Introducing the Rieju Century 125
But haven't we met before?
SPANISH firm Rieju has revealed this new scrambler-style retro 125cc single going by the name Century.
And if it looks familiar, that’s because the Rieju Century 125 shares its chassis and engine with the Chinese-made Mondial HPS125 Hipster (not a joke, the actual name).
Don’t be put off by that. The engine is the Aprilia four-stroke single used in the Tuono 125 and RS125, and the Mondial – on sale in the UK at around £3400 – has been praised for its chassis and suspension.
Specs for the Rieju are understandably similar to the Mondial’s. The engine makes a learner-legal 15hp, the suspension uses the same 41mm USD forks and dual remote-reservoir rear shocks, and the weight is likely to be about the same – somewhere in the region of 130kg dry.
Even the styling, while different, is in much the same vein as the Mondial. The Rieju’s tank and seat are a little more angular, the bellypan a bit more off-road-styled and the exhaust is routed differently, but side-by-side it’s clear the two are closely related. Perhaps the biggest difference is the riding position; the Rieju’s bars are higher and more scrambler-ish than the slightly cafe-racer Mondial Hipster.
There’s no word yet on the Century’s production plans, but given its close relationship to the already-available Mondial, it shouldn’t take too long to get the machine into showrooms.
