Derbi Terra: the small enduro with a design prize

The Derbi Terra was a small road enduro motorcycle produced by the Spanish firm Derbi from 2007 to 2013. It was shown at the EICMA exhibition in 2006, won a design prize from the Motorcycle Design Association, and was built in a standard version and an Adventure version with more off-road equipment.

Derbi Terra at a glance

based on one source; the Italian Wikipedia article is the only detailed account of the Terra.

History of the Derbi Terra

The Terra 125 was presented at the EICMA show in 2006 as a small enduro for young riders, offered only with a four-stroke single-cylinder 125 cc engine developed by Piaggio. Shortly after its debut it was awarded by the Motorcycle Design Association as the most beautiful 125 motorcycle of 2006. Production began in the spring of 2007 and the bike went on sale in the main European markets in the summer of that year. Mechanically it was derived from the Derbi Senda.

The Terra 125 is compact: 2,120 mm long with a 1,440 mm wheelbase, built on a tubular steel frame with a Paioli telescopic fork of 37 mm and a variable-section swingarm. It has a 110/90 R18 front tyre with a 280 mm disc brake and a 130/80 R17 rear tyre with a 218 mm disc. The dry weight is 117 kg and the two-up seat is 815 mm from the ground. The liquid-cooled Piaggio four-stroke four-valve single produces 11 kW (15 hp) at 9,250 rpm, is homologated to Euro 3, drives through a six-speed gearbox and gives a claimed top speed of 110 km/h.

In the spring of 2008 the Terra 125 Adventure was presented, a version with a stronger off-road character. It has a different front end with a larger screen and a mudguard mounted on the front wheel, a 90/90-21 knobbly front tyre, a 41 mm Kayaba fork with 175 mm of travel, a larger 300 mm front disc, forged aluminium footrests and guards for the lamp and the engine. It is 2,170 mm long with a 1,454 mm wheelbase, the seat is 861 mm high and the dry weight is 121 kg; the engine is the same liquid-cooled 125 cc Piaggio unit and the top speed is again 110 km/h.

The Terra was not a great success, and because of low sales of the whole Derbi range both the Terra 125 and the Terra 125 Adventure went out of production in March 2013, when the historic Martorelles factory closed.

The model later returned to production in China in 2018, sold as the Aprilia Terra for the local and Asian markets by the Zongshen Piaggio Foshan joint venture, with four-stroke 150 and 250 cc engines also made in China. From the end of 2019 the Austrian KSR group, owner of the Malaguti brand, agreed with Zongshen Piaggio to import these Aprilia Terra machines into Europe as the Malaguti Dune, using the old 125 cc Derbi engine, now built in China and homologated to Euro 4.

Design and features

• Design prize: named the most beautiful 125 motorcycle of 2006 by the Motorcycle Design Association.
• Light and low: 117 kg dry and an 815 mm seat, aimed at young riders.
• Piaggio four-stroke: a 15 hp, Euro 3, four-valve single with six speeds.
• Adventure version: 21-inch front wheel, longer-travel Kayaba fork and a 300 mm disc.
• Second life in China: later built as the Aprilia Terra and Malaguti Dune.

Derbi Terra versions

• Terra 125 (2007–2013): the standard road enduro.
• Terra 125 Adventure (2008–2013): off-road version with 21-inch front wheel and 300 mm disc.
• Aprilia Terra (2018): Chinese-built version with 150 and 250 cc engines.
• Malaguti Dune (2019): the Aprilia Terra imported to Europe under the Malaguti name.

The Terra was derived from the Derbi Senda, and the Mulhacén was the firm’s other 125 of the same years. More motorcycles are in the Derbi collection.

Sources

• Derbi Terra, Italian Wikipedia: debut, specifications, Adventure version, end of production