SUZUKI RV125 VAN VAN (2003 - 2016) Review

The Suzuki RV125 VanVan is an enigmatic motorcycle, that’s for sure. Introduced in 2003 it’s a revived version of the original RV125 monkey bike-cum-beach bike made by Suzuki between 1972 and 1982. As such, although fully road legal and, in this 125cc form, a great bike on which to learn to ride, it’s a retro-styled, two-wheeled beach buggy – a cute, leisure bike that is distinguished by its fat, squishy, balloon tyres, simple, affordable mechanicals including a fairly soft air-cooled, 125cc engine and low, light and manageable proportions.

• Related: Suzuki RV200 VanVan first ride review

All of that gives the VanVan a unique appeal as a manageable, cute, affordable and yet cool first bike for learners, as a utility machine for farm workers, as a pit or paddock bike for racers or even as a fun, fashion statement for surf dudes.

And although the VanVan’s appeal is fairly ‘Marmite’, it has a devoted following. There's a 'scene' for the VanVan in the same way as there is for Honda's loveable Monkey Bike.

There’s also more to the VanVan than just quirky style. Being quite small and light, along with a low, comfy seat, wide handlebars that help give it great manoeuvrability and a soft power delivery, all make it a very gentle, novice machine – and one that’s particularly accessible to shorter or female riders.

While, finally, the VanVan’s robust simplicity – it has a simple, air-cooled engine, rugged, agricultural bodywork and just a single dial – helps make it durable and affordable, too.

There are slight downsides to this, of course. Being a mere 12bhp single with fat, balloon tyres means the VanVan’s certainly not quick – reckon on 60mph flat out. A faster, 200cc version was also built that unfortunately didn’t come to the UK. The gearchange is also fairly crude and its spec quite basic.

It also went out of production in 2016 meaning it’s now becoming quite old. Find a good used one, though, and the VanVan can be cheap, stylish, unintimidating and fun – and isn’t that what a good learner bike should be?

With its distinctive ‘balloon’ tyres, ultra low 770mm seat and light (120kg dry) weight there’s nothing quite like Suzuki’s VanVan 125 – Honda’s MSX125 ‘Grom’ is more of a monkey bike with its mini 12inch wheels. By comparison the VanVan is a two-wheeled beach buggy.

As a result the VanVan’s very low and easy to ride – and very comfy. Owners report that the plump seat is so comfy you could ride for hours on it... and, considering its meagre performance, you might have to.

Although the spindly conventional, unadjustable telescopic forks and preload-adjustable monoshock are a little basic and old fashioned, thanks to the fat, soft tyres – the front’s a fat 130/80 x 18 hoop with an even more balloon-like 180/80 x 14 at the rear – they deliver a smooth, reasonably stable ride.

And although the tyres are fat – so much so first impressions are that the VanVan’s quite bouncy and imprecise – with smooth, steady input through the wide bars it rewards with surprisingly accurate lines. Its turning circle is tiny, too. All that means the little Suzuki is easy and unintimidating for novices and is great fun around town or at slower speeds where nimble handling is at a premium. It even handles off road reasonably well.

The brakes, meanwhile, comprising a fairly basic, old school single 220mm disc at the front with a 110mm drum at the rear, neither featuring ABS, may also be decidedly basic but considering the VanVan 125’s performance, are up to the job and nothing to complain about.

However, the flip-side of all that is, although the VanVan’s nimble, fun and easy at lower speeds and around town, it’s really not best suited to more open, fast roads where its limited 50-60mph performance and exposed riding position will make riders feel vulnerable. Stick to short hops and smaller roads, though, and it copes fine.

As a basic ‘beach bike’ derived from an older 1970s design you may expect the VanVan 125’s engine to be nothing to write home about – and you’d be correct. But within the context of what it was designed to do it’s mostly up to the job – although most owners do state that they’d prefer a bit more than its 60mph max speed.

Only ever sold in the UK in learner legal 125cc form (in the rest of Europe it was also available with 200cc and 16bhp, which we can imagine gave it the extra bit of power some owners desired) it was powered by a fairly basic and old fashioned air-cooled, SOHC, two-valve four-stroke single with carburettor induction.

Peak power is an unexciting 12bhp at 9500rpm with peak torque of 7ftlb at 8600rpm. From 2007 it switched to fuel injection, which sharpened throttle response slightly but was otherwise unchanged.

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 VanVan cruises happily at 50mph.

Transmission is via a conventional six-speed gearbox and chain final drive. Disappointingly, considering most Suzukis have immaculate, slick gearchanges, the VanVan’s is disappointingly clunk and agricultural but you get used to it.

The Suzuki RV125 VanVan's build quality, gearbox, paintwork, power, tank size and mirrors all come in for some criticism, which isn’t that surprising, really, considering the age of the design and its basic spec – but in a oddball, utilitarian way that’s also part of its appeal.

There’s definitely something of the off-roader, farm vehicle or kit-car beach buggy about the VanVan and that helps it be more than capable of working for its living on rougher terrain: farms, beaches etc. 

Being a very simple, understressed design, and also one that was in production for a long time, giving plenty of opportunity to iron out any glitches, means the Van Van is very reliable, too.

And even though it has limited performance with a ‘fun bike’ nature meaning it’s sometimes liable to be thrashed by unsympathetic owners, generally the little Suzuki weathers all that well, with owners commenting that it’s a relatively reliable bike with no major mechanical issues reported.

That said, the VanVan’s old fashioned, agricultural nature also means that its paint is a bit thin in places and owners recommend that you really must try to keep that rear mono-shocker greased because it'll catch the worst of the weather where it is, leading to seizure and/or corrosion.

Being a novice-orientated machine that’s particularly popular with shorter, very inexperienced types also means its vulnerable to tipples and associated crash damage, especially to vulnerable, exposed areas, so be sure to examine levers, bars, indicators, pegs, exhaust and so on closely.

That appeal to novices and even farming types also means the Van Van is more likely than most to be suffering from neglect – either cosmetically or mechanically. Some owners are inexperienced in looking after bikes allowing corrosion, poor servicing and a lack of lubrication and/or adjustment to occur. Others may treat the VanVan as a ‘farm tool’ with similar problems arising as a result.

Our Suzuki Van Van 125 owners' reviews indicate this is a reliable bike. Thin paint is one of the major drawbacks, but that shouldn't stop you buying one.

Although the Suzuki RV125 VanVan was actually quite pricey for what it was when it was sold new between 2003 and 2016 and today its unique appeal means that used values remain higher than less fashionable but mechanically very similar 125 commuters, the little Suzuki is, on the whole, very cheap to run.

That fairly basic spec and its old school mechanicals means that parts and servicing are both cheap and straightforward. Maintaining Suzuki’s small, air-cooled, single cylinder ‘thumper’ engine is a simple affair – oil changes, chain adjustment and various other regular jobs are a breeze – and ‘first time fettlers’ will be in their element as everything is easily accessible. And if you don’t want to service it yourself, garage charges should be fairly low, too.

At the same time the VanVan’s fairly meagre performance (its 60mph top speed is among the lowest of learner-legal 125 machines due to a combination of its menial power output and the high rolling resistance created by its fat tyres) means that both insurance costs and its fuel consumption rate are quite low as well.

Plenty of owners report mpg figures in the high 90s which, even considering the VanVan’s ridiculously small 7.5 litre tank (including 1.8litre reserve) means the reserve light won’t come on until after you’ve ridden 140 miles.

In addition, plenty of VanVans are still used as commuters by those whose ride to work entirely within speed restricted, urban areas and have been attracted by the little Suzuki’s comfort and ease of use and its affordability.

Newcomers and novices, meanwhile, are usually drawn more by the VanVan’s trendy, unusual style and easy, unintimidating proportions. And although in all honesty both types of owner would probably be better off buying something like a Honda CG125 instead, which costs considerably less than the Suzuki RV125 VanVan both to buy and run, the little Suzuki is cheap enough to satisfy.

Such is the VanVan's popularity in the used market good examples will set you back almost as much as a new Yamaha YS125 or Honda CB125F. While neither of these bikes can match the style of the VanVan they would be more economical and reliable than the Suzuki as a city commuter.

There’s no getting away from the fact that the Suzuki RV125 VanVan is a decidedly old design with simple mechanicals and a fairly basic spec so don’t expect much by way of luxury or the slick modern features of the sort found on a more high-end, modern machines.

That said, the little Suzuki does have most of the basics you actually need – not to mention a few more besides. Its plumply-padded saddle is long, low and has plenty of room for two; there’s a luggage rack at the rear along with a grabrail, both of which are welcome; the chunky tyres and upswept exhaust look funky and give it bling appeal and there’s a small, removable side panel which contains a basic tool kit. But that is pretty much your lot.

Instrumentation comprises merely a single, analogue speedo dial, which lives in a chrome housing and is accompanied by bank of basic warning lights. There’s no revcounter, no fuel gauge, no gear indicator and not even a low fuel warning light. The mirrors are OK but the switchgear is a little basic, too, with the original, carburetted version also having a manual rather than automatic choke. Nor is there a mainstand, which would help when it comes to adjusting the chain.

In that sense, many owners consider the VanVan 125 a little overpriced considering the minimal equipment you get for your money. That said, however, few complain. It’s all part of the VanVan’s rugged, unique appeal and that more than makes up the difference.