★★★★☆ | Suzuki GSX-S125
Float like a butterfly sting like a bee
What Have We Got
In this age of ever Increasing motoring costs, swapping to two wheels makes more and more sense. Roads are congested, fuel costs a fortune and we seem to spend half our lives sitting in traffic or looking for a parking space.
We wanted to try one of the current crop of 125cc commuters and see how practical they are.
Suzuki’s GSX-S125 is a funky, naked styled, Street bike. It looks great, it’s fun and it’ll do up to a claimed 122.82mpg! What a way to beat the traffic, have some fun and save money at the same time.
Riding
It feels tiny. With a seat height of just 785mm and a kerb weight of only 133kg, it’s a featherweight. The bars are in a great position making it easy to manoeuvre and legs are nicely placed for a comfortable ride. When you’re sat on it you’re the widest part which means you can judge gaps in the traffic easily making it a superb commuting tool, slicing through traffic with ease.
With only 15ps it’s not fast but the little single cylinder, DOHC (Double Over Head Cam) or ‘twin cam’ engine loves to rev and is good fun.
On a dual carriageway or motorway you struggle. It wouldn’t do much more than 70mph with my fat arse on it, but with a little 17-year-old should be good for more. Either way, 65-70mph is fine.
Details
A bike like this isn’t going to be festooned with kit. It’s nicely built, unlike the cheap Chinese 125’s you can get. Switchgear is all good quality stuff and it looks and feels great. The gearbox was ok, it didn’t like clutchless up changes but the ‘box is smooth and easy to use.
This little Suzuki is really light. They’ve saved weight all over, for example, it has forged aluminium wheels which help the bike turn quickly. ABS is also standard, helping to keep you safe as are LED lights and a neat, compact LCD dash.
We would expect the Suzuki GSX-S125 will hold its value much better than a cheap Chinese bike too.
Living with it
You have to take this bike in context. It’s an urban Street bike. Cool, fun and made to cut through traffic and put a smile on your face.
It handles really well, it’s very flickable. As you would expect from a bike that weighs as much as a paper bag, it turns and stops very sharply.
15ps (maximum allowed for an A1 licence) isn’t much but it’s on par with the most powerful in its class. The styling is spot on. That big Suzuki logo on the side looks really cool, and the metallic blue paint on our bike looked great.
The Verdict
Back in my day, you could pass your CBT on a little 125 scooter or something like that, then jump on a 500cc bike to take your big bike test which allowed you to ride anything. These days, it’s not so easy. There are several stages now, have a look here for more info; http://www.geton.co.uk/motorcycle-training-licence/
The first main step after you basic CBT allows you to ride this and bikes like it. Whether it’s a stepping stone to getting your big bike licence, a way to get on the road cheaply as a kid or just a commuting tool to beat the traffic and save money, you can’t go wrong with the GSX-S125. It’s fun, looks good, easy to ride and cheap to run. What’s not to like?
Love
Fun factor
Cheap to run
Easy to ride
Loathe
Slow (compared to big bikes)
I looked a bit daft on it
Nowhere to put anything
Lowdown
Bike – Suzuki GSX-S125
Price – £3,799
MPG – 122.82 (combined)
Power – 14.9hp and 11.5nm torque
Top Speed – approx 80 mph if you’re little
Co2 – 54 (g/km)
