These days it’s an Australian entrepreneurial motorcycle manufacturing phenomenon, but Braaap was born out of founder Brad Smith’s simple desire to kickstart mini motocross Superlite MX racing in Australia. To do that he needed a pit bike, and after taking on every odd job he could find (and inventing a few others along the way), the then 16-year-old saved enough pennies to order in a shipment of Chinese-made models. And when that first container didn’t live up to expectations, he kept riding hard on the tail of his dream, eventually sourcing a mini-bike out of China to his specifications. The rest is history.
Given those origins in the unfeasibly small-wheeled off-road world of pit bike racing, it seems totally appropriate that the company’s rapidly expanding range of streetbikes should now include one of the most minute machines registrable for the road. Powered by a single-cylinder 125cc four-stroke with a four speed gear box and rolling on 12-inch wheels, the Urban is essentially a pit bike for the city. And just as pit bikes are about the cheapest way to hit the dirt, for the measly sum of $3799 (+ ORC) the Urban is one of the most economical ways of getting mobile on the street. It’s not the only monkey bike swinging through the urban jungle though. There’s been a surge of interest in this very mini market sector meaning the Urban lines up against Kawasaki’s Z125 Pro and Honda’s Grom – worth considering when you’re deciding where to spend your hard-earned bananas.
The Urban’s next best selling point is obviously shared with those bikes: it’s tiny! This of course has the downside of making you less visible on the road, something you should be aware of when darting between traffic. With a horn which can only be described as a shy squeak, its perky exhaust note is the best way to warn sleepy suburbanites of your arrival. Just keep the engine spinning in the Braaap zone and ride it like a rat up a drain pipe.
Its diminutive size also has a unique upside: it will fit in places no other bikes can go. Like riding it straight into the elevator and storing it under the kitchen table in your 37th floor inner-city bedsit, or even under the stairs at Gassit HQ for that matter!
With a top speed of around 100km/h, it’s not going to blow your wig off, but it does zip along fast enough to easily stay ahead of traffic. With effective hydraulic disc brakes and suspension front and rear, electric start, and for the first time on a Braaap bike electronic fuel injection, the Urban offers top value and rides remarkably well considering it is such a miniature motorcycle.
The biggest niggle I found is it won’t run with the sidestand down, even in neutral. This discourages you from warming the bike up pre-ride while sorting out your riding gear and luggage – always a good habit to get into.
I loved the dash which lets you choose from green, blue, purple or red backlight. I never know which colour will suit my mood and shade of lip gloss when out in the crazy anything-goes metro-sensual city of Melbourne. The dash is also fairly comprehensive for a bike at this price, featuring a rev counter, fuel gauge, gear indicator, and clock, as well as the expected speedo and trip meter. It’s just a shame the indicator warning lights are too small and dim, making it easy to accidentally leave the blinkers on.
In all seriousness, the Urban is fun, fuel efficient, affordable, easy to ride, and takes up less room than your moustache comb collection. So with that in mind, it is quite possibly the ultimate alley-carving urban escape vehicle. Braaap, braaap!
Servicing
First service
1000km
Service intervals
5000km
Lifetime Warranty is an optional extra at $250 and covers the lifetime of the original owner’s ownership of the motorcycle.
