Kawasaki Z125 Pro (2017+) Maintenance Schedule and Service Intervals

This is the maintenance schedule and service intervals for the Kawasaki Z125 Pro, the compact sportbike that’s Kawasaki’s answer to the Honda Grom.

Like its competitor (sorry but it’s an inevitable comparison), the Kawasaki is based around a 125cc four-stroke single-cylinder 2-valve fuel-injected air-cooled engine. The Z125 Pro runs a compression ratio of 9.8:1 and makes peak power of 7 kW (10 hp) at 8,000 rpm.

With a curb weight of 101 kg and a chassis that seems to encourage hooliganism, the Z125 is a fun pit bike, medium-speed commuter, or learner bike for many.

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Kawasaki Z125 Pro Service Intervals

Maintenance intervals on the Z125 are quite wide — a generous 7600 miles or 12000 km between services, which include an oil and filter change and a valve service.

But with just one cylinder and two valves, and a naked frame, the valve service isn’t a huge chore. The valves on a Z125 Pro are screw and locknut type — so no shims to fiddle with.

Be sure to also periodically replace your brake fluid. And keep the chain well lubricated, clean, and correctly tensioned.

What you need to service your Kawasaki Z125

Servicing your Z125 Pro is even easier than servicing your Ninja 400, as you have fewer fairing panels to remove! You just need a bunch of basic motorcycle maintenance tools, some floor space, and of course the following consumables.

Part	Kawasaki Z125 Pro
Oil	You need 0.9L of SAE 10W-40 engine oil “with API SG, SH, SJ, SL or SM with JASO MA, MA1 or MA2 rating”, preferably Kawasaki 10W-40 Engine Oil. Mobil 1 10W-40 is a good alternative. Tighten the engine oil drain bolt to 29 Nm (21 ft-lb).
Oil filter	Kawasaki part is 52010-1053. You can also use a Hiflofiltro HF112.
Front brake pads	Genuine part number for front brake pads is 43082-0134 for the Z125. Get double-sintered EBC brake pads for better bite and wear — code FA197HH.
Rear brake pads	Genuine part number for rear brake pads is 43082-0043. Get double-sintered EBC brake pads for better bite and wear — code FA197HH.
Spark plugs	Spark plug is a NGK CR6HSA with a gap of 0.6-0.7mm. Tighten it to 13 Nm (115 in-lb).
Air filter	Kawasaki part number is 11013-0756 for the air filter. Use the K&N air filter KA-2414.
Cable lubricant	Remember to lubricate your clutch cable with a cable lubricant. Protect All Cable Life is a good general-purpose lubricant. (You can also use engine oil but it’s a bit messier).
Chain lubricant	The chain needs to be lubricated quite often (especially if it gets wet or dirty). Motul chain paste is cheap and well-loved.
Brake fluid	Spec is to use DOT-4 brake fluid.
Grease	Use a lithium soap-based grease for all the important greasing points.
Battery	Dead battery? Standard battery is a Siam Furukawa FTH4L-BS. Kawasaki recommends the Battery Mate 150-9, Optimate 4, and a couple of other chargers.

Maintenance schedule for the Kawasaki Z125 Pro

Below is the full maintenance schedule for the Kawasaki Z 125 Pro. The Z125 Pro is easy to service!

To avoid repetition, we’ve split out the “Inspection checklist” to a separate section below.

km x 1000	1	12	24	36	48
mi x 1000	0.6	7.6	15.2	22.8	30.4	Every
Inspection checklist (see below) — Perform	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	Year
Engine oil — Replace (Kawasaki 10W-40 Engine Oil)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	Year, or more often if riding aggressively or in dust / wet
Engine oil filter — Replace (HF112)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	Year, or more often if riding aggressively or in dust / wet
Air cleaner element — Inspect		✓	✓	✓	✓
Air cleaner element — Replace (KA-2414)						2 years, or more often if riding aggressively or in dust / wet
Spark plug — Replace (CR6HSA)		✓	✓	✓	✓
Valve clearances — Inspect / adjust		✓	✓	✓	✓
Brake fluid (front and rear) — Replace (Castrol DOT 4)						2 years
Brake hoses, and rubber parts of master cylinders and calipers — Replace						4 years
Fuel hoses — Replace						5 years
Rear suspension — Lubricate (Lithium soap-based grease)			✓		✓
Steering stem bearings — Lubricate			✓		✓	2 years

Inspection checklist

Below is the general regular inspection checklist for the Kawasaki Z125 Pro. Go through this checklist this according to the schedule above (basically, every servie)

Kawasaki Z125 Inspection Checklist
Idle speed
Throttle control system (play, smooth return, no drag)
Fuel system — Inspect for leaks
Evaporative emission control system (if fitted)
Clutch operation (play, engagement, disengagement)
Tire air pressure (see reference below)
Wheels and tires
Wheel bearing damage
Drive chain guide wear
Brake system correct function
Brake operation (effectiveness, play, no drag)
Brake fluid level
Brake pad wear
Brake light switch operation
Suspension system
Steering play (no notches, smooth operation)
Electrical system
Chassis parts condition
Condition of bolts, nuts, and fasteners

Maintaining Your Chain on the Kawasaki Z125 Pro

It’s important to maintain your chain on the Z125 Pro, as it’s a bike that is often ridden hard, despite its size.

Use a good-quality chain lubricant like Motul chain paste, or a Motul chain care kit which comes with a couple of handy tools to maintain the chain.

Kawasaki recommends you follow the following chain maintenance schedule:

Chain maintenance item	Every
Check drive chain lubrication condition, lubricating if necessary (Motul chain paste)	400 mi / 600 km
Check drive chain slack, adjusting if necessary (see below)	600 mi / 1000 km
Inspect drive chain wear, replacing chain if necessary	3800 mi / 6000 km

Notes:

• Do these items (checking/adjusting slack, and checking/applying lubrication) more often if you ride your Z125 Pro in dusty or rainy conditions.
• Always lubricate the chain after washing the motorcycle.

To measure chain slack, measure total vertical free play of bottom half of chain, in the middle. Move the chain around to get different readings. Target chain slack for the Kawasaki Z125 Pro is 15-30 mm (0.6-1.2 inches).

To adjust free play

1. Remove the cotter pin
2. Loosen the axle
3. Loosen the lock nuts
4. Adjust the adjusting nuts on both sides by an equal amount. Refer to the notches.
5. Keep checking the chain slack
6. Tighten the lock nut, and then tighten the axle (47 lb-ft / 64 Nm).
7. Put in a new cotter pin.

Tire sizes and pressures for the Kawasaki Z125 Pro

The manual specifies the following tire sizes and pressures (cold). Of course, these are recommended starting point tire pressures only.

Tyre	Wheel size	Size	Tyre pressure (cold)
Front	12 x MT2.50	100/90-12 49J	22 psi (150 kPa)
Rear	12 x MT3.50	120/70-12 51 L	29 psi (200 kPa)

The Z125 Pro ships with IRC NR77U tyres stock, but people rarely stick with these after wearing out a set of tyres.

About the Kawasaki Z125 Pro

The Kawasaki Z125 Pro is Kawasaki’s “cheap thrills” motorcycle.

Unlike many other motorcycles in this capacity and power segment — small, and low — the Z125 is built for fun, not practicality or economy. You won’t see many people using the Z125 Pro to do Uber Eats deliveries, for example.

The Z125 Pro is powered by a square (same bore and stroke) single-cylinder engine that’s SOHC, 2-valve, and air-cooled. It has a displacement of 125cc, in case you were wondering, and runs a compression ratio of 9.8:1. It is fuel-injected.

The transmission in the Kawasaki Z125 Pro is 4-speed and power is delivered to the ground via a chain drive.

Being a fun bike, the kind that may be someone’s first bike or a bike used to learn how to do stunts, the Z125 is heavily customisable. There are many aftermarket accessories available for it, from slip-on mufflers to suspension upgrades. And of course sticker kits.

The Z125 is not just low-powered, it’s also compact. The wheelbase is barely more than a metre (or nearly four feet), and the curb weight is a modest 102 kg or 225 lb. A strong person (or maybe two moderately strong people) could easily lift it and put it into the back of a van or onto a truck’s bed.

In front of the Z125 is a display that should be familiar to many Z riders — a big tachometer and a digital LCD with speed and even a fuel gauge. It’s a lot of info for a cheap, basic bike. Even a BMW R nineT Pure, which costs five times as much, doesn’t have this much info.

The Z125 Pro gets that “Z” in front of it, associating it with much bigger bikes, including the next biggest in line, the Kawasaki Z400, all the way to the supercharged Z H2.

Manual for the Kawasaki Z125 Pro

The above maintenance schedule was transcribed from the manual for the Z 125 Pro.

The schedule is from the 2023 manual. It’s the same as the 2017 manual, except that in the 2017 manual it says you should check the evaporative emissions system more frequently (as well as brakes and the chain, that riders check more often than required anyway).

You can view it on Kawasaki’s website here.

Here’s an archive copy of the 2023 manual for reference.