Long-term Suzuki GSX-R125

Oliver’s had a few months behind the bars of his new Suzuki, and he’s still smitten with it…

Oliver – Suzuki GSX-R125

Time on test: 8 weeks

Miles: 1200

Price from new: £5,199

Another month into winter and the cold weather is not holding me back just yet. Despite the painfully icy winds, I have been out just as much as my warmer expeditions in the prior months, though with the help of layered clothes. The GSX-R125 continues to deliver me more excitement, learning curves and head turns, even after 3 months of riding.

Every time I go out, I always come back improved or, most of the time, knowing where I need to improve though. In a way, I hope not to master it too quickly, as learning and experiencing all these little tricks to riding, that you aren’t taught by an instructor, adds its own unique satisfaction. Learning to rev-match has been a comfort saver as downshifting almost feels unnoticeable, and counter-steering makes me feel like I’m actually going to make it round the corner. All of this learning has yet again come hand in hand with some adventures, however a bit toned down from Matlock. I think I’ll wait till it’s a bit warmer for that trip again.

 As I’ve mentioned previously, I am fortunate to live very near Donnington Park, yet before my biking journey, I had never really been to the place. Having driven past a few times, I knew there was a bike shop there, more specifically, a Superbike Factory shop, and so I knew my next destination. I picked a day and strapped on the gloves. The ride over is very simple, I effectively stay on one road the entire way. The road is national speed limit but the GSX-R125 has no problem reaching those speeds and a lot of the time I’d even find myself stuck behind other cars. Id also, by this point, built the confidence to go the national speed limit, meaning I didn’t get overtaken by others, mainly BMWs of course, which is a welcome change. The road does slow down and turn into some quite tight blind turns, which could catch you off guard if you haven’t ridden there before, but with its great top end speed comes its great handling, and it took those corners easily; I definitely imagined I was leaning way more than I was in reality. Arriving at the Superbike Factory, I parked up and headed inside. The first thing I saw was wall after wall of gear and everything in between, and continuing further in, were rows and rows of every bike you could imagine. I was in heaven and for a moment wondered if I died on the way here. I looked around and sat on a few bigger bikes pretending what I’d buy if I was rich. Probably, the whole store, if I’m honest. I even saw my own bike in there and wondered if I actually did park outside. I finished the trip with a quick stop at the café inside and I headed back. I then returned a few more times in the week because I enjoyed the place so much and it also being so close. The ride there is a bit more challenging than the normal routes I take, due to its fast and twisty roads and so I saw it as a great place to improve my riding skills and discover the great features of this bike.

The following week I met up with my mates, who I’d previously mentioned in last month’s edition. Due to days now being shorter and the weather dooming those longer, more adventurous rides, we have certainly been limited. However, we still try and make the most of it. We met up again and headed to the plane watching spot at East Midlands airport, though this time, all of us a bit colder. After my friend upgraded himself to an SV650 and sold his old Suzuki GS to our other friend, we were almost a whole group of Suzukis; my bike of course being the best of the bunch. Still, the odd one out is on the legendary GROM, so it’s not too bad. Unfortunately, that was the extent of our rides as a group due to the limiting factors of winter and work, but sometimes you don’t need big great adventures to have fun, especially when you all go to McDonalds afterwards.

Even after 3 months of riding, I still think how good this bike looks even more so as you remember it’s a 125. I really think they nailed the colour scheme with the mix of blue, black and white, meaning every time I go into my garage, it ends up taking half my evening by looking and admiring it. I do still want to replace the pillion seat in the future, with a seat cowl to get that even more sporty look. The sporty style is definitely a personal favourite of mine and has, I think, made me more favoured to the sport bikes of the world, especially when noticing the frequent head turns and stares, I am not the only one who admires this bike. I also managed to go to the final round of the BMRC, again, at Donnington Park. It seems I also enjoy going to watch bikes as much as riding them, and now I have to wait till April to do it again. It seems this month has been heavily based around Donnington, but I’m not complaining. The trip was very enjoyable, and I watched some good racing despite the cold, and also reminded me of the dangers, as I unfortunately witnessed quite a few crashes. It was another month of experience and skill building that I hope to continue throughout the winter months. I may now start to branch even further from home, as I’ve done most of the landmarks around me, but that will have to wait for a nice dry day, so at this rate I’ll see you all in March.