Macbor Montana XR1, the small Spanish trail bike faces the summer with new features while keeping its low price

When Macbor decided to enter the lightweight motorcycle market in 2017, the Spanish brand undoubtedly made a bold move, especially by launching the Montana XR1, a 125 cc trail bike that opened up a segment until then known only for mid and large displacement trail bikes, a bet that has undoubtedly proven to be a success, as the sales figures clearly show.

Now the Montana XR1 is renewed without losing a shred of its essence: offering younger riders or holders of the B1 licence the chance to own a small trail bike with which to venture onto any terrain and reach any destination, with a standard equipment list that includes the optional extras and, just as importantly, all at a truly competitive price.

Available in four colours (white, red, yellow and black), the new Macbor Montana XR1 gets a new front end that abandons the previous “duck beak” design typical of trail bikes, now featuring a new triangular-shaped headlight with a new light signature through three optics divided by an “X” and daytime running lights on both sides, all with Full-LED technology; the design with that “X” as the star also carries over to the rear light, which is brand new. In addition, the side panels have also been redesigned, now with a boomerang shape to improve aerodynamics.

Despite being a 125 cc, the Montana XR1 is a motorcycle focused on covering long distances over the most varied terrain, which is why Macbor has also paid special attention to ergonomics in elements such as the position of the brake and clutch levers, handlebars, gear lever position and, also, the comfort of its seat, which sits at 780 mm from the ground, ensuring it can be handled with ease regardless of your height. But beyond the comfort it provides, the Montana XR1 also offers its rider a wide range of information, all through its fully digital instrument cluster featuring a 5-inch LED display.

Its tubular aluminium chassis, to which the rear swingarm is also attached, continues to house a four-stroke, single-cylinder 125 cc water-cooled engine that delivers a power output of 12.64 CV at 9,500 rpm and torque of 9.6 Nm, which is sent to the rear wheel through a six-speed manual gearbox. With this engine the Montana XR1 moves like a fish in water, easily and in a very agile way but also, very importantly, with low consumption, rated at 2.5 l/100 km on the WLTP cycle.

Continuing with the chassis, the Macbor Montana XR1 has a 37 mm diameter hydraulic inverted fork with 120 mm of travel at the front, as well as a 265 mm front brake disc with a 3-piston floating caliper, while at the rear there is a preload-adjustable monoshock with 48 mm of travel and a 240 mm rear brake disc with a single-piston floating caliper. It is worth noting that it comes as standard with 17-inch wheels on both axles, fitted with dual-purpose tyres that guarantee confident riding on any terrain.

As I mentioned a little earlier, another major advantage of the Macbor Montana XR1 is its equipment, which includes essential items for a trail bike such as a centre stand for parking it on difficult ground or carrying out maintenance tasks more easily, a USB socket located next to the left front side panel for charging our devices, or side and sump guards. Furthermore, a luggage kit is included as standard, consisting of a 35-litre top case, a 20-litre left pannier and a 15-litre right pannier, a kit valued at more than 500 euros.

Without a doubt, the Macbor Montana XR1 is a 125 cc trail bike that can offer its owners a great deal for very little, and when I say very little, I mean very little, since the renewed Spanish trail bike is already on sale at a price of just 3,799 euros.