Suzuki DR125SM - 2008 |
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 Suzuki has just introduced their seventh 125cc learner legal machine in recent years the DR125SM and it is bound to be lucky for them and everybody that rides it given that it is so good. The SM in its official designation stands for Supermoto and it has all the styling and panache of bigger and more powerful machines in this class.
 In fact at a glance it is hard to believe that this is just a 125cc machine, which is going to give it a lot of street credibility amongst those youngsters looking to start their motorcycling careers. Where style for some is paramount, this bike delivers with a very distinctive look. Edgy lines and lots of expansive bodywork really work well on this bike. While looks may be very important in this class, so is performance, usability and of course robustness. It also needs to be simple and cheap to run and to this end Suzuki also have an insurance offer to go with. It comes with a fixed rate second year deal that may well be hard to beat for the younger rider.
Back to the bike, it needs to cope with those who have not learnt the art of subtly, smooth machine control and who just want to extract every ounce of power from the motor. Certainly given the use (and abuse) they stood on the launch, which included some track time, the DR is going to take it all in its stride and keep putting a smile on its riders face.
 A few years ago you would have expected a two-stroke screamer to be nestling in the tubular steel diamond frame, but thanks to ever stringent emission laws, power comes from a four-stroke single giving a learner legal 11ps.
The good thing is that some of the proven technology employed on other bikes in the Suzuki range is used on this motor to make it simple and efficient. It is certainly built to last and deal with hard use and possible lack of maintenance. Automatic cam chain tensioner, oil-jet cooling of the underside of the flat topped piston will all help with the longevity issues as will fuel injection. This advanced system is controlled by an ECU that takes care of ignition timing as well, also means that the engine is tamper proof and therefore will not be able to be derestricted to obtain more power, stopping a learner breaking the law. (Suzuki has no plans to offer a kit either!)
 Power is transmitted to the 17-inch rear wheel via a five-speed gearbox with fifth being very much an overdrive, probably in an effort to stop the motor being continually revved for all it’s worth! The rear wheel is a match in proper Supermoto style with another seventeen-inch item at the front, both shod with some reasonably grippy Pirelli tyres. Suspension is taken care of by some quite chunky conventional 35 mm forks, backed up by a mono-shock rear. To keep things simple no adjustment is provided. A single disc 250mm disc at the front and a 220m item at the rear gripped by Nissin callipers take care of stopping power.
  Instrumentation is simple and adequate, sitting in behind the 35/35 watt headlamp cowl which extends down to protect the fork sliders. The analogue speedometer is easy to read on the move, there being no rev counter for obvious reasons!
 The launch saw journalists of all heights and weights riding the bikes and interestingly nobody looked out of place or felt cramped on the bike. To use the old cliché, ‘all controls seemed to fall easily to hand or foot!’ The motor started easily and quickly settled down to an efficient idle thanks to the Idling Speed Control (ISC) system. The exhaust note is as one might expect subdued and not likely to offend anybody, even when the engine is flat out.
 Certainly drifting through town and some suburban neighbourhoods and sleepy villages, nobody even turned to look as I went by.
In this environment you definitely need to work the gearbox to make sure you are in the best gear for all traffic situations. However, this five-speed item is as slick as any from Suzuki. Once you tune in to where the power is and which gear is most appropriate, this bike is quite good fun in traffic thanks to its lightweight (123kg) and flickablity. The seat height, as with any bike of this style gives good visibility over the lines of traffic and it is nippy enough to take the gaps when they appear. On the open road the bike will reach 70mph with a tail wind and no gradient, but is happier at 60mph, which at least does give something in reserve. However, thanks to the tall gearing, you do need to change down when a gradient appears and all overtakes have to be carefully planned! It does teach you about selecting the right gear for all situations and being precise and planning. Looked at from the learners point of view, this is all going to stand them in good stead when moving onto to bigger and better things. Handling is remarkably good and the bike will track through a corner pretty well, inspiring confidence. Certainly the track time showed it being a lot better than the budget suspension may have suggested! (This also showed that the bike will stand up well when dropped, as one journo found out!)
 Launches do not give you the chance to work out such things as petrol consumption, but the range from the 9-litre tank is likely to be around the 100 mile mark. This will probably be long enough on the long seat, given that very few of these will end up doing long journeys with the throttle pinned against the stop. Thanks to the balance shaft, vibration is not a problem and vibes do not affect rider comfort which is on a par with a lot larger machines. I have to say from my brief association with this new Suzuki that I would have been delighted to have started my two wheeled career on this, as opposed to a 20 year old, 250 BSA that leaked oil and often broke down.
 The recommended retail price of £2,599 OTR may seem a little high for a bike to pass your test on. However, looked at with the insurance offer and the quality of the bike, it is actually a good deal, because it is one that you can use long after your test to gain valuable experience on.
  Even for experienced riders it has style and comfort and would provide a useful town machine, with low running costs. Given the current economic climate the Suzuki DR125SM could be a real bargain!
Review by Ian Kerr Specifications:
Engine type: 4-stroke, 1-cylinder, air-cooled, SOHC
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