Quick Spin: Mondial Piega 125

Andy Bell gives us his take on the Mondial Piega 125…

What is it?

Every rider can remember which bike they first owned, and chances are it is with great fondness of the newfound freedom and lifestyle that can accompany it. Italian firm F.B Mondial’s Piega 125 provides another option to the A1 licence-friendly category, and this one looks to be quite an attractive offering in more ways than one.

Designed by Rodolfo Frascoli and developed by F.B Mondial, it is clear that the end result has taken the form of a naked bike, but this 125cc machine has also received some “big bike” touches to help it stand out within its class. The Piega has quite an aggressive yet sporty looking stance from the stacked LED headlights up front all the way through to the sleek and streamlined rear seat unit, offering quite a distinct personality

Talking the torque

Sticking with the topic of styling, up close, it is hard not to notice the GP inspired wings either side. These are present for “Enhanced Aerodynamic Downforce” apparently, but I’m not even going to open a debate on the effectiveness of these on a 125 but they do add to the sporty appeal if nothing else. The panel directly above these wings has some venting which I personally liked and again, needed or not, they play their part aesthetically.

There is a modern colour TFT display that is customisable for rider preference allowing two very different viewing options. Both displays offer all the info needed including gear selected and fuel level, which is sometimes missing from smaller capacity bikes. LED lights all-round are super bright yet also minimalistic in appearance with the tiny indicators hardly noticeable when not lit. The rear lights are positioned discreetly just above the numberplate which floats above the rear wheel allowing an uncluttered seat unit.

The Piega is powered by a single cylinder, 4 stroke, 4 valve engine which also boasts a Dell’Orto fuel injection system that is specifically designed to deliver in increased level of performance with the 125cc motor producing a healthy 14bhp at 9750rpm.

Weighing in at only 133kg and having a seat height of 820mm, the Piega is a relatively lightweight motorbike that also allows most riders to get both feet on the ground easily when stationary, which is two of the main beneficial aspects of a bike for new riders still looking to gain confidence in the 2-wheeled world.

Cracking on…

After swinging my leg over and getting a feel for where the bars and foot pegs sit, it was instantly clear that some thought has gone into the placement of these in relation to the rider. My feet felt like they were placed at a reasonable height allowing for a sporty riding position without my knees being forced into an uncomfortable angle, while the handlebars seemed to fall just in the right place, so I was neither cramped up or reaching too far forwards. It didn’t take long however for the seat to raise some concerns. Despite being fairly long and wide there wasn’t much in the way of cushioning on offer, so it did feel quite firm, and a lot of vibration was felt through it. On a shorter run, this might not be such a problem but after a number of miles the lack of comfort here could be an issue.

There was a surprising amount of pull from the single-cylinder engine but to get the most from its performance I was having to work through the 6-speed gearbox to keep it singing in the higher levels of the rev range, with these gear changes almost effortless in no small part to a light feeling from the clutch lever.

Suspension was taken care of with some attractive 40mm golden USD forks up front with a monoshock at the rear neatly tucked away in front of the back wheel. Despite being produced to keep the overall price of the bike low, the suspension was doing a remarkable job and was quite confidence inspiring even when pushing on. The brakes were also defying their low-cost potential with the front having a 4-piston radial caliper biting a 300 mm disc, and providing more than enough stopping force for such a lightweight machine and a not so lightweight rider. Not only did this set up get things stopped as quickly as I liked, but they also offered a lot of feedback with a smooth and even feel from the lever that I have come to expect as standard from a far more expensive “big bike”. The rear also has a single piston floating calliper with a 220 mm disc should it be needed.

With so many of the features of the Piega doing their bit to keep a clean minimal look, the exhaust also proves it got the memo by keeping itself compact and discrete below the engine. While it did fulfil this brief, the sound it produces was a little disappointing and didn’t seem to fit with the same attitude as the rest of the bike. A small point really but a bit more of a bark wouldn’t hurt.

The 17” alloy wheels were another area I felt deserved some praise, not only was I a fan of their design with sleek spokes but they were colour coded to match the bodywork with the front having a 110/70-17 tyre and the rear demanding a wide 140/70-17 tyre which is possibly one of the widest rear tyres in its class.

A couple of other practical touches worth a mention are with the side stand and the mirrors. The side stand when used will let the bike lean over at a reasonable angle which I remember being an issue to get to grips with when needing to park on a surface with a slight slope. The mirrors have an amazing field of vision whilst also having a finish on the backs not too dissimilar to carbon fibre. This almost faux carbon fibre finish also appears in a few other areas including the front mudguard and some other smaller panels on the bodywork.

The colour I had here for testing was “Factory Blue”, but other options include “Graphite Blue” and “Magnesium”, with each of them looking very modern and appealing.

Worth a punt?…

This Piega did so much more for me than expected from my preconceived opinion. It is a 125cc, yes, but with so many of its features feeling like they have come direct from bigger machinery without losing the easiness of riding that comes from an A1 licence friendly bike. So much of the riding position and the basic functions such as the suspension, brakes, etc, are so easy to get to grips with and I’m sure it would prove to be a great bike for someone to cut their riding teeth on, with it not being intimidating to ride at all despite its aggressive sporty styling. This isn’t to say it is bland by any means. When wanting to push on there is quite a rewarding experience to be had from the handling when keeping the revs high and carrying corner speed.

There are some attractive offers around regarding purchasing one from new and after a brief search I found one website that offered them from £50 a month with a £500 deposit making these accessible to most potential owners.

The stuff that matters…

Power: 14bhp/10.5kW @ 9,750 rpm

Weight 133kg

Price: £2,999.00

Contact: www.fbmondial.com