1984 Suzuki TS125 X comparison test against Honda MTX125RW,
KTM 125GS and Yamaha DT125LC (five pages). Published in Tekniikan
Maailma 10/1984, Finland. Click to enlarge.
”Three against one" says the headline, meaning that
the three Japanese bikes had made rather similar bikes, that look
like endurance bikes, but are actually more aimed for riding on
streets or dirt roads. The European KTM was a real competition
endurance bike, not suitable for street riding. The Suzuki, like
all the other Japanese bikes, suffered from unsuitable tires for
serious endurance riding, but even surprisingly poor gearbox (unusual
for Suzuki) and not that successful steering geometry. The engine
was fine, although the test riders would have wanted a wider effect
range. The suspension was working fine on all of the four test
bikes. Although the Suzuki was cheapest, it was also considered
as the worst choice of the four. The model (with a liquid-cooled
engine) was brand new, so the test riders thought the bike was
put together in a hurry, and hoped that the upcoming models had
higher quality. The positive remarks about the TS125X were that
the fuel consumption was low and bike looked good. The last picture,
the yellow '84 TS125X, is borrowed from Roy Bacon's book of Suzuki. |
