The FB Mondial Ubbiali 125 is a special limited-edition run of the HPS 125 for 2022, an homage to Carlo Ubbiali himself. With only nine hundred and ninety-nine units to be put into production worldwide, a mere forty-two of these bikes will come to the UK!

Mechanically it's exactly the same as the HPS 125 but has a bundle of delicate details and unique characteristics. It is clear this bike is a looker, but does it perform as well as it looks? I had it in the Norfolk countryside, put it through its paces, and here are my thoughts!

Let's get into it, shall we?

When it comes to looks, this bike really speaks for itself, it looks incredible. We here at BikeMatters reviewed the special limited-edition version of the Ubialli, which in terms of design has paid that extra bit of attention when it comes to the finer details.

The brilliant blue and silver colour scheme with gold accents is a throwback to the finish on Carlo Ubbiali’s 1951 Grand Prix-winning model, and it looks excellent. Neo-retro features run throughout this bike from head to taillights, with its bar end mirrors, belly pan, diamond quilted seat, and twin shotgun exhaust, this one is a real head turner, and we are all massive fans.

The Ubbiali is powered by a 125cc, liquid cooled, four stroke single cylinder engine that pumps out 13.4 horsepower at 9,750 RPM and 10 newton metres of torque at 8,000 RPM. It’s packing a six-speed gear box, the gears are well spread out and quite long for a 125. The gear changes sound clunky, but do not feel that way at all, they’re precise and smooth – no false neutrals or anything like that.

The Ubbiali also rocks a twin-shotgun exhaust signed by Leo Vince, although sadly that engine note does not sound quite as good as it looks.

Something I did notice was this bike is not fond of the lower RPM ranges, you really do have to rev the pants off it to get it to go anywhere, and to not stall it at lower speeds. Not the end of the world, it just makes for a more engaging ride.

When it comes to top speed, I got around 67 MPH out of it, but it was very vibey at that top end. But for an everyday top speed, you will be to sit comfortably at 60-65 MPH. We saw a decent amount of acceleration up to around 45 MPH, however things started to slow down between 45 and 60 MPH.

Up front we have a single wavey disc with a two-piston caliper and to the rear, another single wavey disc with a single piston caliper. This model benefits from ABS, which is always nice to see from these Chinese-built offerings. The brakes themselves perform okay but are definitely not the best I have seen on 125s in recent times. The biting point is around halfway in on the lever, once you reach that point it is easy to kick in the ABS and come to a stop relatively swiftly, but I am not the most impressed with braking here.

When it comes to suspension, the Ubbiali packs gorgeous gold forks up front with a healthy 97mm of travel and classic-styled twin shocks with reservoirs on the rear. The ride is quite firm, by no means bone breaking but certainly not plush. However, I feel this boosts the classic racer feel and I am a fan of this factor. The bike is more than happy to be thrown down the country lanes with all the bumps along the way, sore or not. I enjoyed the suspension setup.

For the wheels, we have an eighteen-inch wheel up front and a seventeen-inch wheel to the rear. On their website Mondial claim to be running a 130 tyre on the rear, but we have a 140 here which is great! The bike feels planted on the road and has no issues in the corner, it feels larger than a 125 and I am a massive fan.

Weighing in at 137 KG with a full tank, this is a lightweight machine and with those 13.4 horses, it’s got a decent power-to-weight ratio and feels spritely.

It handles well at low speeds and manual handling isn’t an issue at all, especially with those lovely wide bars.

When it comes to the seat, this handsome blue diamond quilted seat measures in at 785mm tall, making it accessible for both shorter riders and taller, thanks to the foot peg positioning and ergonomics. At six foot I have had no issues, Brett is five foot six and got along nicely with it too.

Unfortunately, do not let this seat's looks deceive you! While it may look good, comfort-wise this seat does not live up to expectations. After an hour all I was left with was a desire to pull over and a sore rear end.

In terms of fuelling, the Ubbiali comes equipped with a 9-litre tank, which is quite average for this class of motorbike. Mondial claim an average 80 MPG but in my experience, the revy nature of this bike meant I got nowhere near that, much closer to 40 MPG in fact. This is absolutely down to this bike being in its running in stages, so it gets the benefit of the doubt. I expect you’ll see around 150-190 miles on a full tank, past the running-in phase.

Onto tech now and well, other than ABS and sequential indicators, there isn’t any. The switchgear is very basic too, missing out on things like hazard lights or a dipper switch, which is disappointing. I personally like to see full safety switchgear on this new era of 125’s.

Bizarrely, atop this lack of tech is a full colour TFT display. It features a speedo, rev counter, gear indicator, fuel gauge, temperature gauge, odometer, voltage meter, and clock. It uses adaptive lighting and has a dual design, respective to the light levels in your environment. Whilst a fantastic dash, it feels wildly out of place on this retro-styled machine.

The Ubialli is priced at £4,199 plus on the road fees. This price line puts it between the cheaper lesser-known Chinese budget offerings and the Japanese market-dominating big four. You get the undeniable Italian design, good performance specs, and ergonomics, but it’s running the Chinese-built engine and chassis.

We do not know how long one of these will last on the wet and gritty UK roads, or what the resell value will be, but time will tell. For £300 more you could pick up a Honda CB125R, and for £700 more you could pick up the class-leading Yamaha XSR125. However, the Ubialli is an incredibly uniquely styled bike that is simply enough for some people.

So, in summary, the Ubbiali is an undeniably fantastic looking bike full of unique features.

The colourway is gorgeous and all the fine details, the seat, twin-shotgun exhaust, gold accents and belly pan, all add up to create one of the best looking 125’s on the road today. It has a decent spec when it comes to performance, by no means the best out there but a full head and shoulders above a lot of the budget offerings from China, but that does come at a cost. £4,199 is a lot of money in today’s market, and when for only a few hundred more quid you could get a Honda, it does put things into perspective. But I know a lot of people will see this bike, its character, and know it’s exactly what they want from a 125.

• Amazing looks, full of character
• Fair price point
• TFT dash
• Great proportions
• Lots of attention to detail

• Chinese manufactured parts
• Not the highest power figures
• Brakes aren’t the best
• Lacklustre switchgear

So there you have it, I hope you enjoyed my full road test review on the Euro 5 FB Mondial Ubbiali 125!

If you are looking to get insurance for your very own Mondial Ubbiali 125, or perhaps another motorcycle, make sure to get a motorcycle insurance quote directly via Lexham's website!