First Ride - Suzuki DR125SM

Click to read: Suzuki DR125 SM owners reviews, Suzuki DR125 SM specs and to see the Suzuki DR125 SM image gallery.

We older more experienced types should envy those getting their first leg up onto the biking ladder. For them the buzz of it all has yet to be discovered. Every two-wheeled foray made is a new journey into the unknown - rich in equal levels of risk and reward.

Limited as they are to 125s, it would be all too easy to take the piss out of the weedy power-restricted mounts law-makers restrict them to. The fact is though, when you’re brand new to the biking world, even bikes with less than 15bhp and an inability to bust the national speed limit can be liberatingly riotus. Suzuki’s new sharply-styled DR125SM is one such thrill-finding tool for the newcomer to two-wheels.

I myself, as a Victor Meldrew-aping middle-ager having clocked more than a few miles aboard a multitude of bikes, wasn’t exactly gagging at the prospect of giving the diddy DR a whirl. But the little Supermoto hasn’t been made to please older hands like me, and once I got into the more youthful mindset of a typical owner, the DR world got a fair degree rosier.

It makes a bright start to your day if you want to use it for commuting. Just like it did with me on board, the 125 can cut an unrelenting path through congested town traffic. Skinny and light, few things halt this bike’s hurried march to its destination. I say hurried, with just 11bhp available even when it’s wound up to the max, the Suzuki isn’t the speediest machine to ever drop off a production line. But though drag-strips aren’t its natural home, with a bit of throttle commitment, the fuel-injected DR will get off the line rapidly enough. Car and public transport users can’t hope to match its average urban journey pace. Its motor is reasonably torquey and flexible too, meaning your left-foot doesn’t always need to blur from constant gear-changing to maintain any sort of speed.

Soft, underdamped suspension deals with buggered roads plushly, and low-spec brakes help you cope with uninvited path-crossers promptly. Performance itself might be unremarkable, but at least constant motion is pretty much guaranteed. Standing still is only really enforced by traffic lights, and as the two gallon tank will let you clock up between 120-180miles, you won’t often be parked at the pumps either. Petrol running costs of around just 1.5-2p a mile will more than make up for any lack of cred on the High Street.

Mind you, looking as smart as the Supermoto does, that lack of clout isn’t probably something a newcomer will worry about too much. Being quite sizeable makes it seem more substantial and grown-up, as well as making it more accommodating. It’s quite well-built too. Though I reckon regular washes will be needed to keep it that looking tidy, Suzuki’s famed fragile finish being what it is.

Take it away from the bricks and mortar, and the DR125SM naturally loses its winning edge over the traffic. I did get the speedo to read a heady 70mph at one point, though the needle was only inclined to indicate that because of the road’s descending nature. Bank on 60mph being a more regular and eventual maximum.

On a kart track later in the day the DR gave a decent enough account of itself under the ultimate pressure. It got a bit edgy and vague when trying Scott Redding impressions, but for what it is; a basic starter bike that’s as easy on the mind as it is the wallet, the Suzuki is a bit of a winner. It certainly beats a bus or train any day of the week.

MODEL SPECS
PRICE: £2,599
ENGINE: 124CC AIR-COOLED, 2-VALVE SINGLE
POWER: 11BHP @ 9,500RPM
TORQUE: 7 LB.FT @ 7,500RPM (CLAIMED)
FRONT SUSPENSION: 35MM NON ADJUSTABLE
REAR SUSPENSION: TWIN SHOCKS NON ADJUSTABLE
FRONT BRAKE: 250MM DISC, TWIN-PISTON CALIPER
REAR BRAKE: 220MM DISC, SINGLE-PISTON CALIPER
DRY WEIGHT: 123KG (CLAIMED) SEAT HEIGHT 836MM
FUEL CAPACITY: 9L
TOP SPEED: 65MPH (EST)
COLOURS: BLUE, BLACK/YELLOW