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
Suzuki DR125S sm all chassis and relatively ligh t weight was confidence-inspiring off-road, as well. U nlike bigger, heavier, dual sport machines, the 125 didn't feel super top heavy. Though the street /dirt tires demand that extra caution be taken in slippery conditions, the bike hooked up reasonably well. The smooth power delivery, combined with the street/dirt tires, also produced some pretty pred ictable slides. Jay Springsteen, watch out. Though we didn't take a bigger bike along for comparison, a few of the testers felt that - on certain trails - they were able to ride faster, with a greater feeling of control, than they could have aboard a larger mach ine, la rgely due to the fact of its small size and mellow power. But there's no comparison when it comes to serious dua l sport riding - the bigger DRs have it. Our second off-road ad ven ture came (Above) A small yet relatively complete - tool kit Is . stored In a compartment behind the left sidepanel. (Right) The DR is a comlortable machine , but the seat Is too solt lor any . extended time in the saddle. Expect to hit your feet on the tum signals the first lew times you throw a leg over the seat. (Below) Off-road, the DR demands that extra attention be paid to the dual-sport tires, but otherwise performs admirably In the hands 01 a beginner, The suspension Is on the solt side lor agresslve riding, but that's not what the DR was made lor, anyway, (Right) The DR's control panel is plain and simple, The handlebar bends quite easily. on a full-blown motocross cou rse, complete wi th w hoops, jumps a nd ruts . Sure, th a t' s the last thing the DR was designed for, but why not try it a nyway? To our surprise, the DRl25S again performed admirably. Though the suspension's limitations were reached in a matter of feet, the bike as a whole handled quite well. Small jumps were handled with ease, as were the w hoop sections when the speeds were kept to a reasonable level. As a matter of fact, one of ou r testers was able to catch and pass a lesser rider who was aboard a fullblown 250cc motocross bike. The most su rp rising thing, however, was ho w well th e bike tracked in th e sandier sections of the cou rse. Th is made little sense, as the tread on th e street/ d irt tires hard ly see med ap p ropriate. Go figure. SO WHAT DO WE REALLY THINK? All in all, the DR125S is a fun, easy to-ride motorcycle that ma y be the ultima te machine for a beginning ride r. On the street, the bike's mellow power outpu t and smallish ergonomics are perfect. Besides, wh o wa nts to learn on a GSXR750? For zi p pi ng a ro u n d town and ru nning erra nds, the bike is idea l, but we wouldn' t recommend it for commu ting any great distances. On the dirt, there are better choices for a begin n ing ri der, but those machines are "off-road only," and not as versatile as the DRl25S. But what if you 're not a beginner? The DRl 25S can still be a bundle of fun just as k the tester who race d past that CR250. a