1974 Suzuki TS125 from United States of America - Comments

Nothing at all in the riding season I owned it.

The Suzuki TS125 was a two-stroke dual-purpose on/off road motorcycle.

It featured oil injection so you just had to keep the oil tank full.

An interesting feature was that it was set-up to run without the battery, although the battery was needed to power the headlight, tail light & directionals.

Although only a 125cc motorcycle, my bike came equipped with passenger foot pegs. This little bike came fully equipped. A tachometer and center-stand was standard equipment.

It was a fine bike to learn to ride on, and it was great fun on the trails as well. Perhaps the most fun I had on a motorcycle was the summer I rode my TS125 practically everywhere.

I was a great little bike to run about town on, and fortunately there were a lot of trails nearby.

I bought the bike new in 1975 for $700. It was a new 1974 left-over.

I actually drove my little Suzuki on the highway a few times, but having such a small displacement, it topped out at 70 mph on level ground and worked hard to maintain about 65mph on grades.

This was my first "real motorcycle", having had a mini-bike before. During the entire time I owned it, I was driving on my motorcycle learners permit.

Once I felt really comfortable riding on the street, I sold my little TS 125 and bought a new Yamaha RD 350 street bike.

I really liked the Yamaha, but it was fun having a little runabout that you could take off road.

These little two-stroke dual purpose bike were very very inexpensive to buy, extremely cheap to run and maintain, and also got unbelievable gas mileage.

It was also extremely reliable, all it asked is that you kept it full of gas and oil and it never let me down. Back in the '70's there were so many good choices available in small displacement two stroke dual purpose bikes, and also small street bikes.

I miss these little two-strokes. I have fond memories of my little TS125, as well as memories of all the great little two-strokes available at that time.

Besides the dual purpose two-stroke singles Suzuki offered some great little two-stroke twin street bikes such as the GT185 and GT250, as well as the the GT380 triple.

Yamaha had an entire line of little RDs, the RD250 & RD350's probably being the most well-known. (Yamaha even made a 200cc twin the RD200.)

Kawasaki was famous for it's two-stroke triples. The KH400 was a nice little street bike.

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to buy a nice little dual-purpose bike that you could actually commute to work on, (getting over 60 mpg in the process) for under $1000? Yes, those were the days.

I would love to hear from other riders out there who have fond memories of these little two-strokes that could be seen at every high school & college campus (not to mention shopping malls) back in the '70's.

If you have a story to tell, leave a comment or better still, write a review!

Ah those old 2 stroke bikes of the 70s.

Kawasaki actually had a whole line of 2 stroke triples, including the KH 250, 400, 500, and 750.

The 500 & 750 were scary beasts, known for blinding acceleration and rather dismal handling. They were all great looking motorcycles though.

I'm not sure about the 250, but I've heard that the 400 was a pretty decent handling bike. Sprung a bit too stiff for long distance commuting, but great for scooting about the curvy back roads. I imagine the 250 was a decent handling bike as well.

A friend of mine had a 750, another friend owned a 500.

I remember the owner of the 750 being stopped by the local police, because he refused to keep the front wheel in contact with the pavement.

I always liked the little 2 stroke Suzuki's. The tiny GT185 was a charming little runabout, as was the GT250. Either of these bike were actually capable of highway riding too. The little 185 could reach speeds of 75mph or so, the 250 could reach speeds slightly higher. (Remember those little 2 stroke engines were actually quite powerful for their size).

Suzuki's 750 triple was one of the first bikes I remember being water cooled. During that period, Suzuki actually came out with a rather unusual looking rotary engined motorcycle as well.

Yamaha actually built 2 stroke street bikes as small as 100cc's., and the RD series went from the tiny RD125 to the RD350 (later replaced by the RD400). The RD350 was actually a very quick motorcycle, running the 1/4 mile in the 14 second range.

Honda of course was devoted to 4 stroke engines, but also built some tiny motorcycles for street use. There was a time when you could buy their CB125cc street bike for $433. New!

Currently there just a few small bike to choose from, and even the little Honda Rebel 250 costs over $3000., the Yamaha 250 Virago even more.

Because of emisions regulations and technology, I suppose those 2 stroke engines are gone for good, But you still see one occasionally on the road, and they do bring back wonderful memories of an easier and less complex time, don't they?

I am also fond of those little two-stroke bikes. I have a 1980 Honda H100A. This bike I bought as a cheap replacement because my used machine was subject to theft.

When I bought the H100A with a meaningless years MOT, I personally agreed to use it for a year, bearing in mind, it would cost a lot of work to get it through its next MOT, as it was already in a neglected state, therefore I planned to use it then scrap it. However, the more I rode it, the more I became attached to it. People would often admire it, mainly because of its lovely exhaust note.

After a year of riding the H100A, I realized I could never live to see it go to the scrap heap. I decided to keep it and made plans to restore it to its former glory, although I know it will cost a lot of time and money.

The H100A has been in my possession for just over two years (bought 15/07/03). The first day I rode it before buying it, I thought about life in 1980, when I would have been only months old when the bike was bought by its first owner (13/08/80). I was also amazed how quick the acceleration was for a 99cc engine.

The day I first got it home, I cleaned out the carb, made various adjustments and changed the oil. This was done in preparation for the next day`s adventure. Every ride was a joy.

I wish I was privileged to have been able to ride bikes in the seventies and eighties, because there were so many to choose from. The new bikes available today, although reliable and well refined, are often bland, expensive to buy and maintain, and therefore don`t particularly interest me. Forget the latest bike dressed in plastic, give me a GT185 or a KH110 any day.

I personally believe bikes are not as well built as they use to be. I like the early small Japanese two-stroke commuters with lots of chrome and character. The latest bikes dressed in curvy plastic resembling an alien from the Martian Landscape such as the latest BMW, I find extremely bland, that it is enough to force me into a cager for life.

The fact that it is becoming increasingly difficult to get a two-stroke bike, breaks my heart beyond belief. I want to keep my little H as long as possible. Nothing beats the thrill of the power and scream of a two-stroke.

I love two-stroke.

Although primarily known as a manufacturer of 4 stroke motorcycles, Honda did manufacture some dual-purpose 2-strokes during the 70's such as the MT 125 and MT250.

Wow, you would think an English professor made this site. Everything has to be insanely perfect, spelling and all.

Anyway, I just wanted to mention I got me a perfectly working Yamaha RD200 for $1000 about a year ago. I got the bike for fuel economy, but now I'm looking to get a 2006 KLR 650. And yes the RD200 is street legal. :D I like the RD200, but it's a royal pain to find parts for it, not to mention the small tank. I just thought I would add my 2 cents. That's all.

It is interesting to hear these nostalgic comments. I own a 2004 two stroke Suzuki DX 100. It cost me $980.00 new. I live in Ecuador and these motorcycles are everywhere.

It has a top speed of 90 kilometers per hour, and needs to be in third gear for a good hill. It is a lot of fun. It seems to go just as fast with two people.

I am thinking of upgrading to a 185 two stroke offroad bike. That´s what the police here use.

1975 Yamaha RD60-B

When I was 16, my first street bike was a 1975 Yamaha RD60B. It had a 55cc oil-injected 2-stroke engine, and I put an unbelievable number of miles on it, commuting first to high school, then college, jobs and dating. The manual claimed 188 mpg, but realistically it was more like 100.

Believe it or not, I even used to ride the thing on the interstate, although it took a while to get up to speed. It even hit 70 MPH from time to time. One summer I rode it all the way from Danbury, Connecticut to northern Vermont and back, with only one breakdown: the engine ingested the circlip holding the carburetor needle in the slide. A repurposed paperclip did the trick. I had to store it outdoors and eventually the weather did it in. Long live the RD-60!

I'm the original reviewer. I'm currently restoring (almost done) a 1975 Yamaha RD250. I owned an RD350 back in 1975.

I know what you mean about your RD60. They moved along okay for such a tiny bike.

Hi, I live in Mexico and I just thought you'd like to know that you can still buy the Suzuki TS185 here for about $2000.

Regards.

Hi all! I fondly remember my younger brother owning 3 Kawasaki triples in the early 80's. A 250 and TWO H2 750's!

One 750 he bought for $500.00 in a box, and all it needed was a rebore and pistons. The other 750 he picked up for $1200.00 and it was BUILT with pipes, smoothbores, etc.

I'll never forget the day I went for a ride on the back of the 750, and when he hit 3rd gear, that's when my glasses got sucked off my face from the wind pressure! Needless to say, they vapourized upon impact and I ended up wearing an old pair of glasses from grade 6 for a few days!

I guess I got H2-ed!

I own a 1974 TS125. I bought it for $200 last year. It's really fast for how small it is, and it runs really well for how old it is.

I'm only 14, so it's my first bike. My dad has a 1984 Yamaha IT 490 (bored to a 510) and after riding my bike his is SCARY.

Anyway, back to my bike, it's really awesome. Although it's an enduro, I don't recommend ever jumping it. I was jumping it (probably only 6 ft in the air) and when I came down I blew both the seals in the front fork and now it leaks oil out of there REALLY bad. I'm going to get it fixed soon. It's nice that you don't have to mix the oil in it, though.

It's also really fast. I've read that it tops out at 65 MPH, but I've had it at 75, and nothing has been done to it really.

I think that the placement of the exhaust pipe is really stupid, though. DO NOT bottom out on a rock or anything, you might pinch your pipe... that wouldn't be good.

Hello, I just got a 1975 ts125 from my friend for $25. It needs some work, but the biggest thing is the clutch. I was wondering if any body knows if a ts100 clutch or a ts185 clutch will work in it, because I can't find the ts125 clutch?

I agree.

Hello to the Suzuki TS125 lover.

I'm also riding the Suzuki TS125 2003 model, and enjoy it very much; it is a light weight and also easy to control.

When I changed the rear gear to 50 teeth, it gives me a very strong reaction and you will feel exactly how strong it is.

Hi there, I have just inherited a brand new h100a from 1980 from my dad who recently passed away. The bike has only done 100 miles from new, and is in concours condition. The bike is showroom condition and I am scared to ride it. Should this bike be ridden or kept in storage?

Kind Regards,

Brian IN the UK

I have a 1980 (W reg) H100A that I have just restored. It is now show room condition and finished in blue. I will only ride it on special occasions, and not park it out of my sight.

I bought it in July 2003 for less than two hundred and it was a wreck, probably due to inexperienced owners. I used it for a year for commuting, and had some great times on it.

In traffic, I had a guy get out of his van to ask if it was a 50 or 125. I replied it is a 100. He commented on how well it looked.

I have spent two years restoring it, but could have done it in about two months, if had the motivation. I would be heart broken to part with it.

Although the H100A is able for commuting and is robust, personally I would not use it for that in show room condition (always some nerd wanting to spoil your fun - get what I mean).