I first got one of these motorbikes when I was eighteen having moved up from a scooter. The idea was to ride something with a bit of poke and it ceretainly fulfils that!
Still, when you look at the bike it sems a lot bigger than many of its more modern rivals and was often mistaken for a 250 when I was out and about. The styling does not look dated even now when the design of the bike is over ten years old.
Price wise they are not too expensive either because of the age. You should be able to pick up a good one for around £1000. Insurance is not that expensive depending on age of course
Now lets get onto the performance. This little bike should see you to sixty in around nine seconds or so, which is reasonable for the size engine and it grips well in the corners. Handling is very predictable so you never get any unpleasant surprises if you like to spin up the back wheel on the way into a corner. On a track I managed to get about 105mph out of mine with a standard exhaust fitted so its pretty quick when given the opportunity. Brakes are good as long as they are well maintained and give good feel. The tyres that the bike runs are as big as many found on 500cc bikes so there is also bagsof grip
Ok now onto the down sides. This bike is very uncomfortable over a long distance, either in town or at speed. When you are on the motorway you lose the feeling in your hands because of the virbration, after all the engine is doing 11,000rpm at seventy, and in town the riding position means that when you brake all of your body weight is transferred through ypour wrists. Still if you can put up with these then the seat itself is quite comfy with reasonable provision made for a pillion.
Surprisingly fuel economy is not too bad but it is the oil that costs. The bike will use about a litre for every four tanks of petrol or so because it is a two stroke engine. For this kind of performance bike it is essential to use a fully synthetic oil which can be quite expensive. The stuff I used to use cost £5.50 back in 1998!
The other thing which is a bit of a catch is the servicing. The normal stuff like brakes, coolant and air filters are simple enough. However the head of the engine needs de-coking every 3000miles or performance is impeded. This is a fairly big job. At the same time you need to take off the exhaust and clean out the power valve which is another big job.
The power valve is situated in the exhaust outlet manifold and above 8,000 rpm opens wider to allow more gas to get out of the single cylinder. If this valve jams then the bkie will struggle to do over 40mph and you will have broken a £300 actuator which moves the valve. Therefore maintenance is essential and must be carried out regularly.
I would not recommend using this bike for town commuting because of the work that needs doing, plus with riding at low revs in traffic the bike cokes up even faster. However for a bit of fun at a weekend it is great. This is a good bike for those moving up from the smaller classes and for those that just have the A1 licence.
All in all the suzuki RG125 is a cracking, solid little machine, which if well looked after will reward its owner with years of fun. I kept mine for four years before I had to get something bigger (and a little more practical)
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