Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127659
, E T. Suzuki DR125S JS . - ,- . . reached a max imum sp eed of 70mph, but only after wha t seemed like minutes. Though the bike is capab le of allaining freeway speeds, each of the test ers felt that the machin e was too small to be ridden amongst the thousands of pounds of fou r-wheeled metaL And sp ea kin g of riding two-up, the DR's clutch em its a loud, squealing noise when it is forced to pull nearly 300 pounds of passenger weight away from a comple te stop. Zipping around town on the DR was confidence-inspiring. And why shouldn't it be? With such a low seat height and up right, dirt-bike-style ergonomics, the DRl25S feels like a mini bike with. street tires. Thanks to its ligh t weight (for a dual sp ort bike), the 125 is easy to flick around corners, into driveways and (dare we say it?) over speed bumps. (Left) Despite Its bulbous fuel tank, the Suzuki DR125S feels as small as II looks. The 315 inch seat height keeps beginners close to the ground and comfortable. (Below) Running quick enands or taki ng short tri ps on the DR will bring a smile to your face. The bike Is extremely easy to maneuver. By Donn Maeda , hey say that bigger is bet ter, but in the case of Suzuki's allnew DR125S dual sport machine, that cliche has never been more off-base. Why is it that the words "all new" - when coming from a motorcycle manufacturer - conjure up images of high-tech, turbocharged race machines? Sadly, we at Cycle News are just as guilty as the next of jumping to such conclusions. When word of an all-new Suzuk i reached our offices, we sat in anticipation, wond ering what it could po ssibly be . Ho we ver, when the DRl25S was finally unveiled, w e m ust ad mit that a braw l d idn 't immed iately break out amongst the editors over who would get to test Suzuki's newest dual sporter. . What we have found in the pas t few weeks, h owever, is tha t our lack of enthusiasm was quite undeserved. The DRl 25S - although small and somewhat underpowered - is quite a machine. At the heart of the smallest DR is a 124cc, sing le over head cam, two-valve; air-cooled four-stroke motor. You'll find no kick- start lever on this puppy, as Suzuki has gone with the "big bike feature" of electric starting. A 31mm Mikuni carburetor han dles the air/fuel mixing duties, while Suzuki's PEl ignition system prod uces the spark that makes it all happen . A six-speed transmission pu ts the "po wer" to the ground via a smallish 428 chain. Cha ssis-wise, the DR125S features a low 31.5 inch seat height (that's 6.3 inches lower than an RMl25, and 3.5 inches lower than a DR250S), and a 54.5 inch wheelb ase. Suzuki cl aim s tha t th e machine's dry weight is 251 Ibs. Showa sus pension units handle the bump absorption on both ends. The fork offe rs 8.1 inche s of travel, bu t has no compression or rebound adj ustments. Out back, the shock can be adjusted via spring pre load, and boasts 7.9 inches of travel. A single hydra ulic disc graces the fron t end , while a drum does the stopping in the rear . Like the larger DRSes, the 125 features a 21/18 " fro nt/ rear wheel combo. At $2999, the DR125S isn't exac tly cheap, but as with all dual sport motorcycles, you 're really getting "two bikes for the price of one." ON THE STREET Firing up the little DR was as easy as flipp ing th e fue l petcock to th e op en position, pu lling the easy-to-find choke knob, inser ting the key, p ulling in the clutch lever and pus hing the start button. The fu el petcock has "off," "on," and " reserve" set tings, but we never had to resort to the reserve setting. The first th ing that we learn ed abou t the DRS is that it is extremely cold-blooded . Plan on lelling the machine idle for at least five to 10 minutes before taking to the streets . Faili ng to let the machine w a rm up sufficiently w ill leave yo u with a stalled mo tor as soon as yo u engage the clutch . A quick look at the motor will reveal that there is no auxiliary kick-start lever. Why not? Our g ue ss is to keep the weight down, an d th a t Suzuki had enough confide nce in its electric starter to leave one off. The electric starter on our tes t bike never fai led us , but we would still like the extra security of a back-up . Once und erwa y, the DR125S perfor me d just as we exp ect ed . No, th e mo to r is not a fire-brea thi ng torquemonger, but it does deliver a steady pull of power -that is characteristic of fou rstroke engines. Low-end powe r is a bit lack ing; dont expect to g ra b any holeshots while po we ring away fro m stop lights. Once und erw ay, however, the DR is quite respectable. According to California traffic codes, a moto rcycle mus t have an output of at least 16 horsep owe r to be freewa y le gaL Su zu ki would n't provide us with a horse power fi gure, but would confirm tha t th e DRl25S was certified street legal in the state. Freeway legal, ma ybe, but each of our staff members opted to pass on such an adventure. With a 165 lb. rid er and 100 lb . p assenger abo ar d, the DR Th e fro nt disc br ak e is a welcome feature when it comes time to bring the DR down from speed. The rear d rum is stro ng enough to do the job required of it. Since wa rp speeds are not attained by the sma ll machine; a rear disc isn't really necessary. ON THE DIRT Leaving the pavement and taking to the dirt was a pleasing experience. On ou r first off-road outing, we explored som e fire ro ads in th e San Gab riel mountains. Like on the street, the bike's