Suzuki RV 125 VanVan

The Suzuki RV125 VanVan is an enigmatic motorcycle, that’s for sure. Farm hands, gamekeepers, race teams and surf dudes would be the ideal customers: it’s perfect for whizzing around country estates, race paddocks and beaches. Fashion-conscious, retro fans must love Suzuki RV125 VanVans. Teenagers, probably, don’t. Who knows? But it’s still pretty cute: better than a quad or a scooter, either way.

Very low and very comfy, the Suzuki RV125 VanVan’s a stable, smooth ride with good, if very basic, suspension and brakes. It’s light and easy to ride with a tiny turning circle, aided by wide bars. The gearbox, alas, is crunchy and agricultural while the chassis has a habit of rattling when you’re on the move, which is somewhat disconcerting. The Suzuki RV125 VanVan is not very at home on the open road.

The tiny, air-cooled four stroke Suzuki RV125 VanVan pulls acceptably in lower gears but, overall, lacks any really useful power. There’s no top end and it struggles to reach, let alone break, the national speed limit. What power there is, however, is smoothly delivered and the Suzuki RV125 VanVan's engine itself is very reliable. The Suzuki RV125 VanVan cruises happily at, erm, 50mph.

The Suzuki RV125 VanVan's build quality, gearbox, paintwork, power, tank size and mirrors all come in for some harsh words. However, there’s definitely something of the off-road about it and it’s more than capable of working for its living on rougher terrain: farms, beaches etc. The Suzuki RV125 VanVan is built to be thrashed, it seems.

Retro through and through, the Suzuki RV125 VanVan is tiny and cute. The seat’s long, low and has plenty of room for two; there’s a luggage rack at the back and a grabrail. The analogue speedo lives in a chrome housing but there’s no fuel gauge or light (eek!). The Suzuki RV125 VanVan's chunky tyres and exhaust look funky and there’s a small, removable side panel containing a basic tool kit.