All Tests – Three red balls tumble at Derbi! – For leather fans: the GPR

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Three red balls tumble at Derbi !

All Tests - Three red balls tumble at Derbi! - For leather fans: the GPR

Derbi has just drawn three sports news: the GPR and the Senda DRD SM and R. Equipped with the same 125 cc 4-stroke 4-valve engine, these three red balls intend to become the benchmarks in speed, supermotard and enduro. One, back, very: test !

For leather fans: the GPR

Derbi wanted its GPR 125 "sporty but not extreme", explains Piero Soatti, director of the brand’s Research and Development department..

So that at the controls, the pilot is in a pleasant position: the seat height is limited to 810 mm and the handlebars are neither too low nor too far. Beginners will appreciate it, while young and old alike will be at their ease !

Despite this accessible and comfortable aspect, the new Derbi carefully cultivates its sporty aspect: "we wanted technical arguments and not just aesthetic ones", insists Derbi !

We thus note the presence of parts carefully created or selected: frame and swingarm in die-cast aluminum, Paioli inverted fork with sleeves – red! – 41 mm, 300 mm disc brake bitten by a radial-mounted 4-piston caliper … It has everything a great !

For a 125, the look is very flattering: the chassis and the 17-inch rims – taken from the Mulhacen Cafe – are nicely designed, the fairing and the 13-liter tank give the sport a medium-displacement size, the pot placed under the engine further fluidifies its general line and the rear light is LED, por favor !

Once removed, the passenger footrests provide a view of a particularly slender rear section. Aesthetes will then hasten to replace the imposing plastic plate holder with more discreet adaptable … but just as legal? To check…

There are, however, some imperfections concerning the finish: some black plastic parts do not go well with the other elements in the paint – flawless -, the horn and its mounting bracket are placed without special attention, just like the coolant tank housed under the left flank.

The most grumpy will finally notice that the adjustment of the front brake lever requires the use of a wrench … Fortunately, the pilot is not supposed to play with it all the time. !

Its featherweight (120 kg dry) gives the GPR 125 excellent agility and will reassure the most timid. The same is true for its engine: absent under 7,000 rpm – for an experienced biker – it is flexible enough to allow beginners to quietly get used to gear changes..

A branded cut…

The happy faces of the journalists at the arrival of the little improvised race did not go unnoticed … to such an extent that a few hours later, the director of Motana France, Luc Jaguelin, entrusted Site with the possibility of organizing in France a cut of GPR and / or DRD! In fact, more and more motorcyclists are going on the circuit and young people are no exception to this rule. "Motorists who use the 125 may also be tempted to compete on two wheels.", adds the importer of Derbi in France. A nice wheel, circuits not too rolling and a horde of big children … What more is needed ?

From this point of view, the box is also benevolent: the six reports engage easily, the left hand having almost no effort to provide to disengage. Very quickly, on the circuit, the pace accelerates and the notion of "sports" takes on its full value..

Because if the pilot does not necessarily let go from the first laps – see our photos in the second session! – he quickly realizes that the suspensions and tires of the new Derbi (100/80 at the front and 130/70 at the rear) allow him to swallow the curves at respectable speeds.

At high speed (over 100 km / h), the behavior of the motorcycle remains healthy. And even in this small break to the right on an incline which requires a quick brake on the angle, the balance and the trajectory of the Derbi are preserved. !

The braking is also quite satisfactory: both powerful and perfectly dosable, it is not excessively biting, which is a good point for daily use where the conditions can be much more precarious than those for which benefit the lucky journalists…

Enduring despite the Catalan heat, the front brake must however be used to a minimum so as not to lose the bike’s momentum … Because the performance of the single cylinder is much less impressive than that of the cycle part !

In the reminders as well as at the start of red lights on our congested streets and avenues, the engine of the GPR 125 will require to be maintained between 8,500 and 10,500 rpm. From 10,900 rpm, the dashboard shift light will remind stunned people that it’s time to shift, because the switch operates 300 turns higher.

On the climbs, the water mill lacks energy but it still allowed us to reach 123 km / h at the end of the straight line of 625 meters. One of the test machines had recorded a maximum speed of 138 km / h … probably reached on the motorway, at the suction of a minivan !

Yes, "record", because the new GPR retains the maximum speed reached since the last reset: a long press on the "mode" button is enough! Something to show off in front of friends … but a little less in front of parents or other authorities !

Perfectly readable, the dashboard – all LCD – offers a wealth of information: tachometer, speed, fuel gauge, engine temperature, odometer and partial, clock, stopwatch and maximum speed … gear indicator engaged !

Back in the pits – or in the parking lot of the school, the cinema, the MJC or the office (!) -, the gearbox can do its own: the neutral point is difficult to find and the green indicator light on the dashboard may come on while the engine remains in gear. Beware of untimely stalls !

On the practical side, the GPR 125 does not do better than its competitors, 125 like 600 or 1000: barring a huge stroke of luck, even a small U should not find its place under the saddle. It is regrettable, so much this GPR is likely to arouse envy !

Available in June, the Derbi GPR 125 will cost € 4,099 until July 31, 2009 then € 4,299 (or € 100 more than the Yamaha). It can be chosen in black or white, according to taste. Unfortunately, the 2009 novelty will not be declined in "Replica" Mike de Meglio: the GPR 50 already had this honor last year (read) and this year, the Toulouse one "passed" to Aprilia !

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