy a Japanese 125cc either.

Is it worse quality than a Japanese 125cc? Yes. But it's nowhere near as bad as people make out. It's a good quality little bike, not as good quality as a Japanese bike, but still good (not bad).

Would I recommend the Zontes ZT125-U to others? Yes and no. If you are a Deliveroo rider, courier, etc and will use it for work and just want something really cheap they can put moon miles on, with cheap fuel economy, cheap insurance and don't care about it being a hack then it's perfectly good for that role and will serve well for years. If you are a casual or hobby rider then no, I wouldn't advise it and would recommend a Japanese bike instead for stronger resale value. In-fact, unless you were too young for a bigger bike, I wouldn't recommend a 125cc to anyone, I would just go for the bigger bike. I learned that lesson.

In retrospect would I have bought it? No. I would have just waited to complete DAS and bought a bigger bike straight away. I really wish that I got a Duke 390 after DAS and put moon miles on it.
____________________
PRESENT: 2018 BMW S1000XR SE Sport.
PAST: 2009 Kawasaki ER-6F. 2021 Zontes ZT-125U.