There are three year old GS125s and there are three year old GS125s! If you see what I mean. The one I bought for £250 had done at least 57423 miles. I can be so exact because the speedo had stopped working and I still have it in the garage. The bike still ran. Its one owner reckoned the motor had not been touched by human hand since he'd bought it, save for the occasional oil change. Impressive, as he was getting on for twenty stone and the bike had reliably taken him on his daily commute back and forth to work until he‘d been sacked.
I tended to believe him about the engine as all the screws and bolts looked like they had never been touched. I wasn’t sure about which I should be more alarmed, the rattly top end or the chainsaw-like noise from the camchain! They drowned out even the rotted through exhaust, so I had little idea if the main bearings were still fit. A gentle ride home revealed that the suspension was as shot as the engine. The front disc didn’t work, so I had to rely on skidding the back wheel and rolling off the throttle.
Once home I set to work. I tightened down the valves to the approved clearances, bodged the camchain tensioner so that it took up the slack in the worn out chain and cleaned three years worth of grime and gunge off the engine and chassis. The paint on the tank and panels shined up very nicely and a bit of black paint on the large chunks of bare frame did wonders for the overall appearance of the bike. Whilst that was drying I pulled out the wheels so I could give them a thorough going over with Gunk and toothbrush.
That just left a new chain and sprocket set, what I assumed were the originals were in a dangerous state. And the caliper pulled apart to reveal wrecked seals and gummed up pistons. I bought a better one from a breaker for a fiver, but have since renovated the original one as a spare. Personally, I would have preferred the drum front wheel off the earlier models but wasn’t willing to pay the breaker thirty notes for the privilege. At least the 12V electrics were all OK, even the electric starter still churned over the engine, which was fitted with electronic ignition. The breaker also supplied a better set of shocks, some springs for the forks, a speedo and silencer.
When everything was put back together the machine once again looked like a three year old should, but it certainly didn’t run like one. The GS comes with 12 horses, barely adequate for keeping up with modern traffic flows, but my worn out engine probably had little more than half of that. Even with just 225lbs to push, the motor made a lot grumbling noises whenever the throttle was whacked open in anger. Top speed worked out at 57mph with about 50mpg, an appalling consumption for the GS and a strong indication that the engine had little life left in it. The vibration was another indicator of imminent demise, both the bars and pegs leaping about in a way that would give a Tiger Cub owner a massive dose of nostalgia.
All the more surprising, then, that in this sorry state the bike did nearly 9000 miles of winter commuting. I knew at some point I would have to replace the motor but was curious to see how long the current one would last. In fact, I picked up a low mileage engine privately for £150 before the old one failed. I knew things were coming to an end when large puffs of black smoke started escaping out of the exhaust and the crankshaft started knocking in addition to camchain chainsaw mode. I made it home at about 25mph, once the engine stopped it refused to start again.
These four stroke singles are simple enough units, so it only took two hours to tear the old one out and fit the replacement, The engine came with a carb, so I had high hopes for improved economy and performance. I was not disappointed on the former but thrashing the bike revealed that top speed was only 71, although it would run along at 65mph all day long. Economy was almost doubled to a most frugal 90 to 110mpg. It worked out at two gallons a week, which brought relief to my hard pressed wallet.
I stripped the old engine down, interested to see what 70000 miles worth of abuse had done. The gearbox still looked okay but the rest of the engine was in a terrible state, amazing that it had still run. There couldn't have been much compression as the rings were all gummed up in the piston, the valves were burnt around their edges and the camshaft lobes were worn flat. The alternator and electronic ignition were still usable but that was about it!
Still, for well under 500 notes I had acquired a rather nice commuter, which in town could cope with the traffic and was ideal for weaving through narrow gaps. Unlike, say, a C90, its chassis was decent enough to keep the bike from being thrown all over the road and the brakes sufficiently powerful to take the cut and thrust of enraged cagers. It was also just big and shapely enough to convince car drivers that it was a real motorcycle and that they should refrain from trying to drive me into the gutter. I'd once ridden a Puch Maxi, which cagers took delight in cutting up and reduced me to a nervous wreck after just a day’s riding.
I was so impressed with the GS125 that I used the machine for a 550 mile trek over a long weekend. With camping gear out back and a tank bag, the GS felt as solid on the road as ever. Maybe a bit too solid as the suspension was on the taut side, allowing more bumps than I would have liked straight through to my spine and arms: Council neglect did not help, some really vicious pot-holes shaking both the GS and myself all over the road. The riding position was perfect for either low speed or 65mph cruising, and the saddle not so bad that I had any qualms about doing 200 to 250 miles in a day. I have ridden bigger bikes that were a lot less comfortable than the little Suzuki!
Naturally enough, outright speed was limited, the bike lost on motorways and the faster A-roads. Careful choice of the route was necessary to really enjoy the bike's qualities, but the steadfast bark of the exhaust in top at 65mph was mightily reassuring and I felt that the OHC unit was unburstable. The engine doesn’t have a balancer and primary vibes do intrude, more under acceleration in the lower gears than in top at a constant speed. With over two gallons before reserve, the 200 mile range did mean that the vibes would eventually numb feet a little if you did that kind of mileage in one sitting.
I enjoyed the weekend, determining to take the bike on a two week holiday. I did over 3000 miles that time. All I had to do to the engine was change the oil a couple of times. The valves didn’t alter their settings very often, there was only one carb to play with, whilst the camchain tensioner and electronic ignition could be conveniently forgotten. The only time the bike caught me out was when the spark plug was shot. I spent hours trying to kick the dead engine into life, not wanting to believe that it was something as simple as a plug (they last 5 to 6000 miles).
I’ve had this bike for 14 months, at the time of writing, done about 23000 miles, and can't find much to complain about. I could do with more speed - it’s beyond me why they don’t do a 250 or 350 version with the same simple, neat styling. The chopper-esque GN250 does not appeal at all, neither does the ugly GN400 and the 500cc plus singles from other makers don’t have the same kind of frugality as the little GS.
Tough, economical and very usable, the GS125 is all you'd ever need if all you do is ride in town. It'll even tour if you can take the limited speed. There are plenty in nice shape on the used market at reasonable prices - if the engine’s on the way out it’s usually pretty obvious from the noises it produces, the top end being the weakest part of the motor, although hooligans who try to wheelie them will wreck the clutch. I won’t be buying another but expect mine to keep going for the rest of the decade, as there are plenty of good motors in breakers if the worst happens.
Stephen Evans