MOTO-HISPANIA DUNA 125 (2009 - on) Review

As the name suggests, the Moto Hispania SM1125 is a Spanish made learner legal supermoto. It certainly looks the part and will have young potential customers drooling at shop windows.

• Related: Supermoto 125 group test

It’s competitively priced, being one of the cheapest in its class, but is let down by poor build quality and by using an old air-cooled Yamaha engine.

The large front wavy disc may look like something straight from the race track, but it’s still no better than the standard brakes you’ll find on the competition. However the Duna is light, slender and nimble, making it fun through busy traffic.

The ride quality isn’t half bad, either, and both ends seem to be well suspended, far better than its budget price may suggest.

The four-stroke, 4v, sohc air-cooled engine is actually an old Yamaha engine and is also still carburettor fed rather than fuel-injected. Yamaha has since replaced this engine with a more powerful water-cooled unit.

However, the old lump is learner friendly with a nice spread of power, if a little on the slow side.

Despite MH using an old Yamaha there is no real reason to question the reliability of the engine and it should survive thorough teenage punishment.

However the bike’s cycle parts aren’t as confidence-inspiring: the body work is flimsy and bendy; the digital clocks appear fragile and the overall build quality is not as high as the Japanese competition.

There’s no denying the Duna is an affordable mode of transport and for the youthful audience it’s aimed at it certainly looks the part.

It’s cheaper than Suzuki’s DR125SM – just – and considerably cheaper than Yamaha’s all new WR125X. But will it last as well as the Japanese competition?

If it were my money I’d opt for the Suzuki, though.

Find a Moto Hispania SM125 for sale.

It’s only just over £2500 so you can’t expect too much. However Moto Hispania have done their best: wavy discs front and back, Paioli upside-down front forks, race-style wheel rims, race hand guards, digital clocks and a large box section frame.

In short its spec ticks all the Supermoto boxes for the iPod generation.