NVT125 - Motor Cycle Mag Article - May 1978

It's a 'Bitza' NVT Rambler.

IT'S A Yamaha ... two years of speculation ended when NVT Motorcycles unveiled their new 125cc Rambler Trail bike - complete with a Yamaha 125 engine. Since the bike first appeared two years ago with a wooden mock up motor in basically the same frame, rumours have been flying about which motor NVT would use.

Now thanks to a tie-up with Mitsui, Yamaha's British importers, they are using the very successful two-stroke single from Yamaha's 125 trail bike.

And by using as much plastic and fibreglass as possible, as well as a superlight frame, they have made the complete package 30 pounds lighter than Yamaha's equivalent.

The motor isn't the only foreign part to the bike:

The frame is made in Italy, the electrics are Italian as well as the forks and rear shock absorbers But it has a British design ... and tyres.

Now the firm are hoping to capture a ten per cent share of the 125-175 trail bike market in the next twelve months with a bike which Sales Director Mike Jackson said "was essentially for the poser's market."

But at a special viewing of the new machine at NVT's Shenstone factory I found the bike would also take to the rough. It was completely at home on the steep hills and narrow paths of the test site near the factory, even though the motor was running rich because it was new.

Handling, with Marzocchi forks and cantilever frame, couldn't be faulted. though the braking was well down with a hydraulic disc on the front and a drum at the rear. And as long as the seven port motor was kept on the boil using the five speed box, there was plenty of power to get out of all but the most difficult situations.

The bike will be fitted with Dunlop Trials Universals as standard, and will come in either blue or red. They are in the showrooms now. "We are not aiming for a mass sale of this bike," said. Mike Jackson. "What we want are the youngsters who are looking for something different, and we feel this fills that gap.

"Mitsui are only too happy to provide us with the engines for the new Rambler."

The bike also uses Yamaha speedo and rev counter units, and the headlight is mounted in a rubber unit, which is unique to the bike.

"We have tried to incorporate as many sensible features as possible," said Mike. "initial reaction to the machine has been good, and it caused a great stir when it was shown two years ago with the mock-up motor."

The bike has a 9 1/2 inch ground clearance and weighs 220 lbs. The petrol tank will take 1.2 gallons, and the Rambler costs E449 including VAT and delivery - the same kind of price range as its competitors.