Benelli TNT 125 Review: The Mini Naked That Undercuts the Grom, Specs, Owners’ Verdict and What It Would Cost in South Africa

The Benelli TNT 125 is a motorcycle a metre tall that costs less than a good scooter and looks like a shrunken superbike. It runs 12 inch wheels, a steel trellis frame, a 41 mm upside-down fork, twin stacked exhausts, four projector headlights and a 124.8cc air-cooled four-valve single with twin spark plugs, five gears and 8.2 kW, which makes it the most powerful of the mini-bikes it was built to fight, the Honda Grom and the Kawasaki Z125 Pro, and the cheapest by a margin. Motorcycle News gives it four stars out of five and its owners 4.7, with reliability at 4.3, which is the best owners’ score on any budget 125 this site has reviewed.

Benelli has been in and out of South Africa since 2012 and the TNT 125 has never been on a local price list. This review covers what the bike is, who builds it and where, what changed for Euro 5, what the British and Australian tests and the owners found, what it would cost to run here, why it matters that it is a 125, and how it compares with the learner bikes a Code A1 rider can actually buy.

This is a research based review. Scooter125 has not ridden the TNT 125 and the bike was not supplied by Benelli or a dealer. Specifications come from Benelli’s distributor material in Britain, New Zealand and Australia, the 1000PS database and the Italian press releases for the 2021 Euro 5 update. Riding impressions come from Motorcycle News’ Jon Urry, Bennetts BikeSocial’s John Milbank, Bikesales’ Rod Chapman at the Australian launch, Bike Review, MoreBikes and the owners’ reviews on Motorcycle News and The Bike Market. South African pricing is our estimate and is labelled as such. The running cost sums are our own, at the October 2026 fuel price.

What you need to know first

The TNT 125, or Tornado Naked T 125 in full, is a learner-legal mini naked bike built around a 124.8cc air-cooled, four-valve, single-overhead-cam, twin-spark single with electronic fuel injection through a 28 mm throttle body, making 8.2 kW (11.1 hp) at 9,500 rpm and 10 Nm at 7,000 rpm through a five-speed gearbox and a wet clutch. It has a high-tensile steel trellis frame, a 41 mm upside-down fork with about 120 mm of travel, a side-mounted preload-adjustable monoshock with about 50 mm, a 210 mm front disc with a three-piston caliper and a 190 mm rear linked through a combined braking system with no ABS, 12 inch wheels on 120/70 and 130/70 tyres, a 780 mm seat, a 1,215 mm wheelbase, a 7.2 litre tank and 121 to 124 kg wet depending on the year.

It arrived in 2017, got new graphics and an ECU update in 2020, met Euro 5 in 2021 with no change to the figures, and has been sold since in black, white and a limited fluorescent yellow-green. It costs £2,299 to £2,499 in Britain, which made it £1,000 cheaper than the Honda Grom when Motorcycle News compared them; Australia got it at A$3,250 and New Zealand at NZ$4,690. Motorcycle News rated it four stars: super-agile, cheap to buy and run, flamboyant, with a buzzy engine, vibrating mirrors, cheap tyres and tank recesses that are too low for a tall rider’s knees. Three owners there average 4.7 and praise the fuel economy, the handling, the value and the looks, and warn about the stock tyres in the wet.

There is no South African price. Our estimate, if a dealer landed one, is R50,000 to R60,000 and it is labelled as such throughout.

What the TNT 125 is

Honda invented this class with the Grom in 2013: a bike with 12 inch wheels, a 125cc engine, a clutch and gears, small enough to carry in a bakkie and big enough to be a motorcycle rather than a monkey bike. Kawasaki followed with the Z125 Pro, and Benelli, by then owned by the Chinese Qianjiang group, showed the Tornado Naked T at the 2016 Milan show as its answer: a four-valve, five-speed, fuel-injected engine where the Honda had two valves, four gears and a carburettor, a 41 mm upside-down fork where the Honda had 31 mm, and a price below both. Benelli’s headquarters, styling and development stay in Pesaro, Italy, and the bikes are built in China; Qianjiang’s parent is Geely, the group that owns Volvo and Lotus, which Motorcycle News noted is reassuring for parts.

What that produced was, in Bikesales’ phrase, a smart-looking unit with a finish so good that if someone had told the tester it was built in Italy he would not have batted an eyelid. The TNT 125 is the look of Benelli’s TNT 1130 streetfighter scaled down: the four stacked headlights, the trellis, the twin exhausts under the seat, the hugger-mounted number plate, and a tank with a sculpted lion that the 2021 update took away. It sells, Motorcycle News says, to a youthful dynamic audience, and it has a thriving owners’ club on Facebook and a hop-up market of big-bore kits and billet parts that is smaller than the Grom’s but real.

What changed: 2020 styling, 2021 Euro 5, the colours

The 2017 bike came in red, white and black with red calipers, a lion on the tank and a four-piston look to the headlights. For 2020 Benelli revised the graphics and the engine’s ECU mapping; Motorcycle News calls them small upgrades. For 2021 the engine met Euro 5 with no change to the claimed 8.2 kW, 10 Nm or 2.1 litres per 100 km, the lion left the tank, the liveries were extended the full length of the bike, the calipers went gloss black, and the colours became black with a red frame, white with a red frame, and a limited edition in fluorescent yellow-green over bodywork, wheels and frame. New graphics followed again in 2022. The chassis, suspension, brakes, wheels and tyres have not changed since 2017.

That stability is the point. Everything the 2017 testers found still applies to the bike in the showroom, which is rare on a Chinese-built 125 and useful for a buyer looking at a used one.

The 125cc engine

The engine is Benelli’s own BMT-series single: 124.8cc, 54 mm by 54.5 mm, 9.8:1 compression, air-cooled with an oil cooler, a single overhead cam, four valves, two spark plugs, electronic fuel injection through a 28 mm throttle body and a five-speed gearbox. The claim is 8.2 kW (11.1 hp) at 9,500 rpm and 10 Nm at 7,000. It is the engine the BN 125 commuter uses, which is why spares are cheap and the aftermarket exists.

Motorcycle News’ view is the balanced one. You cannot expect too much from a learner-legal air-cooled 125, but the TNT’s engine buzzes along merrily, holds 60 mph, is more than fast enough away from the lights in town, has a very light clutch and a positive gearbox, and its twin-spark head is efficient enough that 120 mpg is easily achievable. Bikesales found that decent progress lives between 7,000 rpm and the 10,000 rpm redline and that you have to work the gearbox hard to keep it there; Bike Review called fifth an overdrive and said most riding happens in third and fourth. Bennetts measured 64 mph on GPS with 73 indicated, MoreBikes saw 68 mph on the flat and 56 into a headwind, and Bikesales, with a 110 kg tester aboard, found 80 km/h easy, 90 possible and Benelli’s claimed 110 a stretch without a downhill. Call it 100 to 105 km/h true. At Highveld altitude an air-cooled engine loses roughly 15 percent, so in Gauteng this is about a 7 kW motorcycle, which is enough for the suburbs and not for the N1.

The character notes are consistent. The engine is buzzier than the Honda’s, the mirrors vibrate like crazy at speed, the exhaust is meatier than a Grom’s but not loud, and one owner says that near the redline it gets busy enough that 80 to 90 km/h is the comfortable cruise on a long run. MoreBikes found neutral hard to select after a hot ride.

Chassis, suspension and brakes

The frame is a high-tensile tubular steel trellis with a steel swingarm, the fork is a 41 mm upside-down unit without adjustment, and the rear shock is mounted on the side of the swingarm and adjustable for preload with a C-spanner on collars Bikesales found easy to reach. Travel is about 120 mm at the front and 50 mm at the back, which is the number that matters: Bike Review’s 70 kg tester found the rear uncomfortable on a 200 km day and warned that heavier riders would find it worse. The wheelbase is 1,215 mm, the ground clearance 160 mm, and the wet weight 121 kg by the European figure, 124 kg by the current British one and 128 kg by the Australian one.

The brakes are a 210 mm front disc with a three-piston sliding caliper and a 190 mm rear with a single-piston caliper, linked so that the pedal also works one piston at the front. There is no ABS. Opinions split exactly along the line you would expect. Motorcycle News said the combined brakes have enough bite to lock the front or do a stoppie if you hammer them, and that you cannot do skids because the rear is linked. Bennetts found the linking makes the front tend to lock in hard turns and that the brakes faded after several hard laps of a kart track, but called the system a safer choice for a less experienced rider. Bike Review called the rear pedal’s travel woeful and would convert the bike to conventional brakes; MoreBikes said the lever needed a long pull until the pads bedded in, after which the stopping was controlled. The front, everyone agrees, is strong for the class.

The tyres are the weak point, as they are on every bike at this price. The 2017 bikes came on Cordial or CST rubber and the tests found them sketchy in the wet; the owner on Motorcycle News who nearly visited A&E on a roundabout fitted Pirelli Diablos and reports the problem solved. Budget for tyres on day one.

How it rides

Motorcycle News’ summary is the one to keep: small wheels, 124 kg and a 1,215 mm wheelbase make the TNT 125 super-agile, especially once a 90 kg rider starts adding body position, it zips through gaps in town and is pleasingly stable in a straight line on the open road while keeping its agility in bends. Bikesales’ tester, at 188 cm and 110 kg, found a lightning-fast tip-in and zero steering effort on the kart track, was chasing other riders and laughing out loud in his helmet within two laps, and then found the bike rock-solid at 90 km/h on the road with 12 inch wheels and reasonable suspension. MoreBikes called it agile and confidence-inspiring, including on rough roads.

The limits are ground clearance and stability when pushed. The side stand and the pegs touch down early, Bennetts ground the left peg on track, and Bike Review found the small wheels need more correction through a corner than a full-size bike when you lean on them. Bikesales’ test bike had had its peg feelers removed to buy clearance, and the pegs fold without springs, so they stay folded when knocked. Bennetts’ stunt rider Chris Northover had no trouble with wheelies and stoppies, which is what the photographs on this page are about and what the aftermarket is for.

TNT 125 against the Honda Grom

Bennetts tested the TNT 125 back to back with the Honda MSX125 Grom in 2017 and its findings are the fairest comparison in print. The Benelli felt very snappy pulling away and has a fifth gear the Honda lacked, but side by side the acceleration matched. The Honda was better damped, lighter, lower and more refined, with plastics and castings that felt more solid; the Benelli’s exhaust heat shield had sharp edges, its throttle was heavy and its main beam weak. Nothing on the Benelli failed in 200 miles including a track session, it returned 86 mpg fill to fill, and it cost £1,094 less. Bennetts’ conclusion was that it trails the Honda in refinement, damping and stunting and is still a great bike that offers fantastic value for money.

Motorcycle News reached the same place from the price: the Honda’s build quality is better, but it is arguably not £1,000 better. Honda South Africa does not list the Grom at the time of writing, so here the comparison is academic, and the Benelli’s real rivals are the ones in the section below.

Seat height, comfort and the tall-rider question

The seat is 780 mm, among the lowest on any motorcycle, and the bars are high and the pegs low, which Motorcycle News called about as ergonomically pleasing as a bike like this can be. The surprise in every test is that tall riders fit. Bikesales’ 188 cm tester sat on it with relative ease; a six-foot owner on Motorcycle News says his knees sit comfortably into the sides of the small tank; MoreBikes said it felt compact but not cramped. The dissent is specific: Motorcycle News found the tank recesses too low to slot a tall rider’s knees into, so their pointed edges press on the leg, and Bennetts’ 178 cm tester found the scallops fit him less well than the Honda’s.

The seat is firm. Bennetts wanted a break after 60 miles, the Motorcycle News owner stops every 60 miles on a long run to rest himself and the engine, Bike Review put seat comfort at under an hour, and a Bike Market owner has done a 100 mile ride and says it feels fine. The 50 mm rear shock is the comfort limit for a heavier rider. There is a pillion seat and pegs; Bikesales said only the brave need apply and an owner would not recommend a passenger unless they are petite. It is a one-person bike for trips under an hour, which is what it is for.

Dash and equipment

The instrument is a large analogue rev counter with a digital panel showing speed, fuel level, a clock and two trip meters; there is no gear indicator, which every owner mentions and which the dash appears to have space for. Lighting is LED throughout, with four projector-style dipped beams that MoreBikes found good enough at night to rarely need the full beam, and LED indicators and tail light. The fork is upside-down and the shock preload-adjustable, which Motorcycle News noted is more than most bikes at the price offer. There is no ABS, no traction control, no USB port and no storage under the seat. The warranty is two years with unlimited mileage, and the Australian and Greek distributors have added roadside assistance or a further two years on top.

What owners say

Three owners of the 2020-on bike have reviewed it on Motorcycle News. The average is 4.7 out of 5, with ride and brakes, the engine and reliability at 4.3 and value and equipment at 4.7; the owners’ reliability score of 4.3 is the highest on any budget 125 this site has reviewed, and Motorcycle News’ own reliability rating is four. The praise is consistent: a smooth five-speed gearbox, surprisingly quick acceleration through the first four gears, a bike that corners extremely well and is light enough not to feel like it will drop on you, cheap parts, a great exhaust note and a 340 mile round trip that cost under £15 in fuel. One calls it small bike, big fun; one says it is great to learn on and did her CBT on it; one in Greece, a month in, says quality is just under the Honda’s and the price, style and extra seat height make up for it.

The complaints are the stock tyres in the wet, the lack of a gear indicator, the wish for ABS and brighter lights, a squeak from the rear wheel on damp mornings, and the ceiling of 90 km/h on a windy day. The Bike Market owner, at 6,000 miles and nearly four services at £100 each, reports no problems, calls it very reliable, and lists the chain, the headlight, the brakes and the tyres as the things he would improve. Nobody reports an electrical fault, a breakdown or a warranty argument, which is more than can be said for most of the bikes in this class.

Price and availability in South Africa

Benelli returned to South Africa in 2012 through Puzey Motorcycle Corporation, which imported the TRK and TNT models and developed a touring version of the TRK for the factory. The current arrangement is unclear: Benelli’s global site does not list a South African distributor, no dealer we could find advertises new Benellis, and the only rand prices in circulation are from aggregator sites that quote the TNT 135, the version sold in the United States and Asia, at R45,000 to R53,000 without naming a source. The TNT 125 has never appeared on a South African price list, and we found no used example for sale.

For an estimate, the British price of £2,299 to £2,499 is about R50,000 to R55,000 at current exchange rates. Our estimate is R50,000 to R60,000 if a dealer landed one, before whatever a small importer would add for shipping, duty and homologation. That would put it above the Honda XR125L and well below the KTM 125 Duke, which is where it sits in Britain. We will update this page if a rand figure appears.

What it would cost to run

Petrol is at a record. The October 2026 adjustment took inland 95 unleaded to about R30 a litre. With 9.8:1 compression the TNT is happy on 93 or 95; inland 93 is fine.

Benelli claims 2.1 litres per 100 km, Motorcycle News says 120 mpg is easily achievable, which is 2.4, and Bennetts measured 86 mpg fill to fill including a track session, which is 3.3. We have used 2.8, which is 100 mpg and what The Bike Market quotes.

• A full 7.2 litre tank costs about R215.
• Range is roughly 255 km; the Greek owner gets 200 km in town and Motorcycle News quotes 200 miles.
• Fuel costs about R0.84 a kilometre.
• A 40 km round-trip commute costs about R34 a day, or roughly R740 over 22 working days.

Motorcycle News quotes about £80 a year in servicing, which is under R2,000, and the owners pay £50 to £110 a service with oil changes every 5,000 km. The engine is shared with the BN 125 commuter, so parts are cheap and common. The things to budget for, on the owners’ evidence, are a pair of road tyres on day one and, if you are heavy, a better rear shock. Insurance on a R55,000 125 for a sixteen-year-old will be the awkward number, and Motorcycle News’ warning applies here too: fit a big-bore kit and the insurer will want to know.

Licence requirements: Code A1 from 16

This is the TNT 125’s reason to exist in South Africa. Its 124.8cc engine puts it in Code A1, the licence for motorcycles up to 125cc, which you can get from the age of 16 after a learner’s licence and the A1 test. Every mini-bike with more performance, from the 135cc TNT 135 up, needs a Code A from 18. For a sixteen-year-old who wants gears and a clutch, a 780 mm seat and a bike that fits in the back of a bakkie, the choice is this, a Honda Grom if Honda South Africa brings it back, or a scooter. Our guide to what a motorbike licence costs in South Africa covers the fees and the tests.

As a first motorcycle the TNT 125 has the right habits: a low seat, a light clutch, a positive gearbox, soft power that gives a learner time to think, linked brakes that stop the bike squarely, and a size that does not intimidate. The things a learner has to be taught are that the stock tyres do not grip in the wet, that there is no ABS, and that the pegs touch down before the tyres run out.

TNT 125 versus the alternatives

South African prices are the importers’ list prices or dealer prices on Scooter125 at the time of writing and change often. The Benelli, Bluroc and Aprilia figures are our estimates.

Honda XR125L

About R37,900 new on Scooter125. The air-cooled trail bike most South African sixteen-year-olds actually buy, with full-size wheels, no ABS, basic suspension and a Honda dealer in every town. It is R15,000 cheaper on our estimate and will go where the TNT cannot; it has none of the TNT’s style or agility.

Honda Ace 125

R23,499 from Honda South Africa. The commuter that does the same licence job for less than half the money. Read our Honda Ace 125 review.

KTM 125 Duke

R101,999 from KTM South Africa. Fifteen horsepower, 17 inch wheels, a TFT, ABS, a slipper clutch and a proper dealer network: everything the TNT lacks at nearly twice the price. The right answer for a learner who wants a full-size naked bike.

Aprilia SX 125

Not priced here; our estimate is R80,000 to R90,000. A full-size supermoto with the RS 125 engine, upside-down forks, a 300 mm disc and front ABS, and owners who rate reliability 2.2 against the Benelli’s 4.3. Read our Aprilia SX 125 review.

Bullit Hero 125

Not imported; our estimate is R55,000 to R65,000. The Belgian-designed scrambler with a GN125-derived engine, the other budget 125 with upside-down forks and linked brakes, slower than the Benelli and with owners who complain about electrics. Read our Bullit Hero 125 review.

Browse every 125cc motorbike for sale on Scooter125 and the commuter bikes for sale, where the TNT’s rivals live.

Full specifications

Figures from Benelli’s distributor material in Britain, Australia and New Zealand, the 2021 Italian Euro 5 release and the 1000PS database. Where sources differ, both are given.

Engine	124.8cc air-cooled SOHC 4-valve twin-spark single, Euro 5 (Euro 4 until 2021)
Bore x stroke	54 x 54.5 mm
Compression ratio	9.8:1
Power	8.2 kW (11.1 hp) at 9,500 rpm
Torque	10 Nm at 7,000 rpm
Fuel system	Electronic fuel injection, 28 mm throttle body
Gearbox	5-speed, wet multiplate clutch, chain final drive
Frame	High-tensile tubular steel trellis, steel swingarm
Front suspension	41 mm upside-down fork, non-adjustable, about 120 mm travel
Rear suspension	Side-mounted monoshock, preload adjustable, about 50 mm travel
Front brake	210 mm disc, 3-piston sliding caliper, combined braking, no ABS
Rear brake	190 mm disc, single-piston caliper, combined braking
Wheels and tyres	12 inch aluminium; 120/70-12 and 130/70-12
Length x width x height	1,770 x 760 x 1,025 mm
Wheelbase	1,215 mm
Ground clearance	160 mm
Seat height	780 mm
Weight	121 kg wet (Europe); 124 kg (Britain); 128 kg (Australia)
Fuel tank	7.2 litres
Consumption	2.1 litres per 100 km claimed; 2.4 to 3.3 in tests
Top speed	About 100 to 105 km/h true; Benelli claims 110
Dash	Analogue rev counter, digital speed, fuel gauge, clock, two trips; no gear indicator
Lighting	Full LED, four projector headlights
Colours	Black with red frame, white with red frame, limited fluorescent yellow-green
Warranty	2 years, unlimited mileage
UK price	£2,299 to £2,499
South African price	Not imported; our estimate R50,000 to R60,000

Frequently asked questions

The verdict

The TNT 125 is the mini-bike that gives you the most motorcycle for the least money: four valves, five gears, fuel injection, a 41 mm upside-down fork, a trellis frame, LED lights and a look that stops people, at a price that undercuts the Honda that invented the class by a thousand pounds. It is quick enough in town, frugal to the point of absurdity, light enough to carry, agile enough to make a kart track funny, and its owners report fewer problems than the owners of any other budget 125 we have looked at. Motorcycle News gave it four stars and the owners gave it nearly five.

The reservations are real and they are the reservations of the class. It is slow on the open road and buzzy near the redline, the rear shock has 50 mm of travel, the pegs touch down early, the stock tyres are dangerous in the wet, there is no ABS and no gear indicator, and a tall rider’s knees find the tank. None of that stopped any tester enjoying it, and all of it is cheaper to fix than the gap to the Honda.

If an importer ever lands one near our estimate with the two-year warranty intact, it is the most fun a Code A1 licence can buy for the money, for a rider who understands it is a town bike. If that rider needs to go anywhere on the open road, the Honda XR125L does the licence job for R15,000 less and the KTM 125 Duke does the full-size job for R45,000 more. Start with the 125cc motorbikes for sale on Scooter125.

Sources referenced

• Benelli UK (MotoGB), “Benelli’s ultimate fun bike: the awesome TNT 125” and model listings; Benelli New Zealand, “TNT 125 has arrived”, 2022 specification
• Motorcycle News, Jon Urry, “Benelli TNT 125 (2020-on) review”, updated 25 August 2023, and three owner reviews, October 2020 to September 2021
• Bennetts BikeSocial, John Milbank, “Benelli TNT 125 (2017) road test, stunts and review”, 10 October 2017
• Bikesales, Rod Chapman, “2017 Benelli TnT 125 launch review”, 27 September 2017; Bike Review, “2017 Benelli TnT 125 Tornado”, October 2017
• MoreBikes, Chris Bailey, “Ridden: Benelli TnT 125”, 2 September 2023
• The Bike Market, “Benelli TnT 125 (2017) review” and owner feedback, 2021
• Motorbox and InSella, Benelli TNT 125 2021 Euro 5 update, colours and figures; 1000PS, Benelli TnT 125 2026 technical data; MotorbikeCatalog 2022 entry (not readable at the time of writing)
• Billy’s Bikes and Wheels24 on Benelli’s 2012 South African return through Puzey Motorcycle Corporation
• KTM South Africa 125 Duke pricing; Honda South Africa Ace 125 pricing; Scooter125 dealer listings for the Honda XR125L
• Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, October 2026 fuel price adjustment