Motorcycle specifications Mash125 Cafe Racer 2014 Selfie Racer

Gone are the days of racing a Mito, NSR, RS or TZR. There was a time when youngsters flirted with performance on sporty, streamlined machines, veritable miniature pistardes. Nowadays, we're going back to the values of a bygone era, when we created a sports bike simply with handlebars attached to the fork tubes and a sporty seat. It was called a café racer. Mash has caught on to the craze for this kind of machine, and has come up with a 125 that captures the spirit. It's simply called the 125 Café Racer.

the retro-classics range is now complete at Mash. In the 125 class, you can choose from small English bikes, American bikes, scramblers and, in this case, café racers. No other brand offers so much choice in this displacement range.
The base is common to all: the 125 Seventy, enhanced and embellished according to the model. The Café-Racer combines elements from different models to create a machine designed to appeal to the almost juvenile emotions.

the first and most essential step is to install wrist-mounted handlebars. Any self-respecting café-racer must allow you to grip the fork directly in the noggin. Attached to the top of the tubes as lieutenants of the single speedo, they're a real style statement. But Mash hasn't set them too low, to encourage a riding position that's more cool than sporty. With the same idea in mind, the foot controls have been moved back... a little. With the megaphone and seat backrest, it's easy to imagine yourself on your way to ACE Café London. A miniature Thruxton. But with a little 124 cm3 single, which also smacks of the 60s.

simple, sweet and willing, the 125 Café-Racer's engine is the same as that of the Seventy series. With its fins, 2 valves and carburetor, this revival of an old Suzuki block isn't looking for ardor, but for utility and "roule-tous-les-jours". Almost 12 horsepower in the connecting rod, looking for a more alert drive thanks to a shorter transmission than the other Mash 125s.

We said that this "retro-sportive" shared a number of elements borrowed from its siblings. But what of it? From the Seventy, the original Mash 125, we find the tubular steel frame, engine and 12-liter fuel tank. The peripherals, however, are more substantial, taken from the Seventy-Five: a 38 mm inverted fork, one brake disc per wheel and 17-inch wheels. Anecdotally, the discs are perforated; it's not much, but it sets you apart in the range.

as you'll have gathered, the Mash 125 Café-Racer plays the "coup de coeur" card, with the flavour of English street racing from the belle époque. We're not asking for mind-boggling performance, but for an SUV, it's got a lot of attitude. Its attributes make it the most expensive of the French manufacturer's 125 range. However, having been born in China, the Mash can still boast a teaser price.

M.B - Manufacturer's photos