Suzuki GSX-R 125 test

Menus

• Single cylinder, 4-stroke, 124.4 cm3, 15 hp at 10,000 rpm, 11.5 Nm at 8,000 rpm, 134 kilos, € 4,599
• A little sportswoman who worthily represents the fabulous lineage of the GSX-R
• Discovery
• In the saddle
• Engine and transmission
• In the city
• On motorways and main roads
• On departmental
• On track
• Part-cycle
• Brakes
• Comfort & duo
• Consumption / autonomy
• Conclusion
• Video – Review of the Suzuki GSX-R 125

Single cylinder, 4-stroke, 124.4 cm3, 15 hp at 10,000 rpm, 11.5 Nm at 8,000 rpm, 134 kilos, € 4,599

A little sportswoman who worthily represents the fabulous lineage of the GSX-R

It’s beautiful, youth. It’s beautiful, because it’s the age of all discoveries, all emotions, all desires. This is the age when we dream a lot to achieve a little, which is already a great achievement. Youth is beautiful, because not all growing up teenagers become geeks who spend their lives shooting zombies on a game console. Some declaim their desire for freedom via the motorbike while their inherent ardor values performance: performance that could not be exemplified better than anyone by the lineage of the GSX-R. A saga that has lasted since 1985, when the first 750 of the name laid the foundations for the sporty 2.0 (the first being the Kawasaki 900Z: potato; the third era opened with the BMW S1000RR and its electronic gear) and which has written beautiful pages in the history of the sport, with sales figures that have hurt the competition, by many titles of world champion of endurance and victories in World Superbike.

In short: GSX-R, four letters that have inspired dreams for several generations. And which are now accessible to the greatest number. After the GSX-R 250 cm which is intended for A2 licenses, here is the 125 cm3 version, intended for teenagers who pass their A1 license, or even for those who resume the bike after a long interruption or who want to rediscover the joys of the little one. displacement. The small GSX-R thus arrives on a niche already crowded with a few competitors: Aprilia RS4, Honda CBR, KTM RC 125, Yamaha YZF-R 125. To stand out, the small Suzuki announces a new engine, a lower weight and new equipment. Let’s see this in detail.

Discovery

It exists in black or white, but aficionados will release an additional 100 euros note to be seen on the handlebars of the blue livery, similar to that of MotoGP or even the big sister, the GSX-R 1000. From the bow to the the stern, the family resemblance is there, even if it means resorting to certain artifices, such as the side covers which make you think of a boxed frame, but no, it is a good tubular structure which is below. At the same time, let’s keep in mind that this is just a 15 horsepower 125. On the other hand, the look is well asserted and let’s even say that it is successful. The backsplash is racy, the front pointed, the large silencer with its double orifice outlet and the LED lights at the front give a real qualitative aspect to this 125.

Note that the machine weighs only 134 kilos, which is, according to Suzuki, 8 kilos less than the average of its competitors. In fact, it is quite small and compact, even downright narrow at the level of the tank, which nevertheless contains 11 liters. Finally, the finish is rather good, with well assembled fairings, a small Suzuki logo embossed on the side. Not bad for a 125.

In the saddle

And the good news continues once you get in the saddle. First, because the machine is small and compact, as we have said, and that it will suit medium builds (less to a large sausage that eats well in the canteen, like your servant): with 785 mm, the seat height is the lowest in the 125 sports category. Then because once on board, we discover a fully digital and hyper complete dashboard, both for a 125, but also in absolute terms: 2 trips, clock, gear indicator engaged, tachometer with shift -light, there is even a fuel gauge and an average consumption indicator. It’s a palace, isn’t it? Yes…

Last little treat and new equipment in the category: a keyless starting system, transponder in the pocket, it’s very techno, that !

Engine and transmission

We’re not even going to stroke the epidermis of nostalgia that says it was better before: yes, with the little 2-strokes, the kids of 20 years ago had little machines of character to begin with. Now, the legislation has passed through there and the legislator is rarely a fun guy: he is also often an old fat and frustrated guy with dandruff and low libido who takes pleasure in banning lots of things for him. good of mankind. But hey: now a 125 is 15 horsepower max. Ooh La La !

With dimensions of 62 x 41.2 mm, we notice that the GSX-R 125 has a short stroke, which allows it to pick up revolutions per minute. No wonder: in Asia, the market for this type of machine is just huge and there, they mainly exist in 150 cm3 (which makes you want to send them our legislators, no, but, let’s level all this by the bottom!) where they develop 19 horses. By means of a shorter connecting rod, Suzuki makes it a 125. The intake body is 32 mm and the generous airbox is 4.3 liters..

In the context of a test which took place exclusively on the circuit, it is difficult to speak of flexibility, but let’s recognize that the engine starts to pull at 7000 rpm, delivers its maximum torque at 8000, its power at 10 000 and lengthens the stride up to 12,000, while the red zone is at 11,500 rpm. The box accepts on-the-fly gear changes without flinching.

In the city

No city on this test. Please refer to the test of the GSX-S 125. They share the same powertrain and differ by a handlebars more raised by 10 cm and a turning radius which gains 5 ° (40 on the roadster against 35 on the sports car. , Which is not that bad). In any case, the contained weight and the narrowness of the GSX-R should allow it to slip into town with great ease..

On motorways and main roads

No highway either, necessarily. That said, we recognize that the driving position is a little on the front, but without major excess: in fact, by bending the spine a little, we will have, if not absolute protection, ergonomics already more able to face the elements. With 15 horsepower, the engine can’t claim to send the curb chain around your elbow every time you accelerate, but it is voluntary all the same. At full speed, the 4th climbs to 90 km / h, the 5th to around 115 km / h and there was not enough space on the circuit to achieve maximum speed. We can hope to come close to the 130 km / h counter.

On departmental

Same, not practiced on this test: nevertheless, the suspensions seem quite comfortable and not too brittle in their reactions, especially in relaxation, a demonic agility ….

On track

The approach is interesting: while this machine will undoubtedly be used to take older teenagers to high school or college, Suzuki gave it to us to try it out on the circuit. It’s a GSX-R after all. On the track, we are obviously not overwhelmed by the power, but we notice despite everything that the engine is voluntary and takes turns without too much complaining or vibrating..

Obviously, you have to contain your breathing, take care of your trajectories, use the smallest square centimeter of track to be as fluid as possible. "As long as there is bitumen, there is hope", said the poet Alex Viera, pilot in his spare time. Thus, we find (almost) the sensations of a Moto3 rider: in apnea, the head in the bubble, the butt raised on the backrest to treat the aero, we say to ourselves that we will eventually put a U-turn to catch up with the pilot who is just 20 meters in front of you. Pure sensations, which refer to the basics of piloting. In this context, the small GSX-R has qualities: we have already mentioned this voluntary engine (within the limits of the genre, of course), but which extends the stride and this gearbox which accepts to be mistreated. No false dead point or dropout was noted on these sessions. Obviously, all you have to do is move one ear or open one nostril to change course and that’s good..

Nevertheless, Suzuki did not go to the end of the process, which can also be understood for questions of costs, target and intended use. Despite everything, on the circuit, we quickly come to a few limits: the tires (Dunlop D102) offer little feedback and an average grip and they had a hard time heating up during our morning sessions, certainly carried out on a bitumen a little fresh. You will say that a pair of tires can change: certainly, but in this case, we are touching a different form of balance, because the small fork had a hard time keeping its guiding capacity on the successions of bumps. support and many of us have scared ourselves. In this case, we adapt: ​​keep a little margin, of course, drive less "on the front", but be fine with the steering while holding a trickle of gas, sit the rear and use more of the footrests than the handlebars to turn. It works and it even allows you to make up without dragging yourself, but we still remain a little on the reserve.

That being said, remember that the small GSX-R is primarily intended to take teenagers to high school and that a little work on fork oil can solve this problem. However, some of its competitors (Yamaha, KTM, Aprilia) are more advanced in chassis, with inverted forks and even boxed swing arms in the case of Europeans..

Part-cycle

Do not let the side covers mislead you: they hide a square section steel cradle. The fork is conventional and non-adjustable and the rear swingarm is made of steel. Suzuki does not communicate on suspension travel data.

Brakes

Petal discs, with a solid 290mm element at the front, pinched by two pistons and a 187mm element at the rear, pinched by a single piston. Two-channel ABS is entrusted to Bosch. It cannot be disconnected for track use.

Comfort & duo

It’s hard to talk about comfort at the end of a track day, but despite everything the general feeling is pretty good. The bike cushions well in most circumstances, the saddle does not feel firm. Given the space on board, the pilot should preferably set his sights on a compact and petite passenger. It is good too.

Consumption / autonomy

Suzuki claims a consumption of 2.3 l / 100. On the track, we made a little less than 4l / 100, according to the data from the on-board computer. On the road and in real life, we must therefore theoretically be able to count on a value approaching 3 l. With 11 liters in the tank, the range will easily exceed 350 km, which is good. In addition, there is a fuel gauge. Royal !

Conclusion

It derives from a prestigious line, it is beautiful and it presents well, with its LEDs, its digital dashboard, its MotoGP replica decoration: no doubt that the GSX-R will crack many teens, teens who will show off with the keyless start, as on much more prestigious motorcycles. On a daily basis, its voluntary engine and its comfort which seem correct, as far as we have been able to judge, will make it a certainly stylish companion, but also, easy to understand by the softness of its controls, its compactness, its sobriety which should be to confirm.

But since this is a GSX-R, we can’t help but think that Suzuki preferred to focus on the look, the build quality and the techno equipment, rather than on the chassis which remains very conventional and despite everything a little behind some of its competitors who adopt inverted forks. It is true that with 15 horses, everything depends on the use that you want to make of it and that on the road, these elements will certainly be less important..

Strong points

• Family look
• Compactness
• Voluntary motor
• Complete dashboard
• Keyless start
• Agility

Weak points

• Tires without shine
• Fork that dribbles over bumps on the attack
• Large sizes are a bit cramped, obviously !
• Keyless switch a bit of a joke on some of the test machines

Suzuki GSX-R 125 technical sheet

Test conditions

• Itinerary: 5 sessions of 20 minutes on the Stowe track of the Silverstone circuit (GB)
• Motorcycle mileage: 400 km
• Problem encountered: none

Competition: Aprilia RS4, Honda CBR 125, KTM RC 125, Yamaha YZF-R 125

Video – Review of the Suzuki GSX-R 125

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